Page 12 of Peak’s Code

"You know—” Peak said finally. "There aren't many people who would've caught what you caught."

"Do you mean about the shipping company?" she asked.

He nodded. "Most investigators would've stopped there."

"But I didn't,” she whispered.

"No, you kept following the money,” he said, sounding oddly proud of her.

"I always follow the money."

Peak stopped pacing. "Me too." Their eyes met, and for a strange moment, it didn't feel like two strangers talking. It felt like two programmers comparing notes. "You reverse-engineered their shell corporations."

She smiled despite herself. "You checked that?"

"I checked everything,” he boasted.

"And what did you think?” she asked.

"You did good work." The compliment hit harder than she expected. No one had complimented her work since before Wren disappeared. Back when she'd had a life, a career, and friends, she'd forgotten what it felt like.

"What happened to your bike?" Peak asked suddenly.

Maeve blinked up at him. "What?"

"The one you rode here,” he said.

"It broke down."

He frowned. "Where?"

"Three miles south of here. There was something wrong with the fuel pump."

Peak folded his arms over his chest. "You're lying."

She sighed. "How did you know?"

"Fuel pumps don't fail the way you described."

She laughed. "I wanted to see if you'd catch it."

He stared. "You test everyone the way that you’re testing me?"

"No, just people smarter than me,” she said.

Peak snorted. "Good luck finding one." For the first time all day, they both smiled.

The smile vanished the instant Peak's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, and his expression changed immediately. "What is it?" Maeve asked.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he hit the speaker. "Warden."

The Enforcer's voice exploded through the phone. "Get your ass outside."

Peak was already moving. "What happened?"

"We got company."

Every muscle in Maeve's body tightened. "Who?"