Page 243 of Operation: Defiance

I’ve been sitting here so long, I didn’t realize the clock had ticked past 4:30 p.m.

“Locke,” I say.

There’s a pause and what might be a breath before a man answers. “No. You’re not.”

“True. Mason is unavailable at the moment. But the conversation you were expecting can still happen.”

“Not unless you tell me who you are. And why I should trust you,” he says.

“You’ll trust me because I know your employer shares a physical location with two other entities down in Centralia. Kovacs Resolution Partners and Coherent Path.”

“I suppose names aren’t always necessary,” he says, his tone measured and calm. It’s the sound of a man who realizes the stakes have suddenly shifted without warning.

I lean back in the chair. “We can get down to business, then.”

“What do you want?”

“Detainee extraction and data transfer. Anyone currently in Coherent Path custody is taken directly to Tacoma Memorial hospital by someone at Northbridge. You make Coherent Path’s data available to me—either through remote access or a physical drop at a location I specify.” I pause, letting him process the demand for a beat before I continue. “In return, I’ll guarantee that Northbridge has twenty-four hours to wipe all traces of their existence at the facility before the address is released. It’ll be like you were never there.”

The man scoffs. “Lady, you think my bosses are going to move against an organization we share space with based on an anonymous phone call?”

“I think if your bosses had any idea of the firestorm coming their way, they’d want to put as much distance between them and Coherent Path as possible. The address is going public whether you agree to a deal or not. The only question is whether Northbridge gets caught in the fallout when it does.”

“And I’m supposed to take your word you even know where it is.” It isn’t a question.

“You’re supposed to consider that I knew exactly who to call and what to ask for. But fine. You want proof?” I bring up the coordinates of the black site and rattle them off. “Coherent Path occupies all of sublevel three. I didn’t get that information by accident.”

For several seconds, the man doesn’t speak. But his respiration rate has ticked up steadily. He’s close to folding.

“The address goes public either way. Agree, and I hold it for twenty-four hours. Don’t, and I release it right now.” I keep my voice even. “You have another thirty seconds before I hang up and make the decision for you.”

When he speaks again, the pushback arrives wrapped in careful language. “You’re making assumptions about my authority here.”

“Authority isn’t my problem,” I reply. “If you don’t have enough of it, find someone who does.”

“That’s going to take time.” The caution in his voice shifts to acceptance.

“I can give you an hour. No more.”

“Two hours.”

Negotiation. Fine. I’ll give him an inch. But not long enough for Northbridge to disappear.

“Ninety minutes. Final offer. If you’re thirty seconds late, the address goes out.”

“Understood,” he says, and the call disconnects.

The adrenaline coursing through my body vanishes in a single heartbeat. The phone slips from my hand. My lungs strain as I forget what breathing is supposed to feel like.

Dark spots float in front of my eyes. I press my fingertips together until I feel the rapid beat of my heart between them.

The room resolves into more than light and shadow. The music playing softly helps me orient, and I retrieve the phone from the floor.

If this works, the only obstacle left is time.

Chapter Seventy-One

Raine