Her brow arches, and she pushes off the frame with a familiar playful glint in her eye. “Smooth… for an old man.”
“Old man?” I feign offense. “I’m still faster and stronger than you, baby.”
“You forgotcockier.”
I shrug, flipping the eggs. “That, too.”
She moves closer, perching on one of the stools at the counter, watching me with quiet amusement. “I can’t believe you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen.”
“Survival,” I state matter-of-factly. “A man gets tired of protein bars and MREs after a year or two.”
She laughs softly, but it fades as her gaze drifts toward the window—the stretch of city beyond it. I set a plate in front of her and pour her a mug of coffee, adding a splash of milk to it. She lifts her fork, but her attention isn’t on the food. It’s out the window.
“You’re safe here,” I promise, taking the barstool beside her.
She nods, her eyes lifting to mine. “I know. But for how long?”
“Forever.”
She pushes her eggs around her plate with her fork. “I need to finish the story, Chris. Mattis said he traced the chain of command. That memo… If I can connect it to the authorization order, it’ll blow the whole thing open.”
I knew this was coming. Part of me has been dreading this conversation, hoping she would want a little more time to heal before getting right back to work. “You’re not working alone anymore,” I decide firmly. “Not after what happened.”
Her fork pauses halfway to her mouth. “I never said I was.”
“You don’t have to. I know that look, Reese. You’re already halfway out the door in your mind, planning your next move.”
She leans back, exhaling sharply as her fingers aimlessly play with the bracelet around her wrist. “You think I want to go through that again? You think Iwantto risk everything? Ihave to, Chris. Those men killed innocent people. They killed Adeya’s daughter. If I don’t tell the world, who will?”
I run a hand down my face, fighting the instinct to shake sense into her. “You can tell their story. Youwill. But not from some motel room with a target on your back. You’ll do it from here, or from Aegis headquarters, where I know you’re protected.”
Her eyes flash. “So you’re just going to dictate what I can and can’t do now?”
My jaw tightens, and I gruff, “As your Daddy? Yes.”
Then she laughs. It’s a soft, incredulous sound that makes my chest ache and agitates me all at once. “You really just said that?”
“Yeah,” I say, meeting her eyes. “And I meant it.”
Her lips part, and she pauses for a moment, her brain fumbling to find words. “You think you can just step back into my life, and?—”
“No,” I cut in, my voice gentler. “I don’tthinkI can just step back in. IknowI already have. Because the second I thought I lost you, Reese… I’m done pretending I can keep my distance.”
“I don’t want you to keep your distance.”
“Then you get Daddy in the bedroom and out. I might have fucked up once, but you’ll learn to trust that I know what’s best for you.”
Her eyes are soft when she turns toward me, but there’s pain in them, too. “You left me, Chris.”
“I know.” The words scrape my throat raw. “And I’ve regretted doing it every damn day since.”
She looks down, tracing the rim of her mug with her fingers. “Don’t ever hurt me like that again.”
I reach across the counter and gently take her hand from the mug, cupping it in mine. Her fingers tremble, but she doesn’t pull away. I drag my thumb across her knuckles, guilt bubbling over the pain I caused. “I won’t,” I promise, meaning the two words with every fiber of my being. “But I need you to meet me halfway, baby. You want justice? We’ll get it. You want to finish the story? We’ll make sure it getsout. But you do it safely. You stay here, with me, until we know the people behind this can’t touch you.”
Her gaze searches mine. “And if I don’t agree?”
“Then I’ll tie you to that damn bed if I have to,” I growl. “Because I’d rather have you pissed at me for the rest of your life than brave and buried.”
