“No apology necessary. None of us wants to consider that our friends, family, or coworkers could be monsters.”
“Yeah. It hurts.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “These people are my family. The idea that one of them could be?—”
“I hope you’re right about them,” he said. “I hope they’re all clean. But I have to check. You understand that.”
“I do.” She was quiet for a moment. “For what it’s worth, thank you. For taking this seriously. For protecting me.”
“It’s what I do.”
“It’s more than that.” Her eyes met his. “You could have assigned this to Grizzly or Hawk. But you’re here. Why?”
Because I promised your best friend I’d take care of you. Because I failed once, and I won’t fail again. Because you’re CJ, and I can’t lose you, too.
“I’m the Commander. I lead by example, and your safety is on me,” he said.
The weight of those words hung in the air.
Claire nodded slowly. “I feel safer with you than anyone else.”
His chest squeezed. He gave a nod. “Good. That’s exactly what I’m here for.”
Garrett checked his watch.Two A.M. Neither of them was sleeping.
He sat in the chair, weapon in hand, blocking the door and keeping an eye on the window. He’d checked the lock three times and made sure the curtains were drawn tight.
Claire lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “Wolf?” Her voice was quiet in the darkness.
“Yeah?”
“About earlier. When I asked about your sister.” She paused. “I’m sorry I pushed. That was out of line.”
His stomach tightened. “Don’t worry about it.”
“For what it’s worth, I understand that pain. Losing someone and wondering if you could have saved them. If you could have done something differently.”
“Yeah. I know you do.”
He felt her shift to look at him. “Do you ever stop wondering?” she asked.
“No, but you learn to live with it.”
“How?”
“You save the next person. And the next one. And the one after that.” His eyes met hers across the dim room. “Until maybe one day, the scales balance.”
Claire tugged the blanket closer around herself. “Do they ever? Balance?”
“I’ll let you know if I get there.” He saw her nod. “I know it’s hard to shut down your brain, but try to get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow, and I need you sharp.”
“What about you? When will you sleep?”
“I’ll sleep when you’re secure.”
She sank back down, turning toward the wall. “Thank you.”
The words settled into his chest. He leaned back in the chair and focused on her breathing as it smoothed out and grew deeper.
A few hours later, there was a knock on the door.
