Not yet.
Isaac exhaled sharply, shaking his head to clear the cloud of frustration. This wasn’t the time to argue. He had bigger things to focus on. “I need to get to Washington and brief them about what happened.”
“No.”
Isaac pushed to his feet. “What do you mean, no?”
“If you tell them, you’ll be in danger.” Christian strode over and jabbed a finger toward the darkness outside. “Those men—Ross and whoever he was working with—think my father died. They think their secret is safe. If they find out you know, what makes you think they won’t try to silence you?”
Isaac let out a growl. “They are not above the law. If we can find out who they are, we can have them arrested for treason.”
His friend’s gaze slid back to him. “And how high does it go? God only knows how many were involved, and who. Ross was a high-ranking commander.”
“So, what would you have me do? I already might not have a job after all of this. I can’t keep lying for your sake.”
Christian shook his head. “You won’t lose your job.”
“I got a navy patrol schooner destroyed.”
Christian snorted. “Not as bad as me getting a brand-new frigatesunk.”
“You didn’t abandon your own ship with half your men and steal it,afterthrowing a commander into the water.”
His friend whistled. “Alright, you got me beat.”
They shared a brief, reluctant grin, the weight of everything else still hanging between them. Isaac let out a long breath, the humor fading as reality settled back in.
“I’ll hold off. Write a letter explaining what happened. Without bringing up Ross.” He gave a nod, half to himself, half to Christian. His mind already poured through the next steps. It was all too much, but he had to keep moving forward.
Christian’s voice broke through the silence. “What about Miss Montclair?”
Isaac froze for a beat, then glanced at his friend. “What do you mean?”
Christian held his gaze, unwavering. “Are you going to marry her?”
He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed so long ago when he had so candidly thrown out similar words to Christian regarding Samantha. He’d thought it such a simple concept—a solution to a problem. He bit back a chuckle at how quickly things had changed. Christian’s reaction back then made sense now.
“It’s complicated.”
Christian snorted. “You’ve ruined her. It’s not that complicated.”
Isaac’s jaw clenched as his friends put it into words.
“I care about her,” he admitted, voice low. “More than I should. But that doesn’t matter.” He raked a hand through his damp hair. “I have my entire career in front of me. I’ll be at sea for most of it. She deserves better than that.”
Christian shook his head. “And what about you, Isaac? What do you deserve?”
He didn’t answer.
The fire cracked low in the hearth as he stared into the shadows, jaw tight.
Whatdidhe deserve? A ship. A commission. Orders that would take him farther from her with every tide. He’d always known the shape of his future. Had built his life around it—without softness, without entanglement.
Without her.
Now, suddenly, that future felt hollow.
“I chose this path a long time ago,” he said at last.
