“Where are you, exactly?” Dr. Cale Ryan asked over the IAC. Cadence could tell he was surprised the second she’d given him the news that she would be by to pay him a visit shortly, but she couldn’t tell if the secondary emotion was annoyance, irritation, or anxiety.

“Well, exactly where I am, I’m not sure. But I’m probably fifteen miles outside of Elko,” she explained.

“And why are you coming?” he asked.

Oh, it was anxiety. That was better than the alternatives. “I told you. I’m on a secret mission. No one can know I’m coming. And no one knows I’ve left.” It was better this way. No reason...