The apartment was spartan—functional furniture, minimal decoration. She'd never quite gotten around to making it feel like home, always telling herself this was temporary. Just until she could return to Miami, to the career she'd built, to the life she'd left behind.
Except now Miami was offering her exactly that, and all she could think about was James's blue eyes across her desk, the way he brought her coffee without being asked, the unspokenconnection that had grown between them over three years of partnership.
Isla poured herself a glass of wine and moved to the window. Four floors up, she had a decent view of Lake Superior stretching toward the horizon. The water was dark under the clouded sky, restless with winter's approach. Somewhere out there, Robert Brune was hiding. Listening for the lake's whispers. Planning his next move.
Maybe he was even watching her.
And here she was, contemplating abandoning the case—abandoning everything—for a promotion in Miami.
Her phone rang, and this time when she saw the name on the screen, she felt only relief.
"Dr. Delgado."
"Isla." Her mentor's warm voice filled her ear, steady and familiar as a lighthouse. "I heard you got a call from Samuel today."
She shouldn't have been surprised that he knew. Delgado still had connections throughout the Bureau, still heard the gossip and the backroom discussions even in his semi-retirement.
"News travels fast," she said.
"It does when it's about one of my best students." A pause. "He offered you supervisory?"
"Yes."
"And you're conflicted."
It wasn't a question. Delgado had always been able to read her better than anyone except maybe Claire. Isla sank onto her couch, curling her legs beneath her.
"I should be thrilled," she said quietly. "This is everything I wanted when they sent me here. Vindication. Proof that I'm more than the Mendez case. A chance to come back as a success."
"But?"
Isla stared out at the lake, trying to articulate feelings she barely understood herself. "But I'm not ready to leave yet. The manhunt is still active. And there's..." She trailed off.
"There's more," Delgado finished gently. "Duluth has become something more than just a temporary setback."
"I never meant for it to," she admitted. "I was supposed to keep my head down, prove myself, and get out. Back to real cases, real investigations, real career advancement."
"And instead you found a serial killer no one else knew existed, solved fifteen homicides, and saved lives." Delgado's tone carried approval. "That sounds like real investigative work to me, Isla."
"You know what I mean."
"I do." She heard him shift, probably settling into his favorite leather chair in the study where he'd spent countless hours mentoring young agents. "But I also know that sometimes what we think we want and what we actually need are two different things."
Isla took a sip of wine, the words hitting closer to home than she wanted to admit. "Are you saying I shouldn't take it?"
"I'm saying I'm not going to pressure you either way." Delgado's voice was warm but firm. "You're brilliant, Isla. You'd excel in Miami just like you've excelled in Duluth. But excellence isn't the only metric that matters."
"Then what is?"
"Where you're growing. What challenges you. Who you're becoming." A pause. "And maybe, who you'd be leaving behind."
Isla's throat tightened. "I don't know what you mean."
"I hear you've been working with a partner up there. Sullivan, isn't it? Former detective, good instincts, steady presence."
"He's a good partner," Isla said carefully.
"That's all?"
