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I had obeyed them.

Always.

Behind me, Talia pushed back from the table. “What does it say?”

I closed the display. “Nothing useful.”

Her expression hardened instantly. “Veyr.”

I moved toward the equipment case. “We need to change locations.”

“That is not what I asked.”

“I heard you.”

“Then answer.”

I opened the case harder than necessary.

A sharp edge caught the side of my palm.

Pain registered. Small. Irrelevant.

I continued checking the weapons.

Talia came closer. “Did they find us?”

“No.”

“Then what changed?”

“Pressure.”

“What does that mean?”

I looked at her. She looked back.

There was fear in her expression, but not enough to make her retreat. Of course not.

“It means someone wants the mission completed immediately.”

Her face went still. “How?”

Silence. That was answer enough.

She took one slow breath. “They want me dead.”

I disliked hearing her say it. More than I should have.

“Yes.”

The word came out harder than intended.

Talia stared at me, then at the communicator. “And they told you to do it.”

“Yes.”

Neither of us moved. Something changed in the room. Not trust. We did not have enough of that to break. But a line had appeared between us.