The word sounded so dirty, so vile, for what I’d experienced.
I wasn’tcompromised.
I had found a place where people appreciated me.
“Don’t let them cloud your judgment.” Captain Delaney continued. “They’re not your family. They’re not friends. I wouldn’t even call them lovers. They’re targets. You’re the law. Act like it. Follow the rules of engagement. I don’t care what anyone else tells you.”
Thoughts and images bombarded me.
Who did I trust?
The captain was on the right side of the law.
I should trust him.
How could I betray Ash and the others when they’d been so good to me?
Nothing they’d done made me suspicious.
My duty demanded I take a step back and face facts. Criminals would do anything to keep from getting caught.
The office closed in the same way the garage had last night.
“Noelle.” Delaney’s voice whipped my head around to face him. “I need to know exactly what they’re moving. And who’s involved.”
He had never been anything other than my superior officer, and he’d never cared about me.
He proved it with every word out of his mouth. “You have two weeks. Do your job. I don’t care how you feel about them. Do this right or don’t bother showing up to work on New Year’s Eve.”
I left the office without a word or a backward glance.
It didn’t matter.
My job was on the line already.
One more infraction wasn’t going to make a difference.
How was it that I stood up to Captain Delaney, and to Rafe, but today, I lost all ability to defend myself?
My vision blurred as hot tears burned behind my eyes.
I refused to let them fall.
Not here.
Not where my colleagues might see.
Snow swirled around my ankles when I stepped outside.
How did I reconcile duty with the people I cared about?
I thought I’d known the risks.
I thought I was ready to face the danger and potential betrayal.
Their world pulled me in, and I wasn’t sure I had the strength to leave the web they’d cast over me.
My phone buzzed.
