“I’m lucky.” His eyes met mine, something vulnerable flickering across his face. “We all need someone in our corner sometimes.”
I’d thought he was in mine. Until he didn’t call me back.
“I remember when we were investigating that compound outside Kandahar,” I said, smiling at the memory. “Youinsistedon bringing medical supplies for the locals even though it wasn’t part of our mission parameters. You said humanitarian gestures build trust that might save our lives later.”
“Cohn was pissed.” He smiled, a tiny one, but it evaporated as he looked away from me again. “But that was a lifetime ago.”
“Was it?” I challenged gently. “Because I saw that same man at Mnemis, donning gear over his shorts and T-shirt, so he could rush in and rescue Brie. You were brave and completely devoted to someone on your team.”
He closed his eyes, bowing his head. “Reynolds isn’t just my team, they’re my…”
“Family?”
“Yeah.”
“So you like living in Halifax?”
“It’s home.” He let out a long sigh and opened his eyes again. “Where did you settle after Afghanistan?”
I gave a small shrug and skipped right over the Owen Kensington year. “Since I took the position with Pendragon, I’ve pretty much lived out of a suitcase. Most of my belongings are in a storage locker in DC.”
“That must be lonely.”
Itwaslonely. The hotel rooms, temporary apartments, and safe houses that had been my life for the past three years weren’t real. I didn’t have anything permanent or truly mine.
“I’m doing an important job.” That was also true, but it wasn’t really an answer either.
“How was Norris?”
I accepted the shift in topic. “Condescending as ever. Still refers to that chemical spill as ‘what we found in Barin Kala,’ as if we stumbled across it on a nature walk.”
“Some people never change.” A hint of bitterness laced his words.
I snorted a tiny laugh. “At least he didn’t call me ‘the Canadian girl.’”
He laughed with me. “I still think he was jealous of how much you’d accomplished at such a young age.”
“You’ve changed, though.” I gripped the railing, the metal cool beneath my palms. “Back in Afghanistan, you would have told that security guard to his face you were going to take those photos.”
That drew another soft laugh from him. “The direct approach doesn’t always work in civilian ops.”
“And I’m still having a problem getting accustomed to the lack of a beard.”
He stroked his naked jaw. “Hair too short for you, too?”
“It’s definitely a change.”
He glanced at me. “You’re the same, though.”
If only I were the same woman as I’d been six years ago. Sure, I had more experience, more knowledge, but I hadn’t found joy in so long.
“Shorter hair, but still sharp as hell. You connected the drainage system to the fireworks immediately.”
“That’s my job.” I shrugged, though his praise warmed something inside me. “I still feel like I’m missing something, though.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Rav said with the same steady confidence as always.
The sun dipped lower, casting longer shadows across the terrace. The breeze, which had been pleasant when I first came up, was now sprouting goosebumps up and down my arms.
