Not surprised.

Nyra stood.

The chair rolled back and hit the table.

"You knew."

His eyes moved once to the screen.

Then back to her.

"I knew there was a convoy."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I can give you."

She laughed.

It came out raw.

Ugly.

Nothing like her usual sharp little defense.

"No, see, that's where you're confused. You don't get to keep doing that."

Ghost remained still.

Nyra stepped toward him.

"Milo was listed as a civilian driver on a Hollow Sun transfer with BLACK VEIL support."

His jaw tightened beneath the mask.

There.

There it was.

Not enough for anyone else.

Enough for her.

"You were there," she said.

Ghost said nothing.

Nyra's pulse slammed into her throat.

"You were there."

His voice dropped. "I arrived after."

"After what?"

No answer.

"After what, Ghost?"

The name cracked between them like a shot.

For the first time, his gaze shifted away.

A single inch.

A betrayal of discipline so small it hurt more than a confession.

Nyra's eyes burned.

She hated that too.

She hated crying.

Crying made people think they had won.

"You told me to stop looking," she said. "You said people who chase BLACK VEIL don't survive. You knew my brother's name was buried in your files, and you still dragged me around like I was the problem."

"You are in danger."

"I've been in danger since he disappeared."

"Not like this."

She closed the space between them before she could think better of it.

"You don't get to decide how much truth I can survive."

Ghost's hands flexed once at his sides.

Gloves creaking.

"I'm trying to keep you alive."

"No. You're trying to control the damage."

His eyes sharpened.

Good.

Let it hit.

Let something get through that wall of mask and discipline and dead-man silence.

Nyra pointed at the screen.

"That's my brother. That's my family. That's the reason I wake up every morning and keep chasing men who would rather kill me than answer one question."

Her voice dropped.

"And you know what happened to him."

Ghost's silence changed.

It was not empty.

It was packed with things he had buried and locked and sworn never to touch again.

When he spoke, it was barely above a rasp.

"I know what Hollow Sun did to the convoy."

Nyra's breath caught.

"Tell me."

"No."

The word almost broke her.

Not because it was unexpected.

Because some stupid part of her had believed he might finally choose her over the secret.

She smiled then.

Small.

Trembling.

Mean because mean was easier.

"Wow."

Ghost didn't move.

"Still emotionally constipated. Even with file access."

His eyes darkened.

"Nyra."

"No. Don't Nyra me. Don't say my name like that when you're standing between me and the only lead I've had in two years."

He took one step closer.

Not threatening.

Worse.

Careful.

Like she was already bleeding and he was the knife trying not to cut deeper.

"The file is incomplete."

"Then complete it."

"I can't."

"Liar."

His head tilted slightly.

She saw the warning.

She ignored it.

"You're bad at lying when you care."

The room went very still.

Nyra realized what she had said only after it landed.

Ghost looked at her for a long moment.

Then his voice came colder.

"I don't care."

The words hit harder than she expected.

Stupid.

So stupid.

She forced a laugh.

"Right. My mistake. Must be the concussion."

She turned back to the terminal, blinking once to clear her vision.

Ghost moved behind her.

The system shut down before her fingers reached the keys.

Screen black.

File gone.

Nyra stared at her own reflection in the dead monitor.

Then slowly looked at him.

"You son of a bitch."

"It was locked remotely."

"By you."

"Yes."

At least he didn't lie that time.

Nyra shoved past him toward the door.

He caught her wrist.

Not hard.

Enough.

She froze.

He froze too.

Like neither of them had expected the contact to happen.

His thumb rested against her pulse.

Her heart betrayed her instantly.

Ghost looked down at his gloved hand around her wrist as if it belonged to someone else.

Nyra's voice came quiet.

"Let go."

For one second, he didn't.

Then he released her.

She stepped back, holding her wrist like the touch had burned.

The door opened before she reached it.

Lucas stood outside with a tablet in one hand and a very carefully neutral expression.

Kane behind him looked less neutral.

More homicidal.

Mateo stood farther down the hall, arms folded, watching Ghost with unsettling softness.

Lucas cleared his throat.

"So. Fun update."

Nobody spoke.

Lucas lifted the tablet.

"Someone just accessed the same convoy file from outside our system."

Ghost turned.

All softness vanished.

Kane's weapon was in his hand before Nyra saw him reach for it.

Lucas's face lost its humor.

"They're not just watching the file," he said. "They're deleting it."

Nyra stepped back toward the terminal.

The screen flickered on by itself.

One line appeared in white text.

MILO QUINN: ASSET TRANSFERRED

Then the file erased.