That's the part that bothers me. Not that I did it. That it didn't bother me more.
I finish routing the last camera feed, test the connection. New coverage eliminates blind spots in our security. Won't stop a determined professional, but it'll make it harder.
The security monitor shows multiple angles of the shop, the parking lot, and the approaches to The Forge. Clean feeds, no gaps. Better than what we had.
Not good enough if someone with advanced military training is targeting us.
It's past midnight now, pushing toward one. I'm testing voltage on the final connection when I hear footsteps on the concrete floor.
Will's gait. I recognize the deliberate approach that says he's checking on me rather than seeking me out for business.
"Thought you'd be home," I say, connecting the final wire.
"Gemma's doing inventory at the bar. Wanted to finish before morning rush." Will leans against the doorframe. "Figured I'd see if you were still obsessing."
"Upgrading security isn't obsessing. It's a practical response to demonstrated threat."
"It's past midnight. Most people would call that obsessing."
I test the voltage, confirm clean flow. "Most people don't have federal agents investigating them for weapons trafficking."
"Most people also don't look at said federal agents like they're trying to decide between cooperation and corruption."
I set down the wire strippers, finally look at Will. "You have a point to make?"
"Just an observation." Will moves into the room, studies the new camera feeds on the monitor. "Good coverage. Professional work."
"Learned from the best."
"Delta Force taught you a lot of things. Some of them useful for civilian life, some of them not so much." Will's tone stays neutral, but I hear the subtext. "Question is which category Agent Monroe falls into."
"She's a federal investigator. That's the only category that matters."
"Bullshit. You've been thinking about her since she walked in here yesterday. Been watching her like you were cataloging data for future use." Will turns from the monitor to face me directly. "I know that look. Seen it before when you're assessing tactical problems. Except usually tactical problems don't have legs like that."
"Professional assessment. She's a threat that needs to be managed."
"She's also a woman you're attracted to. Both things can be true." Will crosses his arms. "Acknowledge it so it doesn't fuck up your judgment. Pretending you're not interested when you clearly are just makes you sloppy."
He's right. Denying attraction doesn't eliminate it, just makes it harder to account for in decision-making. "Acknowledged. I'm attracted to Agent Monroe. Doesn't change the tactical situation."
"Might actually improve it. Woman like that, she's not going to respond to bullshit and deflection. She's going to respond to honesty. Maybe not right away, but eventually." Will shifts his weight. "You want to know what I think?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"I think Monroe's the first woman in years who's complicated enough to hold your attention. I think she's also smart enough to see through whatever civilian-friendly version of yourself you try to show her. And I think you're terrified because the parts of you that are useful in Delta Force are the same parts that don't play well in normal relationships."
Every word hits like Will's reading from a script I wrote but never showed anyone. "You done?"
"Almost. One more thing." Will's expression shifts, becomes the serious assessment I've learned to respect over years of serving together. "You're not the same guy you were in the service. You've got the same skills, same instincts, same darker edges. But you've also built something here. The shop, the Brotherhood, a life that works. You know how to exist in civilian space without compromising who you are."
"Your point?"
"My point is that whoever you become with Monroe, it doesn't have to be either Delta Force operative or civilian shopkeeper. It can be both. The question isn't whether you're too dark. It's whether she's strong enough to handle the truth." Will heads for the door, pauses. "My money's on her being stronger than you think. Three years deep cover with the Devils takes a particular kind of spine. She might surprise you."
He leaves me alone with upgraded security feeds and too many thoughts.
I pull up my laptop, start running background searches. If someone's framing us for weapons trafficking, they've got motivation and capability. That narrows the suspect pool to people with connections to gun shows, knowledge of our operations, and reason to want the Brotherhood under federal scrutiny.
