“They trust you completely.”
“We’ve been through a lot together.”
Elena finally turned to face him, and Reed was struck by how small she looked in his large office, how vulnerable despite all her strength and training.
“Thank you,” she said simply. “For bringing them in. For trusting me with your family.”
Reed moved closer, stopping just outside her personal space. “Family is family.”
Reed thought about her situation. She’d been an only child. Her father had passed from cancer when she was young, but she’d been close with her mother.
“Speaking of that, how is your mother?”
Elena’s face went white.
“What happened?”
She winced. “Well, they told her I was dead, but of course she didn’t believe them. We communicated through the newspaper, but... she passed a year ago. Heart attack.”
Reed was stunned. “I’m sorry.”
She blinked rapidly and turned away from him, but not before she wiped at her eyes. “It’s okay. I just miss her. And... it made me miss you more too.”
So many emotions washed over him, but he didn’t dare go to her. He didn’t even dare to move, but what he really wanted to do was close the distance between them and hold her until the haunted look left her eyes.
“I should show you to the guest room,” he said finally.
“Okay.” She turned back to face him. “And Reed?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for coming back for me tonight. At the hotel. I was... I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
Reed studied her face, seeing the gratitude and something deeper—hope, maybe, or trust that was slowly being rebuilt.
“You don’t have to thank me for that,” he said quietly. “You called, and I came. That’s how it’s always been with us.”
She smiled then, the first truly peaceful expression he’d seen on her face since she’d walked into his office that morning.
“Come on,” Reed said, heading toward the door. “Let me show you around your temporary home.”
CHAPTER 7
Elena’s hand closed around her Glock before her eyes opened fully, muscle memory and five years of constant vigilance overriding the peaceful quiet of morning. For a disorienting moment, she couldn’t remember where she was—the unfamiliar softness of high-thread-count sheets, the filtered sunlight streaming through windows that faced east instead of west, the absence of traffic noise that had become the soundtrack to her existence in hiding.
Then awareness flooded back. Reed’s house. Reed’s guest room. Safety.
Elena slowly released her grip on the weapon and placed it back on the nightstand, her heart still racing from the adrenaline surge. She sat on the edge of the bed, orienting herself to this strange new reality where she didn’t have to sleep with one ear listening for footsteps in the hallway or engines in the parking lot.
The relief was so overwhelming that her knees buckled, and she found herself sliding to the floor beside the bed. Without conscious thought, she folded her hands and bowed her head.
“Dear Heavenly Father,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you for bringing Reed back to me lastnight. Thank you for his willingness to help, for his brothers’ acceptance, for this safe place to rest.”
She took a shaky breath, feeling the weight of gratitude settle in her chest like warm honey. “I’ve been alone for so long, carrying this burden by myself. But now I have him as a partner again, and I feel like maybe—maybe we can actually stop this. Please guide us in the days ahead. Help us be successful in our mission to protect innocent people. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Elena remained on her knees for a moment longer, letting the peace of prayer settle over her. Outside, birds sang their morning songs, such a different soundtrack than the sirens and city noise she’d grown accustomed to in her various hideouts.
Rising to her feet, Elena pulled on a pair of workout clothes from her meager wardrobe—black leggings, a moisture-wicking tank top, and running shoes that had seen better days but still had good miles left in them. The familiar ritual of preparing for a run was comforting, a constant in a life that had been anything but.
