Evelyn reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew a small device—a flash drive no larger than her thumb, encased in matte black metal.
She placed it on the table. "I can't stay. Even coming here was a risk I wouldn't have taken if I'd had another option."
"Where will you go?" Miles asked.
"Better you don't know." A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Plausible deniability still matters in some courts."
She slid the drive across the table's scarred surface toward me. My fingers closed around it automatically, feeling the slight warmth from her hand still lingering on the metal.
"This contains everything Lars managed to gather before Tahiti, including server access codes that are still valid. At least for now."
I stared at the drive. "He left this for you?"
Evelyn nodded. "He told me once that if anything happens, I should give this to someone who can finish what he started. I thought it was paranoia talking."
I stared at the small device in my palm, suddenly aware of its immense weight—not physical, but symbolic, like my father's badge, which now lay at the bottom of Tahitian waters. Both objects represented duty and sacrifice, a responsibility that extended beyond personal safety.
"Why me?" I met her gaze. "You don't know me. Don't know if you can trust me."
"Lars trusted you with his final words. Besides—" her eyes flicked to Alex, then back to me "—you have something I never did."
"What's that?"
"People willing to stand with you." She glanced at Marcus and Miles. "I've been fighting alone for so long that I forgot what it looks like when someone has backup."
The word struck me—backup. The foundation of everything I'd believed in as an officer. Never go in alone. Always have someone watching your six. I'd abandoned that principle when I returned home from Tahiti.
Marcus nodded almost imperceptibly from across the room, and Miles straightened his back.
Alex asked a pertinent question. "What happens when we access these files?"
"You'll have choices to make about who to trust and what to reveal. You'll have to decide how far you're willing to go." She stood, gathering her few belongings with the efficient movements of someone accustomed to quick departures. "The evidence is there, but evidence alone won't stop Asphodel. It will take courage to use it."
I closed my fingers around the drive, feeling its edges press into my palm. "We'll find a way."
"I believe you will." Suddenly, a genuine smile transformed her face. "That's why I'm here. I put together a file that tells you specifically what to do if you decide to release the information."
Evelyn's departure unfolded with quiet efficiency. No prolonged goodbyes or promises to stay in touch. She zipped her jacket, shouldered her small pack, and headed for the door while we were still debating whether she should leave at all.
"I've survived this long by never staying anywhere longer than necessary." She placed her hand on the doorknob. "The moment I became visible to you, my clock started ticking."
Marcus moved to block her path. "At least let us drive you somewhere. These mountains aren't safe after dark."
"I have transport waiting half a mile down the road. I'll drive to them, and, contrary to what you might think, I'm quite capable in the dark."
With that, she slipped past Marcus's imposing frame with surprising agility, disappearing into the night before we could formulate more objections. The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving a vacuum of silence in her wake.
We stood frozen momentarily, still processing her phantom-like presence and equally abrupt vanishing. A car started, and it disappeared into the distance.
"Should we go after her?" Miles asked.
Marcus moved to secure the door. "She made her choice."
The drive in my hand felt almost alive with possibilities and dangers. I transferred it to my pocket, the small weight pressing against my thigh like a reminder of all that had changed in an hour.
Alex stood by the fireplace, fingers tracing the rough-hewn mantel. "She's been running for years. Marissa lived her life a little similarly. She looked over her shoulders and trusted few."
"It could be us." Miles dropped heavily onto the worn sofa. "If this goes ass upwards."
