And if Cipher decided to strike before the feds cleared a move—
The next red pin might mark more than the burned shell of a property. It could destroy all hope of Ellory’s brother being alive.
And if that happened, Ash would carry it with her.
* * * * *
Ellory sat alone in the kitchen, trying to fight the sensation that the walls were closing in on her.
Opal had been sweet, fixing her a snack and hot tea, telling her they all needed a break while making all this feel normal.
But it wasn’t normal to Ellory.
Everyone in that room had seen her start to lose it, and that was the only reason she’d agreed to step back from her work. The last thing she wanted was to break down in front of them all.
The woman sat across the island, her quiet presence calming.
She sipped her tea. “Thanks for this, Opal.”
She compressed her lips and set her own cup aside. “I know how it feels to crack.”
“And you saw the signs in me?” She tried for a brave tone but it fell flat.
“It doesn’t mean you aren’t strong, Ellory. It means that you needed a short break. We all do sometimes. Why do you think we hit the pool or the casino to unwind? Everything gets clearer with a little space.”
She nodded and stirred another teaspoon of sugar into her tea to keep her hands busy. What she really needed was a computer system and time alone to keep digging. But she tried to take a break because her friend suggested it.
After a few minutes, Opal slipped out to give her space. Ellory went straight to the computer lab but couldn’t get to work.
She sat staring at the screen for so long the numbers began to blur. She pressed her fingers to her eyes and found them damp.
Archer had turned twenty-nine in the time he’d been gone.
Her brother was talented and brilliant—both traits had put him in the position to find Cipher. But it was his cockiness that drove him to believe he could find the terrorist when no one else could.
For months, she’d carried this alone. Sure, their family knew Archer went undercover for long stretches of time, but they didn’t know what she knew.
The door opened and she didn’t have to see him to know his measured steps. Ash came to stand beside her but didn’t speak right away. That was one of the things she loved most about him—he never rushed to fill silence with words that didn’t fit.
She sucked in a breath that was too loud in the space. “I can’t stop thinking about that map.”
“I know.” His quiet words reverberated through her with a comforting beat.
“What did you find?” She searched his face and more worry flooded in. “You’re going to deploy?”
He shook his head. “We passed it all to the feds. We’re waiting for clear orders.”
Suddenly, she couldn’t hold it back, and the burning tears spilled over before she could stop them.
Angelo opened his arms, and she surged to her feet to step into them without hesitation.
They weren’t just part of the same op. And he wasn’t only a distraction between the sheets. He was the person who carried everything for a minute. Her rock and her person.
In between the space meeting in that bank vault and now, he’d become important.
His arms wound around her, and she pressed her face against his chest, just breathing.
“This is why we play hard.” His rumble beneath her ear made her push closer. “So things aren’t so hard to bear.”
