"I can't explain right now. But I need you to trust me. Don't talk to anyone about me. Not military, not police, not anyone. Can you do that?"
There was a long pause. She could hear traffic in the background on his end, the honk of a horn, the wail of a siren. Normal city sounds. Normal life.
"Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, I can do that. But Rach? Whatever this is, it sounds bad. Like career-ending bad. Or worse."
"I know. That's why I'm being careful."
"Just... don't get yourself killed, okay? We've got a deadline next month and I can't replace you."
Despite everything, she almost smiled. That was Miles, jokes to cover fear. "I'll do my best."
"Call me when this is over. We'll get drunk and you can tell me the whole story."
"Deal."
She ended the call and sat there, phone in her lap, staring at the sailboat still cutting across the water like nothing had changed. But everything had changed. They'd gone to Miles. Used official authority to threaten him. They were escalating.
"Rachel." Ghost's voice pulled her back. His hand cupped her face, turning her to look at him. "Hey. Look at me."
She met his eyes.
"What if they hurt him?" she whispered. "What if they—"
"They won't." Ghost's voice was certain. "They're trying to scare him. If they wanted to hurt him, they would have done it already. This is intimidation. Psychological warfare. And it's not going to work because Miles isn't going to give you up."
Rachel took a shaky breath. "You can't know that."
"Yeah, I can. You heard him. He told them to fuck off without a warrant. That's not a guy who's going to crack under pressure." His hand slid to the back of her neck, grounding her. "And tomorrow the team's back. We finalize the op. And then we end this."
She nodded, trying to let his certainty anchor her. Trying not to think about all the ways this could go wrong.
Ghost pulled her against him, wrapping both arms around her. She pressed her face into his neck, breathing him in. Cedar andwarmth and something that was becoming synonymous with safety in her mind.
They sat like that for a while, his arms around her, the sounds of the neighborhood continuing around them. Kids laughing on the playground. The lawnmower still running in the distance. Life going on despite the danger circling closer.
"Come on," Ghost said finally. "Let's head back."
They walked back hand in hand, but the peace from earlier was gone. Rachel couldn't stop running through scenarios in her head. What if they went back to Miles? What if they found her parents? Her brother? How many people were at risk because of what she knew?
Ghost seemed to sense her spiraling. He squeezed her hand. "Stop."
"Stop what?"
"Catastrophizing. I can see you doing it."
"I'm not—"
"You are. You're thinking about everyone who could get hurt. Every worst-case scenario." He stopped walking and turned to face her, both hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. We're going to get these bastards. All of them. And when we do, everyone youcare about will be safe. But right now, you being safe is what matters. Everything else comes after."
Rachel looked up at him, this man who'd turned his entire life upside down to protect her. Who'd brought her into his sanctuary and made her feel like she belonged there. Who looked at her like she was worth protecting, worth keeping, worth fighting for.
"Okay," she whispered.
"Okay?"
"Okay. I'll stop catastrophizing."
His mouth curved slightly. "Liar."
