Page 18 of Rogue Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #4)

What had she done?

Zara’s heart hammered relentlessly, her confession echoing painfully in her ears. Of all the people she could have accidentally told—Finn?

Her stomach twisted with horror. Finn, the man who had shattered her trust beyond repair. The man least deserving of her vulnerability, now held one of her most guarded secrets.

She saw the shock in his eyes, desperation flickering across his expression.

He opened his mouth, clearly struggling for words, but Zara immediately cut him off, desperate to claw back some semblance of control.

“Forget it,” she snapped, voice brittle. “Patrol’s coming. We have a mission window to hit.”

Finn hesitated for the briefest second before nodding sharply.

Every step sent a jagged pulse of pain through her body, but she refused to let it show.

“There they are,” Finn whispered sharply, pressing her gently yet urgently into the shadows beneath a rocky overhang.

Zara tensed instinctively, acutely aware of Finn’s presence—so close she could feel his breathing, slow and steady.

The patrol passed nearby, boots crunching softly over gravel, their voices casual, unaware of the intruders only meters away. Zara counted silently until the sounds faded, her body screaming in protest from staying frozen too long.

“Clear,” Finn whispered, voice taut with controlled tension. “Follow exactly where I step. Pressure sensors ahead.”

She nodded sharply, each movement deliberate, ignoring the intense throbbing that surged through her body. She fixed her gaze on Finn’s footsteps, mimicking them precisely, trusting him in this small operational detail despite the deep personal fissure between them.

As they reached the hidden maintenance door camouflaged within the rugged mountainside, Zara’s pulse quickened with familiar adrenaline.

Finn began bypassing the security codes, his fingers deft and precise.

She checked her watch, voice steady despite the pain and lingering embarrassment from earlier.

“Ten minutes to reset.”

The lock clicked softly, and Finn swung the door inward, revealing the dimly lit maintenance corridor beyond. Zara stepped inside, breathing slightly easier as her feet touched smooth concrete. The brief reprieve from uneven terrain was a small mercy.

He glanced back at her, assessing her carefully, hesitation evident in his eyes. “Can you maintain operational pace?”

“Yes,” she replied firmly, meeting his gaze with stubborn determination. She wouldn’t let him see her weakness—not again. “Let’s move.”

They continued swiftly, reaching the service elevator. Finn paused, reconsidering their route. “We should use the elevator instead of stairs. Less physical strain.”

Zara almost protested out of reflex but recognized the wisdom in his suggestion. “Risk of bottleneck?”

“Acceptable,” he said calmly, the subtext clear yet unspoken.

“Fine.” She relented quietly, grateful he hadn’t explicitly mentioned her condition.

The elevator’s silent descent felt painfully slow, tension filling the confined space. Zara focused on the task ahead, deliberately blocking out the waves of discomfort radiating through her limbs.

When the doors opened, Finn moved ahead cautiously, scanning surveillance patterns and guiding them between rotating camera sweeps.

Reaching the reinforced archive door, Zara checked the time. “Four minutes until reset.”

Finn positioned himself carefully. Zara retrieved the specialized case for the target file, her fingers trembling slightly. She forced them steady, her determination overcoming the exhaustion threatening to engulf her.

The lights flickered, plunging them briefly into darkness, signaling the anticipated reset. Finn immediately pushed the door open. “Go,” he urged.

Inside the archive now, she scanned the organized shelves, adrenaline sharpening her focus despite physical discomfort. She located the correct file and secured it into the case, checking the time again. Three minutes remained.

Finn signaled silently, and they retraced their steps rapidly, pausing only briefly as voices echoed down an adjacent corridor. He quickly guided Zara into another shadowed alcove, instinctively positioning himself slightly ahead of her, protective even in tense silence.

Zara’s heart pounded painfully as the patrol passed. When the voices faded, Finn led them swiftly outside, securing the access panel just as the facility lights flickered back to full operational status.

“Two kilometers to the vehicle,” Zara said quietly, her voice strained but controlled.

They moved silently, the rugged terrain once again challenging her endurance. Each step was a deliberate act of will, her body protesting fiercely. By the time they reached their concealed ATV, Zara’s breathing was labored, her legs screaming from prolonged exertion.

“Let me drive,” Finn said softly, gently taking the keys from her trembling hand.

She climbed into the passenger seat without protest, grateful for the reprieve. As Finn started the engine, she stared out at the lightening sky, wrestling with the emotional aftermath of her accidental confession. The silence stretched uncomfortably, tension thickening with each passing moment.

Finn broke the quiet gently. “Medical kit’s in the glove box.”

Zara hesitated only briefly, then reached in, quickly swallowing two tablets without water. “Thanks,” she murmured softly, embarrassment still warming her cheeks.

The landscape rushed past in quiet monotony, each mile increasing the distance from their narrowly completed mission. She leaned back, closing her eyes momentarily against the lingering pain and exhaustion.

Finn’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant. “About what you said earlier?—”

“We’re not discussing it.”

“Zara, I just?—”

“No one knows about my diagnosis. Not Ronan, not the team. No one. And that’s how it stays.”

Finn’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his profile tense in the growing light. “Kenji knows,” he said quietly. “I see the way he watches you.”

“Kenji is my doctor. That’s different.” Her voice hardened. “This isn’t up for debate, Finn. You forget what I said. You didn’t hear it. It never happened.”

He glanced at her, concern evident in his expression. “You need support?—”

“What I need,” she cut him off, “is your silence. Can you manage that, or should I start questioning your operational reliability as well as your personal trustworthiness?”

The barb landed precisely as intended. His jaw tightened, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

“Understood,” he said finally, voice carefully neutral.

Zara turned back to the view, wishing desperately she could believe him, wishing she had the power to ensure his compliance. The file they’d risked everything to retrieve sat securely between them, but in this moment, it seemed far less dangerous than the secret she’d accidentally revealed.

To Finn, of all people. The cruelest twist of fate.

The airfield appeared on the horizon, their extraction plane waiting. Whatever came next—whatever the file contained, whatever Cipher planned—she now faced an additional complication. Finn knew her vulnerability, held power she hadn’t willingly given him.

Secrets, once shared, were never truly safe again.