“You need to go after her.”
“She doesn’t want to see me.”
“She’s in shock,” Vivi said. “Traumatized. Give her time?—”
“How much?” Garrett finally looked at the two of them. “How much time does it take to forgive someone for deceiving you about something like this?”
They were both quiet. Ian glanced down at Vivi, squeezing her shoulder. She gave him a knowing look. One that said they’d been through rough times like this and still survived. “I don’t know,” Ian said, “but I know not trying means losing her for sure.”
Garrett looked at the road where Claire had disappeared. Special Agent Hendricks was headed back to town, following Claire.
He wasn’t one to talk about personal matters, especially not his emotions. Maybe he could blame it on the blood loss. The adrenaline. The world seemed dimmer. There was a ringing in his ears. “Last night, she asked me to tell her everything. She said eventually she needed to know all of me, not just the parts I thought were safe to share.”
Vivi quirked a brow. “And you said?”
“I said I would tell her after Derek was caught.” Garrett’s laugh was bitter. “I said I’d tell her everything.”
She gestured at the road. “Then go tell her.”
“I tried. She won’t listen.”
“Then make her listen.” Vivi grabbed his forearm. “You made a mistake. A huge one, but Claire needs to know why.”
“She knows why. I told her. To protect her from?—”
“No.” Vivi shook her head. “You told her you wanted to be the person who saved her. But that’s not the whole truth, is it?”
Garrett said nothing.
“You loved Lily,” Vivi said gently. “And when she died, you blamed yourself. You found out about Claire, the girl who survived. The girl who also tried to protect Lily.” She paused. “You didn’t just want to save her, Garrett. You needed to. Because saving her meant Lily’s death wasn’t completely meaningless.”
The world shrank. The ringing amped up. He clutched his wounded side and nearly doubled over. “I failed Lily. I failed CJ.”
Vivi’s voice was soft. “You didn’t fail Claire, Garrett. You saved her.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
Vivi patted his shoulder. “Give her time. Let her process everything. And then—when she’s ready—try again. Tell her the whole truth about why Bobby became Garrett. Why you needed this mission. Why you fell in love with her.”
Garrett’s throat was tight. “What if she never wants to hear it?”
“Knowing Claire? She will. Eventually. Because despite everything, she loves you, too. I saw it these last few days. The way she looked at you, wanted you by her side.”
“And now?”
“Now she’s hurt. She rightfully feels betrayed. Angry.” Vivi’s smile was sad. “But love doesn’t die that easily. Trust me.”
Garrett wanted to believe her. But when he closed his eyes, all he saw was Claire’s face. The moment Derek had said his name. The moment she’d understood exactly who he was.
The moment everything between them had shattered.
The world kept shifting under his feet. Blood loss, the paramedics said, pushing him toward the ambulance. He tried to argue—he'd had worse, could handle it—but Ian's look said he wasn't winning this one. At the hospital, they stitched him up—fifteen sutures but no internal damage. The ER doc gave him a prescription he wouldn't fill and told him to follow up with his family doctor. Through it all, he saw Claire's face—the betrayal in her eyes.
An hour later, he arrived at the police station. The place was chaos—bomb squad vehicles, FBI agents, Local deputies. The press was gathering at the perimeter. Claire was inside, giving her statement. Garrett could see her through the window. Pale but composed. She’d tied a scarf around her neck to hide the bruises Derek’s fingers had left.
He stayed outside and let the team handle the debriefing. Let Ian and Vivi deal with the authorities.
Hawk found him by the tactical vehicle. “Commander.”
