The apartment was even more spartan than he had imagined. A single mattress on the floor. A folding chair. A small table with a laptop, and a duffel bag in the corner that looked like it was packed and ready to go. This was not a home. It was a temporary safe house. “They weren’t random thugs,” Finch began, getting straight to the point. “They were mercenaries working for a corporation called Argus International. My main competitor.” Kate’s expression did not change, but he saw a flicker of something in her eyes. It was not surprise. It was confirmation. “I figured it was something like that. Too professional for a simple kidnapping.”
“They weren’t trying to kidnap me for ransom,” Finch continued, his voice dropping. “They were after something I have. A piece of technology. By stopping them, you didn’t just save me. You interfered in a major corporate espionage operation. Argus doesn’t tolerate interference.” He watched her, trying to gauge her reaction. She was perfectly still, her face a blank canvas. “They know who you are, Catherine,” he said, using her full name for the first time. It felt strangely intimate. “Or rather, they know who you were. My people dug into your past. U.S. Army Special Operations. Unit Ghost. Operation Nightingale.”
At the mention of Nightingale, her mask finally cracked. A wave of pain so intense and raw it was almost a physical thing flashed across her face before being suppressed. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she whispered, her voice dangerously tight. “I know that you’re a ghost. And you’ve been running for a long time,” Finch pressed on, his own voice filled with a desperate urgency. “But Argus has resources you can’t imagine. They will hunt you. They won’t stop until they neutralize the threat you represent. You’ve made yourself their new target.”
“And what do you propose I do?” she shot back, a bitter, sarcastic edge to her words. “Call the police? Tell them the big bad corporation is after me? The same people who helped you find me, I assume. Your government contacts.” She had him there. He had used the very system she was hiding from to track her down. “I want to help you,” he said, the words feeling inadequate. “I have resources. Security. Safe houses all over the world. Extraction teams. I can protect you. I owe you that.”