Page 52 of Tag
“The flash drive,” Tag said.
I nodded. “I didn’t believe him at first—until Graves’ men came after him. I found him dying in his apartment. His last words were to ‘get it to someone who can use it.’ So I took it. I never thought it was this big. How could they know I had it?”
“What’s on it exactly?” Faron asked, dropping down from the rocks.
“It’s not just a kill list,” I said. “It’s proof—transactions, orders, audio recordings tying Graves to assassinations, coups, black-site prisons. If it goes public, he’s finished. But it’s also a death sentence for anyone named in it. There are a lot of well-known people.”
Tag’s gaze darkened. “Where is it now?”
I hesitated. “Hidden. In a place only I can get to.”
“And you didn’t tell me because…?” he pressed.
“Because the second I do, you’re a target for more than Sable,” I said. “Graves will send armies. And I’m not willing to paint that on your back.”
He shook his head. “Too late for that.”
The wind shifted, carrying the faint sound of an engine from somewhere far off.
We all heard it.
Our quiet moment was over.
42
Tag
The faint hum of the engine on the wind wasn’t close enough to be a threat yet, but I’d been in this game long enough to know that didn’t mean we had time.
Not with Sable in the mix.
Not with Graves pulling the strings.
Faron scanned the horizon with his scope, then slid down the rocks. “We’ve got two options—haul ass in the opposite direction and hope we shake them, or go after the drive now.”
My jaw tightened. “We don’t run. Not with this kind of leverage on the table.”
Aponi folded her arms, her body angled away from us, but her eyes sharp. “It’s not leverage, Tag. It’s a death warrant. The second we go for it, Graves will know exactly where I’m heading.”
“Good,” I said. “Then he comes to us. We control the ground.”
Her laugh was short and humorless. “Control the ground? You can’t control him. You can’t control her.”
I stepped in close, lowering my voice. “Then we use her. Sable’s not chasing us for sport—she’s after that drive. If wemake her believe she’s getting close, she’ll draw Graves in. And when he’s close enough, we cut the head off the snake.”
Faron’s gaze shifted between us. “That means bait. And I think we all know who that is.”
Aponi’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not using me as bait.”
I didn’t blink. “You’ve been bait since the day you took that drive. The difference now is, you won’t be alone.”
She shook her head, frustration flashing across her face. “You don’t understand where I hid it. If we go for it, we’re not walking into neutral ground. We’re walking into a place I swore I’d never set foot in again.”
“Where?” Faron asked.
Her gaze locked on mine. “South Lancaster. The old children’s home.”
I felt something twist in my gut. “That’s where you grew up.”
