‘Your mother’s a high-ranking officer.Only one step off from becoming a judge for… what do they call it officially?Judge Advocate General?Not the Americanised JAG, like your everyday military lawyer, but therealdeal—the highest judicial officer in uniform.’She paused.‘Or do you just call it JAG?’
‘I grew up calling it JAG.Less of a mouthful.’
‘Either way, your mother is a woman well-known for being methodical, and by the book.But also unafraid to challenge protocol when justice requires it.’
Another pause.
Taryn wasn’t sure whether to fill it.
‘Your father works in intelligence, not sure which department, but cybersecurity is his forte, with career postings to various embassies across the globe.Rarely photographed.Rarely quoted.’She looked directly at Taryn.‘A very private strategist.’
Taryn held her gaze, letting Izzy say her piece.
‘So, with your mother’s military discipline and your father’s analytical mind, you were raised sharp, emotionally restrained, and rule focused.Moving from one military base to another, getting an elite education—especially when stationed with the embassy—only added to it.It gave you the skills to quickly climb the ladder in federal investigations.In particular, high-value corporate fraud, the white-collar crimes, with a high conviction rate.You deserve a lot more than your gazetted wage as a reward.’
Izzy leaned forward, her voice dropping as if sharing some secret.‘Rumour has it you’re being groomed to run your own division and already have that office with a view.’
Izzy sat back, her eyes wandering over Taryn’s clothing.‘And yet here you are, in boots and jeans.Auditing the Stock Squad’s books, which a first-year grad or a half-decent clerk could handle.In a town that most people couldn’t even find without a paper map.’
Well, audit me sideways and ruffle through all my inner files, why don’t you?
And the worst part?
Izzy wasn’t wrong.
Taryn had spent a lifetime staying two steps ahead—out-thinking, outworking, and outlasting the competitors, office politics, and the bad guys.But somehow, in less than a minute, Isobel Callahan had laid out her entire life, without any theatrics or malice.
This wasn’t just a lawyer casually sipping peppermint tea and thinking about canning tomatoes.This was the woman who’d once faced down a kidnapping and turned it into a federal case file so airtight it should have made headlines.Where most of Izzy’s cases did end up.So, of course, she saw it all.
But then something else clicked.‘You told them.’
Izzy’s smile didn’t fade.‘Told who, what?’
‘Finn.Amara.Craig.Stone.That’s why they’ve been on the defensive ever since I got here.You told them—’
‘That they don’t send someone like you just to dig through receipts in the middle of nowhere,’ Izzy finished, calm as ever.
Taryn shared a dry laugh.‘You’re right.’
‘So why did they send you out here?’
Taryn sat back.‘I have my orders.’
‘No, it’s more than that…’ Izzy tilted her head at Taryn as if seeing straight through her.‘It’s Everlight.That’s the big fish that got you out of bed.’
Izzy shared a slight curve of a smile that had Taryn panicking.What else did Izzy see?
‘You like him, don’t you?’
‘Who?’
‘Finn.’
‘What?Where did that come from?’
‘Craig said Finn’s been weird lately.Slamming doors and avoiding the Batcave.He also told me there’s this tension between you two.’
It was rare for Taryn’s conversations to get flipped on its head like this, especially since she was supposed to be asking all the questions.‘I don’t—’
