“Until I could officially get out, I needed someone keeping an eye on you and Chase. What’d you expect me to do? You think I could be downrange fighting while wondering if you two were in danger?”
“You were the reason I became so paranoid.You.” I pointed at his chest. “And I was right all that time.”
“Shit, I know.” He surrendered his free hand. “I should have just told you, but without evidence, I didn’t want to hurt you for no reason.”
Alex and Reed faced the window again, giving us privacy. But Ryder remained, hovering like my protective shadow.
“So, let me get this straight.” I held out both hands, slamming a finger down onto my open palm with each new statement. “You thought my husband was a bad guy, but you had no proof. Just a gut feeling based on rumors. Then you had someone babysit us without our knowledge,thenleft your career to personally watch over us.” I shook my head, shock continuing to tear through me. “Did Eden even really need your help, or was that a lie?”
Trevor tossed an uneasy look at the sheriff as if remembering the man was in love with his sister and may not like his answer.
“Was it a ploy to get us out of Virginia to somewhere new?” I asked, and when he looked up at the ceiling, that was an answer in itself. “All of that because of a hunch?”
I wanted to be mad at him for overstepping in his typical and secretive way, but his goal had been to keep us safe. So could I be? No, I didn’t think so.
I knew he’d go to the ends of the earth to protect Chase—and even me, despite our marriage being over.
“I thought I was doing the right thing, and as more time passed, I hoped I’d just been crazy. Or at least, if Mitch was a shitty asshole, that his past would never come back to bite you or Chase.”
“But you think Friday night, it did?” Ryder broke through our back-and-forth. “Why?”
Beau spoke up. “Because the men who hit the house were professionals.” At least this wasn’t news to me anymore since Eden had spilled the beans yesterday. “It was a targeted team. Precise movements.”
“Bypassed every one of my security measures that only someone with the kind of background I have would be able to do, and that’sstretching it,” Trevor said, picking up for the sheriff. They’d clearly talked about all this behind my back before now. “No way was that random, and I don’t have any enemies I’m aware of since my identity was hidden while serving, which leads me to Mitch. So I made a call.”
“To?” Ryder asked him.
“My cousin’s married to Admiral Chandler’s son. Secretary of defense.” Trevor handed Ryder the folder. “I asked Gray to speak to his dad for me. Try and pull some strings. Poke the right bear to get answers I couldn’t get a year ago on my own. In hindsight, I should’ve done that when Mitch died, even if I barely knew Gray back then.”
Ryder passed the folder off to Alex and folded his arms, rocking back in his boots. “We’re familiar with the secretary. With Gray’s team, Falcon Falls, too.” I could read his uneasy expression as he spoke, as if he wasn’t allowed to share much more than that.
“I take it the secretary confirmed your suspicions about Mitch?” Reed asked while looking over Alex’s shoulder as Alex flipped through some documents.
“Not yet. Gray’s father is with POTUS in the Middle East right now, wrapping up a meeting.” Trevor’s shoulders dropped. “Gray will reach out as soon as he talks to him.” He pointed to the file in Alex’s hands. “In the meantime, I asked Gray’s team to do some digging since they have extensive resources. That file contains everything he found on Mitch. I haven’t had time to really dive in and take a look yet, though.”
“Were these files obtained by legal means? I see half the information has been redacted, so they’re clearly still classified records.” Reed half smiled, then held up his hands in apology to Beau, as if forgetting he’d been talking about hacking in front of law enforcement.
Beau waved him off with a flick of his wrist.
At that, Reed continued, “Was Gwen Montgomery behind getting the files?”
Gwen?It took me a minute to connect the name.Right. Wyatt’s twenty-something-year-old daughter.We’d briefly met once.
“I know better than to ask Gray’s team how they do what they do.” Trevor lifted his chin, gesturing to the folder. “But I’m sure there’s something in there that’ll point us to the fact my gut’s right about Mitch. Gotta be a breadcrumb or two.”
Alex stopped flipping through pages, keying in on something in front of him, and his facial expression, and every line of his body, visibly hardened.
“What is it?” I asked, but instead of acknowledging my question, he remained in some kind of daze, quietly closed the folder, and passed it over to Reed.
“Let’s say we believe your theory, that Mitch is a traitor and was killed by terrorists,” Ryder began, pulling me back to the problem at hand. “Why come after Audrey now? Something doesn’t add up.”
More like a few somethings, right?“Because maybe Friday really was random.” The words fell flat even as I said them. “Fine, fine—but why’d only a few men come to my house if I’m important for some reason?”
“To keep a low profile. Get in and out with whatever they were after before anyone found out,” Trevor said in a gritty voice. “My hope is they were after something there, not you, and they didn’t expect to find you home.”
I rubbed my forehead, forgetting the skin was sensitive at my temple. “I have no idea what they’d want. Mitch certainly never opened up to me about anything op-y. Not ever.”
“We’ll figure out what they wanted. Don’t worry.” Beau removed his hat, using it to motion to everyone in the room. “We’ve got your six.”’
