I shake my head. “No. It’s too dangerous. If things go south…”
“Then I’ll be implicated anyway,” Atlee argues. “Noah has already connected us. Running away now won’t help either of us.”
“She’s got a point,” Jesse says, earning him a glare from me.
“So what are our options?” Truett asks, bringing us back to the problem at hand.
Carson closes his laptop. “We need to find out more about this Project Watershed. If Morrison and Noah are up to something shady themselves, maybe we can use that as leverage.”
“What about Lennon?” Atlee suggests. “She works for the best attorney in the state. Maybe she could help, or at least advise us.”
The thought had crossed my mind too, but involving Atlee’s sister means pulling another person into our mess. “Would she be willing to help, knowing what we’ve done? She offered, but I’m not sure if she realized it would involve this.” I gesture around us.
Atlee hesitates. “I don’t know. She’s by the book in a lot of ways, but she’s also fiercely loyal. If I asked her?—”
“Let’s keep that as a last resort,” Jesse decides. “For now, we need more information. Carson, can you dig deeper into Project Watershed? Find out exactly what Morrison’s planning?”
Carson nods. “I’ll try, but I’ll need to be careful. If they catch me snooping in their systems…”
“Take whatever precautions you need,” Jesse tells him. “Truett, when you go to town to see Nora, see what you can find out.”
Truett gives a mock salute. “Will do.”
“And us?” I ask, gesturing between myself and Atlee.
Jesse thinks for a moment. “You two need to act normal. Go about your routines and don’t give Noah any reason to suspect we’re onto him.”
“That includes being seen together in public,” Truett adds. “If you suddenly start avoiding each other, it’ll look suspicious.”
I look down at Atlee, searching her face. “You okay with that? With keeping up appearances while we figure this out?”
She meets my eyes. “It won’t be an act for me.”
Those simple words hit me harder than I expected, causing a tightness in my throat. Even knowing what she knows now, she’s still here, still choosing to stand with me.
“We should head back to the cabin,” I tell her. “It’s getting late, and we’ve all got a lot to process.”
She nods, and I can see the exhaustion setting in. It’s been a long day for all of us.
“We’ll meet again tomorrow night,” Jesse tells everyone. “Same time, same place. Keep your phones on, but be careful what you say. Assume Noah is watching everything.”
As we all prepare to leave, I pull Atlee aside, needing a moment alone with her. “Are you sure about this?” I ask, keeping my voice low. “It’s okay if you want to leave, to distance yourself from all of this. From me.”
She reaches up, placing her hand against my cheek. “I’m sure.”
“Even knowing what I’ve done? What I’m capable of?”
“I’ve always known you were capable of more than you let on,” she says with a small smile. “The question is, do you want me to stay? Now that I know everything, am I a liability?”
The thought of sending her away, of facing this without her, creates a hollow feeling in my chest I can’t stand. “I want you with me,” I admit. “But I need you safe more than I need you with me.”
“Then let me decide what’s safe for me,” she counters. “I’m not walking away, Devlin. Not unless you tell me you don’t want me here.”
I pull her against me, burying my face in her hair. “I want you here,” I whisper. “God help me, but I do.”
I feel her relax against me, her arms tightening around my waist. “Then that’s where I’ll be.”
As we walk out of the barn toward my truck, the weight of everything we’re facing hangs heavy on my shoulders. But having Atlee beside me, knowing she’s chosen to stay even after learning the truth, makes that weight bearable.
