Page 39 of Girl Lost

At least it was a smooth ride. Luna could get used to the rumble of Corbin’s unmarked Charger. The car had power. Presence. Everything her rental lacked. They cruised through the neighborhood toward the beach, a skate park coming into view—a sprawling area with a pump track, scattered skaters, and a dog park nearby.

Things were different than she remembered. The once-charming cottages were replaced by a tangle of rundown houses and overgrown lots. It held a strange stillness. A quiet, almost suffocating calm. As if the neighborhood itself was holding its breath.

She stared at Trinity’s profile picture on her phone. Were Trinity’s wide brown eyes the same as Corbin’s? Did she get her wavy black hair from Luna? Not the lips, though. Those weren’t Luna’s lips. She’d have killed for lips like that at her age.

“You okay?” Corbin asked.

“Yeah.” She locked the screen. “Just ... processing. It’s been a while since I’ve been back here.”

He turned the corner. A series of old, unkempt buildings lined the street. “Yeah, this area’s seen better days.”

Luna studied his profile, noting the sharp angle of his nose. Trinity had a smaller, delicate nose more like her own.

Ridiculous. She was seeing what she wanted to see. Classic confirmation bias. So desperate to find a connection, she was willing to fabricate one.

Moving on.“I don’t think these kids will be happy to see us.”

He laughed a dry, humorless sound. “They definitely won’t be happy to see me. I’m a cop.”

“Can’t argue with that.” She’d seen the same animosity in the eyes of those she recruited as assets. The anger and fear simmering beneath the surface. Most were taught that cops were the bad guys. Do one thing wrong and they’d haul you off to jail. Often she’d have to agree—even egg the asset on—in order to win trust.

A few seconds ticked by in silence. Corbin’s fingers tapped a mindless rhythm on the steering wheel. “So, what did your boss say to get you such high clearance?”

She knew this was coming. “Not sure.”

“Right. You’re a federal agent, but it’s all classified.” He did little curved finger air quotes. “How can I trust you as my partner when I don’t even know your creds?”

“I’m sorry, Corbin. I’m not at liberty to discuss the details.”

“It’s fine. Really, I get it.” His tone was light, but his eyes were serious when he glanced at her.

She owed him more than that, didn’t she? After all, he was helping her find Stryker—and Trinity, even if he didn’t know it yet. She couldn’t keep pushing him away.

“Okay, fine. Here’s the truth. After we ... after the baby...” The words threatened to choke her up. She didn’t let them. “After Stryker helped us make that arrangement, I needed to find myself.I’d flourished in Stryker’s program, and I knew I still needed the structure, so I joined the Marines.”

The words were easier to say now. They’d been part of her for years. Her secret shame. Her twisted pride. “I worked on my college degree while I was in the service, through correspondence courses and online. And then, I got picked for Marine Intelligence.”

“Marine Intelligence?” Corbin’s eyebrows shot up. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“Tell me about it.” Grueling training sessions. Sleepless nights. Training had transformed her. The last time they’d seen each other, she was hiding from the world, afraid of what her future held. Now, she could withstand a lifetime of torture and captivity. “And then ... then the Agency recruited me.”

Corbin jerked his head to look at her. “You’re telling me, you’re ... you’re...”

She held a finger to her lips.

He whistled low. “I’m ... I’m actually kind of impressed.”

“You should be,” she said with a small smile.

“So the PTSD...” he began, then paused like he thought better of it and tried again. “It’s from an operation?”

“That’s—”

“Classified,” he said.

“I was going to say it’s a longer story, but yeah, a classified one.”

“I guess that makes sense that you’d sort of disappear.” He seemed to relax a fraction. “So you really are here just to see Stryker?”