The steadiness in her voice did something dangerous to him as Cal turned back to the board and underlined one word.
ARSONIST?
“We stop chasing shadows,” he said. “We identify who lit the match.”
Wyatt rolled the coin over his knuckles again, not nervous, just focused. “Let’s assume, Will isn’t just jealous.”
Letty’s jaw set. “Okay, but let’s list what we know.” She pointed to the board. “He’s capable, motivated, and experienced.”
The ocean rolled outside as the Bridge hummed. Team voices echoed in the building, and for the first time, this wasn’t just about a burned casino boat. It was about whoever thought they could scare her into silence.
Wyatt’s voice dropped low. “They just made it personal.” And personal meant Wyatt stopped thinking like a witness and started thinking like a man hunting.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LETTY
The Bridge was thick with unspoken words.
Rhea was mid-analysis, screens lit with data streams, when Cal’s phone vibrated against the metal table. He glanced at it once as his jaw shifted. “I need five.” Cal pivoted, already stepping toward the glass stairs. “Don’t go anywhere.”
As if anyone is going anywhere. The door shut behind him, and silence lingered.
Wyatt didn’t look at Letty at that moment. He rolled the coin once over his knuckles, then caught it in his fist. “Come on.” He walked, and she followed. They finally stopped in one of the small side offices off the main floor. Letty pivoted. It looked likea storage-turned-workspace with a desk, a chair, and a narrow window overlooking the marsh.
The door clicked shut. Letty folded her arms, trying for composure. “You look like you’re about to lecture me.”
“I’m not,” he said. That almost startled her more as he stepped closer, not crowding.Not yet.
“I know who your sister is.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
“Olivia,” he said. “Banner’s Olivia.”
The room tilted as she processed his words. “How do you know my sister and the guy who dumped her?”
He cringed. “I didn’t know about any of that. I knew her husband. He was my commander, too.”
Her heart began to race for an entirely different reason. “And?”
“And I know Dallas has come up.” His jaw tightened. “More than once.”
She swallowed. “That’s not… Why do you care?”
“Because I do.” His mouth flattened. “And I get it.” His eyes searched her face now, not accusing but measuring, as if he needed to know exactly where she stood before he said the next thing. “Banner’s building something big with CPSP,” he continued. “Maxim’s there. They’ll have reach and different resources than Salt & Steel.”
“And my sister?”
“Yes.” Silence stretched between them. Then his head dropped as he spoke. “When this mess is over…” He paused, like the words physically resisted coming out. “I want the chance to convince you to stay.”
Her breath left her in a rush. “What?”
“I don’t want you choosing Dallas because it feels safer. Or because it feels inevitable.” His eyes darkened. “I want you choosing Tidehaven. Choosing here.”
Choosing you, you mean.But she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. The unspoken words burned between them, heavy with everything neither of them had quite dared to say yet. Her pulse began to flutter in her throat. “You’re territorial,” she groaned, a smile threatening.
His mouth didn’t soften. “Yeah,” he said simply. “I am.”
