Page 41 of Hollow Trace

Scout nodded. “Give us five, and Zadie⁠—”

“I’ve already got coffee brewing and Shepherd’s taking fresh muffins out of the oven.” Zadie snorted. “I swear he never sleeps. I’m starting to think he’s a vampire.”

“I’ll be sure to pick up some garlic on the next supply run, just in case he goes rogue.”

Zadie rolled her eyes as she and Gideon walked out, murmuring quietly.

Quinn leaned against the headboard as he raked her fingers through his hair, muscles flexing, looking so damn gorgeous Scout wiped her mouth, just in case.

He glanced over at her, cocking his head to the side, the thick line of scruff on his jaw edging him into rugged warrior status. “Do I want to know why you’re staring?”

“You’re bare-chested and in my bed.” She caught herself and leaned forward. “Sorry, make that our bed. I’m simply admiring the view because it’s breathtaking.”

He reached out, cupping her cheek. “More than breathtaking from where I’m sitting.” He absently stroked her skin with his thumb. “Sorry, about the rude awakening. And that you didn’t get near enough sleep.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. I’m actually a bit embarrassed I didn’t grab my gun first.” She shifted over and smoothed her hands along his chest, loving how his muscles flexed beneath her palms. “And never apologize for loving me.”

He nodded, looking at her hand for a moment as the muscle in his jaw tensed and released. “I know you and your team’ll do everything possible. But on the off-chance we don’t⁠—”

“We will.”

“But if we don’t, that doesn’t change how I feel about you. Or the life I want us to have. I need you to know that, to believe it. That no matter what the outcome, I love you, Scout. And I need you in my life.”

Her stomach flip-flopped, her heart pounding in a shaky rhythm that stole her breath, left her speechless until he smiled. “I love you, too. And I believe it. Promise.”

“Good.” He dropped another kiss on her lips, then rolled out of bed, striding to the bathroom, emerging a few moments later and grabbing new clothes. Scout went through the motions, freshening up enough she felt human, then dressing — holding Quinn’s hand as they slipped into the hallway and headed for the comms room.

The combined scent of fresh brewed coffee and cinnamon muffins filled the main area, a mix of soft lighting bathing the room in a golden hue. A nice contrast from the harsh fluorescent lights that glared overhead during the day.

She instinctively glanced at the wall, still looking for the ever-elusive windows, before crossing the threshold into the comms room. A blast of ozone and chilled air washed over her, the ever-present hum of the servers filling the background.

The rest of her team looked up from the monitors, gazes raking across her and Quinn as they accepted the coffees Kane handed them.

He offered them muffins, adding, “Everyone around here seems to forget to eat, so…”

Scout took one, inhaling the apple and cinnamon scent. “Shepherd’s really an operative, right? This is just to fool us into thinking he’s harmless.”

“I’d tell you, but…” Kane handed one to Quinn. “You, too, Mountie — before Darwin carts you both to the med bay. Despite some down time, you both somehow look worse.”

Scout crossed her arms over her chest. “And here I thought you’d say I was glowing.”

“If glowing comes in purple.” Kane pointed to both of their necklines. “I can see the bruising from here.”

“And I can tell by the way you’re bracing your weight on the desk, you’re pushing harder than you’re supposed to be.”

Kane smirked. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Too, late.” Darwin breezed into the room, grabbing a cup of coffee from Wynn, their gazes holding a moment too long to be innocent. “I heard everything.” He glanced at Scout and Quinn. “And the bruising is definitely deepening, but that’s to be expected. I’ll be giving you each another once-over before you’re off on another mission, which, judging by the way Zadie and Gideon are frothing at the mouth, will be shortly.”

Zadie huffed, her chair emitting that same ear-piercing squeak as the other day when she rocked back in it. “We don’t froth. But I’m glad you’re here because there’re medical reports we need deciphered.”

She hit a key and several more terminals sprang to life. “I’ll send those to the far computer for you and Wynn to break down. The rest of us can go through the other files. Hopefully find out who the hell we’re dealing with.”

Scout moved over to the workstation beside Neve and Coulter, shifting so Quinn could drag in a chair. A bunch of folders appeared on the screen, what Scout prayed would give them something useful to track down Brea. Despite everything she’d said, she knew it was only a matter of time before Brea became another statistic in whatever scheme Hackett was running.

The coffee cooled, the muffin slowly turning to stone in her gut as every page spewed out more useless intel. Shipping routes that all led back to Cobalt Logistics and the same Squamish warehouse. Even the product supplies for the ultrathon dead-ended with Cobalt. Quinn clenched his fist, looking like he wanted to punch through the desk when Coulter whistled.

“Found something.” Coulter hit a few keys on the keyboard, launching one of their files onto the main viewer. “We’ve been digging through the financial ledgers for Cobalt Logistics, and it looks as if it isn’t just a simple shell company. It’s a wholly owned subsidiary that’s funded by a massive corporate entity called The Eos Institute.”