Page 62 of Radiant Exception
However, if you add in the assumption that he was working with Meridian, who was most definitely on to me, at the very least from before I boarded theRadiant, as Darren had pointed out to me inthe diner the day he’d offered me the mission, then things started to become much clearer.
To add to that, it would make sense that Meridian would have unfettered access to Starlane databases, as well as IA, a known fact amongst the intelligence community because of how far-reaching corruption and Meridian’s influence ran in the system. The fact that Meridian and the Phoenix likely had access to theRadiant’sships systems was just icing on the cake.
Vaughn didn’t like that I harped on that last bit. And it didn’t make me comfortable thinking about how they could potentially suffocate us in our sleep or redirect the ship without warning, both of which I pointed out to him.
“I have fail-safes in place to prevent either of those things,” Vaughn grumbled.
“More black ops secrets?” I teased, glancing down at my lapel pin.
“You have no idea what kind of tricks I have up my sleeves, Trouble,” he outright flirted with me.
I merely raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Darren prattled on to himself about the various connections he had that could assist and which of them would be more reliable than others, as well as what favors he’d have to call in and whether it would be worth the effort over his other options.
Vaughn’s gaze scanned me from head to toe, his brow furrowing.
“What?” I mouthed silently to him.
He put the comm on mute.
“Go shower. I’ll help him work out the details of findingWestcott.”
“You’re sure?” A hot shower sounded exactly like what I needed, but I didn’t want to leave if I was needed. Making sure Simon got what was coming to him was much more important than being clean at that very moment.
“Yeah, I’ll let you know when we wrap things up.”
“Okay.” I smiled, scooting off the bed, “Thank you.” I gave his hand a short squeeze before ducking out from under the curtain.
It wasn’t until I felt the warm water sluicing down my back and the grimy residue swirling down the drain that recent events started to catch up with me. Despite the fact that I’d been sedated for hours, it felt like I hadn’t slept in days.
I couldn’t ruminate over what could have happened or it would only make things worse. So instead, I focused on scrubbing every last speck of dirt from that trafficking ship off my skin.
Every time my mind wandered to what fate could have befallen me if I hadn’t been found, I thought about the way it felt to hear Vaughn calling out for me…the way his strong embrace calmed me in a way I hadn’t experienced in decades.
I’d just started washing my hair when I heard the bathroom door slide open.
“All good with Darren,” Vaughn called to me.
“Wait!” I shouted back over the sound of the shower. “Come over here.”
I could hear him hesitate.
“Okay.”
But I still couldn’t see him. I pictured him leaning against the counter.
I’d told him I was ready to figure out whatever was going on between us. I hoped he believed me. But I was tired of there being so much space between us, and I knew I would have to lead the way.
“Come over here, Vaughn,” I insisted more firmly.
Another pause, but then a moment later, I could see part of his body shift into view. I wasn’t sure if he was just shy or trying to be respectful.
“A little more.” I half giggled.
I watched his body sigh as he moved farther along the counter until I could see his face. His eyes were firmly watching the door.
“What’s Darren’s plan?” I asked, starting in safer territory.
