Page 181 of Black Reign

VESPER: Before I knew Ghost had a surname.

I read it twice.

Then a third time.

Before she knew.

Important.

More important than I want it to be.

GHOST: You weren’t talking to me to get access.

VESPER: No.

Immediate.

No hesitation.

Something tight inside my chest loosens.

Slightly.

I hate that it needed reassurance.

GHOST: Then why Blackwell?

She disappears again.

I wait.

My patience lasts ninety seconds.

GHOST: What are you looking for?

Three dots.

VESPER: Answers.

GHOST: To what?

VESPER: Something your company buried.

My hand tightens around the device.

Across from me, the empty chair waits for a client who will arrive in twenty minutes.

I no longer care.

GHOST: Be specific.

VESPER: No.

GHOST: You broke into my company.

VESPER: Your company broke into my life first.

That lands differently.