Page 47 of Shadow

Asher Morrison sat three chairs down, looking tough. He hadn’t shaved, so that added to his aura. And with the bandage on his arm visible under his rolled sleeve, his hand gripping his coffee cup, so much seriousness in his dark eyes…

Okay, maybe it wasn’t a terrible idea. Maybe they could indeed pull it off.

Special Agent Dani Kim sat across from him. Bright. Energetic despite the early hour.

Patterson—Asher’s handler—stood near the door. Tall, with a sort of Pierce Brosnan air about him, solemn, arms crossed. Assessing her.

She felt weirdly unclothed.

“Thank you for coming,” Daphne said. “Roger Rousseau is being released at two p.m. today. We have five hours to coordinate extraction and relocation to a safe house.”

Dani leaned forward. “You have a location?”

“I do.” Daphne clicked to the first slide. “Aspen Ridges Estates. Fifty-five-and-older active adult community. Highway 40. Ten miles outside Renegade.”

Silence.

Then Dani. “A retirement community?”

“Yes.”

“You want to hide federal witnesses in a retirement community.” Patterson.

“I want to hide them in plain sight. Gated entrance. Private security. All residents are older adults. Destiny fits the demographic. No one will question her presence. Or her son’s.”

Patterson spoke again from the door. “What’s the cover story?”

“Destiny Morrison and her son, Roger, moved to Colorado for health reasons. Roger recently had surgery and needs a quiet recovery location. Their faces hadn’t made the national cycle—only Colorado society pages, and that wasn’t the demographic here.” Daphne clicked to the next slide. Floor plan of the rental house. “I talked with the director. They have a rental open—two bedrooms and a loft. Two baths. Attached garage. End unit with privacy fence.”

“Morrison,” Asher said. “That’s my last name.”

“Yes.”

“So they’re…?”

“Your parents. Mother and stepbrother.” Daphne met his eyes. “You and I are the married couple helping them relocate and get settled.”

The room went quiet.

Asher’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in those gray-green eyes. “You want us to pose as married,” he said.

“I want us to provide a believable cover story that explains our presence and theirs. Married couple helping aging parent provides that.”

“For how long?”

“Four weeks, until the trial.”

Dani looked between them. “So you’re going to pose as a married couple despite having no established relationship or rapport.”

“We’ll establish it quickly.”

“How quickly?”

“We have a three-hour drive to pick up Destiny and return here for Roger’s release. That’s enough time to coordinate our cover story,” Daphne said.

Patterson pushed off from the wall. “This is risky.”

“Federal safe houses are compromised. Martha Lintz proved that—protection isn’t a guarantee. This is off-grid. Private. No federal oversight.”