Page 36 of Rogue Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #4)

The realization hit Zara with physical force, emptying her lungs. She gripped the desk edge as the room tilted.

She verified her findings three separate ways, desperately seeking an alternative explanation. Each additional piece of evidence only reinforced the horrifying conclusion. Finn had orchestrated this entire operation, using her to lead him to sensitive information while framing Harrison.

The betrayal was so complete, so perfectly executed, she almost admired its artistry. He had played her masterfully—the confession of past wrongdoing, the religious conversion, the gradual trust-building. All calculated manipulation.

And she had fallen for it.

Again.

She pressed her palms against her eyes, fighting back tears of rage and humiliation. She had begun to trust him, had allowed herself to believe in his redemption. Worse, she had started to care for him—the very thing she’d sworn never to do again.

Her hands shook as reality crystallized. If Finn truly was on Cipher’s team, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate her once his cover was blown. Direct confrontation was suicide.

She needed her team.

And thanks to Finn, she had a safe way to contact them. She initiated the SHADOW communication protocol. Bitter irony—using his own recommended method to orchestrate his capture. The encrypted message to Knight Tactical was brief:

PRIORITY ALPHA. COMPROMISED ASSET. REQUIRE IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION. CONFIRMATION CODE EPSILON-7-DELTA.

The specialized code would tell her team everything—that Finn was the compromised asset, that she faced imminent danger, and that they should approach with extreme caution, prepared for hostile resistance.

The response came within two minutes.

ACKNOWLEDGED. ASSETS MOBILIZING. MAINTAIN POSITION. ETA 24 HOURS.

Twenty-four hours.

She would have to maintain normalcy with a man she now knew was her enemy for a full day. Could she do it? Could she sit across from him, share meals, continue their investigation as if nothing had changed?

Methodically, she erased all evidence of her discoveries, then took several deep breaths to compose herself. She needed every ounce of her operational training to survive the next day without tipping Finn off.

When she returned to the living room, he was hunched over his notes, expression locked in concentration. He looked up, offering a smile that now seemed predatory in its calculated warmth.

“Any progress?” he asked.

“Nothing definitive,” she lied. “The encryption is more sophisticated than I expected. Might need specialized equipment to break it completely.”

He nodded sympathetically. “We’ll find a way.”

The casual “we” made her stomach heave. How easily he maintained their partnership fiction while plotting her destruction.

“I’m making dinner,” she announced, needing escape. “Then I should rest.”

“Of course,” he agreed immediately, concern etching his features so convincingly she almost wavered. “You’re pushing too hard. I can handle things.”

“Thanks.” The word tasted like ash.

As she moved to the kitchen, her back to him, she felt his eyes tracking her. Was he watching for signs of suspicion? Could he sense the shift? She forced her movements to remain casual, maintaining the same rhythm she’d displayed before her discovery.

Twenty-four hours. She could maintain this charade for twenty-four hours. Then her team would arrive, Finn would be apprehended, this nightmare would end.

But as she prepared a meal she couldn’t stomach, she confronted the brutal truth: While her team might extract her from immediate danger, nothing could extract her from the deeper wound. Twice now, Finn had shattered her trust.

Even worse. Twice, she had let him.

Her judgment where Finn Novak was concerned was irreparably flawed. She had believed in his redemption because she’d wanted it to be true. Because some small, foolish part of her had never stopped hoping that the man she’d once loved still existed.

That hope had nearly destroyed her. Never again.

When her team arrived, she would watch without emotion as they took Finn into custody.

She would provide her evidence methodically, professionally, without a hint of the personal devastation that threatened to consume her.

And when it was over, when he was gone, she would finally, permanently, excise Finn Novak from her heart.

Until then, she would play her role—the trusting colleague, the potential friend. The woman who knew nothing of his true allegiance.

She turned, forcing a smile as Finn approached.

“Need help?” he asked, his voice warm with an intimacy that now felt like a blade against her throat.

“I’ve got it,” she replied lightly, adding a casual shrug she didn’t feel. “But thanks.”

He lingered, watching her chop vegetables. “I’ve been thinking about your lupus.”

Her knife paused mid-slice. “What about it?”

“The medications you’re taking. They’re not helping as much as they should.”

Something in his tone raised the hair on the back of her neck. How would he know the efficacy of her medications? She’d never discussed specifics with him.

“Standard treatment is tricky,” she said carefully. “Lots of trial and error.”

Finn leaned against the counter, too close. “I found something interesting in Harrison’s personal files. Did you know he kept detailed medical records on all his field operatives? Even after they left the Agency.”

The knife trembled in her hand. She set it down slowly. “He was thorough. That’s why he was a good handler.”

“Very thorough,” Finn agreed, his tone casual but his eyes sharp. “Your last bloodwork showed elevated inflammatory markers. Your rheumatologist has been considering more aggressive treatment options.”

Ice slipped through her veins. Those test results were barely two weeks old.

“You should be more careful with your network security,” Finn said softly. “Some things should stay private.”

He knew.

The message couldn’t have been clearer if he’d put a gun to her head. He was letting her know that he could access her most protected information. That nothing was beyond his reach.

That he was watching her every move.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she managed, resuming her chopping with hands she willed not to shake.

Finn smiled—the same warm, gentle smile that had begun to melt her defenses over these past weeks. “Good. We look out for each other, right?”

“Right,” she echoed.

He patted her shoulder and returned to the living room, leaving her alone with the terrifying certainty that the next twenty-four hours would be the longest of her life.

And she wasn’t entirely sure she would survive them.