Ash didn't answer right away.
Not because she felt sympathy.
Because she didn't know what reaction she was supposed to be dealing with.
Don hadn't explained much. No grand speech. No layered briefing. Just instructions. Go upstairs. Get close. Deliver the device.
That was it.
She studied Ashly's face in the mirror for a second longer—panic, confusion, fear all colliding behind expensive mascara.
Then Ash reached into the back pocket of her leather shorts.
The motion alone made Ashly flinch.
She stepped back instantly, spine hitting the restroom door with a dull thud~, breath hitching as if she expected a weapon.
Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
Ash pulled out a small black device.
Flash-drive sized. Smooth. Minimal. Matte surface.
She held it up between two fingers.
"Here," she said. "Take it."
Ashly stared at it like it might explode.
"What is it?" she asked, voice barely steady.
Ash frowned faintly.
