Rebel Heart

Brady shook his head. He didn't know, and he knew the one person who might wasn't about to tell.

"Can you talk to Elise again?" he asked Dan.

"Oh, yeah, that'll be fun." Dan slapped him on the arm and strode out.

Brady watched him, wishing they were closer to one of their secure facilities so he could make a call to Tim. He returned to his tent, deep in thought. He walked by the woman and paused. She looked up at him from her hurt wrist, pain in her brown eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," he warned.

He sat across from her again, studying her. He wished she trusted him as much as she had when he was the Guardian.

"You can send me away," she said. "I won't endanger your … men if I'm not here."

"True," he allowed.

"I already have a thousand deaths on my soul," she whispered. "I don't want more."

"You know what I want to do to you when you're so sad?" he asked, leaning forward.

"What?"

He lifted his chin towards his bed. She flushed. She cleared her throat.

"If nothing else, can I have my things back? Please," she said without looking at him.

He thought about what Elise said, that she'd been trying to take something west. Maybe it wasn't a secret after all. Maybe it was something she carried with her.

"I promise, I'll give you anything for them."

He rose and crossed to the small safe where he kept what they'd found on her. He brought the small bag to the table. He held up her micro, watching her face. Worry, but no elevated level of distress crossed her features. He lowered it. The moment his hand paused over the vault, she tensed.

"What's it worth to you?" he asked.

She didn't respond, but her hands wrung her T-shirt again.

"This is it, isn't it?" he asked and picked it up.

She paled, eyes glued to the vault.

"This is what you're taking west."

It was so small, not even the size of his palm. There was a quadruple lock system on it, requiring not only two thumbprints, but a code, a retinal scan, and another sensor pad he didn't recognize. He looked at it, wondering how something so small could be so important.

"Anything," she breathed. "Please put it down, Brady. I'll give you anything for it."

He rested it on his knee and looked at her. She met his gaze, emotions skimming through her eyes.