Page 136 of Dose

“That is not an answer.”

“It is the one available.”

I sit on the edge of the bed. Isla sleeps beside me, one hand curled near the empty space I left.

“What did you find?”

The silence extends long enough for me to check the connection.

“A subject file,” he says. “Woman. No recovered name. She escaped in 2019 and has moved through six states using stolen identities. Marchant kept the file active.”

“Why?”

“The behavioral markers overlap Wager.”

“That could make her a survivor. It could also make her bait.”

“Yes.”

“You sound interested.”

“I am collecting evidence.”

“You sound interested,” I repeat.

He exhales through his nose. The noise is almost a laugh.

“Isla put protein bars in my original go-bag,” he says. “Tell her they were adequate.”

“Those are six months old.”

“They were sealed.”

“That was not my concern.”

“It should have been. Your concern has poor prioritization.”

There he is. Briefly.

“Call at the next window,” I say.

“I generally do.”

“You missed two last month.”

“Then probability favors improvement.”

“That is not how accountability works.”

The line crackles.

“I have to go.”

“Ezra.”

He waits.

“Coming home remains an option.”