Page 15 of Code Name: Tank (K19 Sentinel Cyber #4)

TANK

D ragon and I walked back to the command center in silence. Every glimpse of her profile reminded me of the way she responded when I’d pressed her against that tree. I’d crossed a line I couldn’t uncross, and now, we had to work together like nothing had happened.

The command center’s familiar hum greeted us as we stepped through the doors. Dragon’s posture was tense when she moved to her work area, and as I headed toward my own setup, I was hyperaware of every movement she made.

Atticus glanced up from his desk as we entered, his eyes immediately darting between Dragon and me with barely contained amusement.

“Well, well.” Flint’s voice cut through the quiet. “You’re back.”

I looked up to find him watching us with scrunched eyes. The way Dragon’s shoulders stiffened told me she didn’t like his tone any better than I did.

“Knock it off, Flint,” Dragon snapped.

“What?” His smile was cold. “I hope whatever you were discussing was productive .”

The emphasis he put on the word made my jaw clench. He’d noticed the way we were avoiding eye contact, the new strain between us. Flint could read people the way Dragon could read code, and right now, he was reading us.

“Very,” I said, turning my head to make sure he couldn’t see me wink but Dragon could. I settled into my chair and opened my laptop. “Dragon’s analysis of the embedded operatives’s patterns is exactly what we needed for tomorrow’s briefing.”

Atticus cleared his throat loudly. “Tank, you’ve got that look again. The one where you’re about to do something that’ll either be brilliant or get you in serious trouble.” His grin was insufferable, but it broke some of the awkwardness.

Flint returned to his own work, but I could feel his attention.

Every few minutes, he’d make some comment designed to test the waters—asking Dragon if she needed anything, hinting she might want to take another break, suggesting they review her findings together.

Each offer was reasonable on the surface, but underneath, I heard the possessive undertone.

Each time, Dragon deflected with courtesy, but when Flint leaned too close to her monitor, I almost intervened.

My phone buzzed with a message from Admiral. Review PSI intelligence Friday, 1300. Secretary Hartwell specifically requested our preliminary findings. You, Dragon, and Flint.

“Hartwell wants our preliminary findings on the embedded operatives investigation at the end of the week,” I said.

Dragon nodded, pulling up information about the contractor on her screen. “I’ll prepare a brief.”

“I’ll handle the briefing itself,” Flint added, reminding everyone he was the supposed expert.

Alice looked up from her screen. “I can compile the financial forensics data if that helps. Just give me a few minutes between waves.” She gestured vaguely at her stomach.

“Alice, you don’t need to—” I started.

“As I told you before, I’m pregnant, not infirm,” she said with a weak smile. “Though I do appreciate everyone’s concern.”

We spent the next hour coordinating for Friday’s review while I tried not to give in to the distraction of Flint’s behavior toward Dragon. As much as I wished I could tune it out, I still watched from the corner of my eye. I shuddered, realizing that made me just as bad as he was.

My phone buzzed with a text from my mom.

Can’t wait to meet this mystery woman at Thanksgiving!

I rolled my eyes, first hoping my mother wouldn’t embarrass Dragon, then realizing that while I’d mentioned my parents would be spending the holiday at Canada Lake, I hadn’t actually invited her to join us.

I wanted to, but there was no way I’d do it in front of a room of people.

“Dragon, we need to review the recruitment patterns tonight,” he said as we packed up and prepared to head to our respective camps. “There might be connections between the Prague files and current targets that could help us tomorrow.”

“I have other things to take care of,” Dragon replied without looking up from her monitor.

“This can’t wait. The recruitment profiles I’m seeing suggest we’re missing potential targets?—”

“We can discuss it after tomorrow’s review session.” Her voice had enough bite to make Flint’s eyes narrow.

The silence that followed was heavy. I could see him weighing his options, deciding whether to push or retreat. Finally, he wisely chose the latter. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.” He picked up his laptop, said good night, and walked out.

“Well, that was subtle as a freight train,” Atticus muttered, not looking up from his screen. “You two want some privacy to figure out whatever’s happening, or should I start timing how long you stare at each other?” He wasn’t wrong. Dragon’s gaze had settled on mine, and neither of us looked away.

Alice gathered her things slowly. “I’m done for today. This little one is exhausting me.” She squeezed Dragon’s shoulder as she passed. “Get some rest.”

“Ready to call it a night?” I asked when Flint had been gone long enough that we wouldn’t risk catching up with him.

“Are we set for tomorrow?” she asked.

I rested my hand on the back of her chair. “We’re prepared, but if you want some time on your own, you don’t have to hide behind having work to do. At least not with me.”

Her smile reached her eyes. “I don’t hide.”

“Right. You just strategically relocate,” I repeated the same words she said when we were in Fort Worth. “You promised to work on that.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she half smiled. “I could call it a night.”

We walked on the gravel pathway without speaking for several minutes until we approached the fork where our paths would diverge.

“Tank?”

“Yeah?”

She stopped walking and turned to face me. “What happened earlier?—”

“I’m not going to apologize for it,” I said, cutting her off gently. “But I also don’t want you to think I’m going to push for more than you’re ready to give.”

“I need you to understand that this is complicated for me.”

“I do.”

She crossed her arms. “Flint wasn’t just my partner, Tank. We were involved. And when everything went sideways on our op, when I needed him most, he chose saving himself over standing by me.”

The pain in her voice made my chest tight. “I’m not him.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.” I stepped closer, close enough to see the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I’d never disappear on you.”

Her breath caught, and for a moment, I thought she might reach for me. Instead, she took a step back.

“I want to believe that,” she said. “But wanting something and trusting it are different things.”

“What do you say we table this conversation for tonight and get out of our heads for a while?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll meet you at Whisper Point in twenty minutes. Dress warm and wear your rain boots.”

Her smile broadened. “Do I need to bring anything else?”

“Nope. I’ve got it.”

“Tank?” she said as I turned to head to my camp.

“Yes, Piper?”

“Thank you.”

“Any time, darlin’.”

“I’m not sure which I like better—Piper or darlin’.”

God, I wanted to kiss her again, but if I did that, we’d never get to where I really wanted to take her tonight. “Twenty minutes. Be ready.”

She saluted and went in the direction of her camp. Was it my imagination, or did she have a bit of spring in her step? I know I did.

The walk to Granite Ridge should have cleared my head, but with every step, I thought about the way Dragon—Piper—had responded to my kiss. The memory of her soft moan and the way she’d pressed closer instead of pulling away sent heat through me again.

Twenty minutes. That’s what I’d told her. I couldn’t waste time getting lost in a memory now, not when there was so much more to look forward to.

Once inside, I grabbed a bottle of water and downed half of it, trying to cool the fire still burning through my system. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Piper’s face after we’d broken apart—breathless, lips swollen, her hazel eyes dark with want.

I’d spent a year respecting her boundaries, telling myself that patience was the right approach. Then one moment of pure jealousy had shattered all that control.

The worst part—or maybe the best? I didn’t regret it. Not the kiss, not the way I’d claimed her mouth like I had every right to, not the primal satisfaction when her body melted into mine.

I caught my reflection in the kitchen window—hair disheveled from running my hands through it, shirt wrinkled because, in the midst of an investigation, I didn’t bother with much more than a clean shirt and jeans.

I looked again, and this time, I saw a man who’d been thoroughly kissed by a woman he was crazy about.

Because that’s exactly what I was.

My phone buzzed with another text from my mom. Hope you’re taking care of yourself up there in the wilderness. Dad says to tell you the Giants are looking strong this season. He wants to know if you’re making time to watch games. Love you.

Her reminder twisted in my stomach. It had been too long since I’d made time for anything beyond work.

But tonight would be different. Yes, we were in the midst of an investigation, but stolen moments were important, even just to talk about something besides defense contractors.

I thought about my parents’ thirty-eight-year marriage, the way they’d navigated every challenge together.

They’d taught me that love required courage, that the possibility of getting hurt was the price of admission for anything worthwhile.

I’d been in relationships before—a nurse who’d understood my dedication to the job until she didn’t.

An intelligence analyst I’d met during a joint operation in Seoul.

Both had been good women, but neither had made me feel the way Piper did.

Neither had made me want to choose them over everything else.

The woman I was about to meet at her camp—I reminded myself— had gotten under my skin in ways I hadn’t thought possible, made me want things I’d never considered. Made me long to build something lasting with someone who challenged me, who made me better just by being near her.

My lips still tingled with the memory of touching hers, and all I could think was that I wanted more. Except I couldn’t push too hard or too fast. My gut told me if I did, it would scare the shit out of her.

I had ten more minutes until I needed to be at Whisper Point. No more time to waste thinking rather than doing. I moved through my camp, collecting supplies, double-checking I had everything—matches, marshmallows, and sticks to roast them on. My hands were steady as I worked, but my pulse raced.

With five minutes to spare, I hurried out of my camp, slowing my pace so I wasn’t out of breath when I got to hers. I rounded the bend and froze in my tracks. Piper—Dragon—stood on the porch, but she wasn’t alone. Flint took a step forward and, like I had earlier, kissed her.