Page 153 of Fractured Allegiance

I take it from her.

The weight of it settles in my hand like it belongs.

She watches me too long after that.

I can feel it.

"You're compromised," she says flatly.

"I'm still operational."

"For now." She leans back, arms crossed. "You realize if anyone finds out about this place—about her—there's no cleaning it up. You're either her shadow or her executioner. There's no third option."

"I've already chosen."

"Yeah. I know." Her voice is ice. "And here's what's going to happen. You check in every 48 hours. You don't make a move without clearing it with me first. And if I call you in, you come in. No arguments. No excuses."

"Naomi—"

"I'm not done." She leans forward, eyes hard. "You think I'm letting this continue because I trust your judgment? I don’t. I'm letting it continue because right now, you're useful. Lydia's close to Drazen. You're close to her. That gives us leverage we didn't have before."

"So you're using me."

"I'm using the situation." She doesn't blink. "But the second you stop being useful—or the second you become a liability—I will pull you out. And I won't ask twice. Understood?"

I hold her gaze. "Understood."

"Good." She starts to move then stops. "One more thing."

I wait.

"The leak. I've been running internal audits. Access logs, procurement records, communication patterns. I've narrowed it down to five possibles—three in cyber, two in operations."

"That's progress."

"It's not enough." She rubs her left brows in frustration. "Until I know who's feeding Drazen information, I can't risk making moves that might tip them off. Which means you stay exactly where you are. No sudden changes. Business as usual."

"So I'm bait."

"You're exposed either way. Pulling you out now would signal that we know about the leak. Whoever's dirty would go dark, and we'd lose our chance." She pauses. "So yes, you stay in place while I work. And you'd better be careful, because if theleak figures out you're onto them before I catch them, you're on your own."

"How long?"

"Days. Maybe a week. I'm close." Her eyes are hard. "But until then, you follow protocol. You check in. You stay smart. And you pray I find them before they find you."

I nod once.

She walks a few step away, then looks back at me.

"And Silas? Pray you're right about her too. Because if you're wrong—if she's playing you, or if Drazen figures out what you are—it won't just be your career that's over. It'll be your life."

I say nothing.

Not because I'm finished.

Because there's nothing left to say.

I turn toward the street, key pressed deep into my palm, and head for the car. Red light bleeds across the dashboard when I start the engine. Something inside me burns hotter than it should.