Page 12 of Rogue’s Mark

She doesn't entirely succeed.

Buried deep, I join her explosion, shuddering and spilling drops of sweat on the bed below us.

For a while, neither of us says anything.

Afterward, she's on her back staring at the ceiling and I'm next to her doing the same. One of the folders is definitely still somewhere in this bed and now probably has her ass print on it. Neither of us cares.

She turns her head. Looks at me. "You're still not telling me everything," she says.

I laugh. Actually laugh, which surprises us both. Her eyes widen slightly before she gets her expression back under control.

"No," I say. "Not yet."

"But you will."

I look at her. Hair is wrecked, sheet pulled up, completely unintimidated, already planning the next argument.

"Yeah," I say. "I will. Of course I will. But you’ve got to trust me, pretty girl."

She holds my eyes like she's checking for fine print. Can’t say I blame her. Then she nods and turns back to the ceiling.

"These papers are going to need reorganizing," she says.

"Probably."

"That's on you."

"Don’t think so."

She almost smiles. I catch the edge of it before she gets it under control.

I push off the bed and find my shirt. She doesn't watch me leave, or if she does, she makes sure I don’t see her.

I pull the door closed without a word.

7

ROGUE

I find Armen and Sting in the space behind the old management office, complete with a table, whiteboard, and ugly fluorescent lights. Not inspiring but it does the job.

Neither of them sits when I come in and neither do I. This isn't that kind of conversation.

"We've got a problem," I say.

Armen crosses his arms. Sting just looks at me.

I lay it out. Dex's report, the man in the east corridor, two hours of standing and watching and running his sweep pattern like he's done it before. The question the guy asked the hub worker. Fischer's name, not Tommy's, said out loud in the Rot by someone who knew who he was looking for.

"Clearly, he was sent here. Somebody outside knows Fischer is here and what he knows and they want that situation resolved, whatever resolved means. This guy is the first move."

"How long has he been in the building?" Armen asks.

"Since early morning we think. Dex has eyes on him, rotating his team so they're not noticed. As far as our visitor knows, he's still invisible."

"Fischer?"

"I talked to him and told him someone's here but no big surprise, he said nothing. He didn't confirm who sent them but then he didn't need to, his face did it for him. He's scared, which means he knows he’s pretty much fucked."