She lost Angelo.
The thought of not seeing him again was jagged, a pain that told her exactly how far gone her heart already was.
“Con already knew.”
Her whisper was a hot rasp. “What?”
“He already knew.” He pitched his voice into a tone that soothed her. “About your brother. He knew when he ordered me to bring you to base.”
The relief hit her so hard her eyes stung. She pressed her lips together and looked at the ceiling for a moment, blinking back her emotion. “That must mean…”
“He didn’t say it to me, but I think he knew we needed your skills to find Cipher…and that at the same time, we might find something on your brother.”
Even though she felt miles from finding Archer, a breath, held for too long, trickled out. Her hand found the edge of the desk and she gripped it.
He watched her work through it. He didn’t rush her or fill the space with reassurances or false hope. Only let her know they were here for her.
He was here for her.
“Thank god.” Her whisper rasped with emotion.
“There’s something else.” He shifted slightly. “I asked Con to bring me in on the full intelligence. Everything he knows—the deep-level stuff, the things he carries alone and shares with no one.”
She searched his face for a sign of how he felt to be carrying more responsibility on the team, something he had walked away from after Melina.
“The team needs backup in the chain of command. If something happens to Con—even temporarily—and the only person who knew the full picture is gone, everyone’s blind.”
“And you volunteered for that?”
“Seemed like the right call.”
Angelo wasn’t just stepping up. He was stepping back into the middle of something that had nearly broken him—fighting against every instinct the years of grief had built.
“Angelo.” Her tone was soft.
The corner of his lips pressed in. “Don’t make it a thing.”
“I’m not making it a thing. I’m just—” She stopped. Tried again. “That says something about your honor, Angelo.”
He held her gaze for a moment and then his lips moved again—not quite a smile but close. “You hungry?”
She almost laughed. “That’s how you end that conversation?”
“We work hard, we play hard. And we eat.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
He stood and pulled her up from the chair in one easy motion. Suddenly, she was standing close enough to feel the warmth coming off him. He gazed down at her.
Her stomach was fluttery…and so was her heart.
She was falling in love with him.
“Come on. I have an idea for tonight.”
“What kind of idea?” She could barely catch her breath as the realization struck.
The flash of heat in his expression went straight to her knees. “Since you’re gun adjacent…” The almost-grin widened. “There’s a knife-throwing range in the basement.”
