Page 207 of Operation: Defiance

“Five minutes. No more.” I tug the dark blue baseball cap lower over my eyes. “Anything feels off, you run.”

She nods, and fuck. I wish I could see her eyes. But the sunglasses block out everything.

“Be careful,” she finally manages.

I offer her a half smile before I turn. “Always.”

Claire steps off the curb without looking up from her phone. Thank fuck. Distraction makes this ten times easier.

I adjust my stride so I reach her as two separate walkways converge and the crowds are forced to adjust around one another. One hand wraps firmly around her upper arm. I clamp the other over her mouth before she can scream, pull her against me, and steer us behind one of the larger market booths with thick canvas walls that hide us from view.

If anyone in the crowd noticed us, daylight and the illusion of safety in public should keep them quiet.

Claire screams, but my palm and the incessant rumble of people keep the sound from traveling. She claws at my arm. I spin her, press her back to the wall, and take off my sunglasses before using my forearm to hold her in place. Only enough pressure for her to understand I’m serious. Not so much I’m causing her pain.

“I won’t hurt you, Claire. But I need you to come with me.”

Her eyes widen at the use of her name. As she drives her heel toward my foot, I shift so she catches nothing but air.

“Keep fighting,” I say, my voice firm, “and this gets complicated. I don’t want complicated. I want two minutes of your time, after which I’ll let you go—unharmed—and you never have to see me again.”

She goes very still, her green eyes calculating. Escape? Or agreement?

“It took me less than ten seconds to get you away from the crowd. That should tell you something.”

Her body sags slightly. I arch my brows. “No screaming?”

Claire shakes her head, and I remove my hand.

“What do you want?” Her voice is shaky.

“To go for a little walk. South past the fish stand, to Post Alley, then to an alcove near the elevator. Everything will make sense once we get there. I’ll keep hold of your arm, but I won’t touch you in any other way.”

She studies me, still afraid, but no longer shaking. “If you wanted to hurt me, you’d have done it already.”

“Correct. I’m not here for my health, Claire. I’m here because you’re the only person who might be able to help us stop some very bad people from doing very bad things.”

“Us?” she asks. “Who is ‘us’?”

“Come with me and you’ll find out.” At her nod, I wrap my hand around her upper arm. “We’re just two friends walking through the market. Let’s keep it that way.”

Chapter Fifty-Five

Raine

I grip the dark blue sun hat hard enough my hands shake. As soon as Asher left, I yanked the thing off my head so quickly, I pulled a few strands of hair with it.

I should have been the one to make contact. What if Claire ran? What if someone was following her? The redacted personnel file I found for her in the archives didn’t list her as having a formal RJ number. And someone would start asking questions if both the Assistant Director of Systems and the highest ranked analyst disappeared within days of one another. I hope.

“Almost there,” Asher says from somewhere close by, his tone firm. “You’re doing fine.”

They turn the corner together. Claire is pale, her jaw tight, mossy green eyes churning with both fear and anger.

Until she sees me. Then her expression shatters.

“Raine?”

Her eyes travel the length of me, catching on the bruising at the base of my thumbs, again at my face. She takes a single step closer, like she’s not sure I’m real.