"Is it? Because Dallas is four days out. We're going to extract a twelve-year-old from a house with three armed men. I need to know that when things go sideways, when the plan falls apart and we're improvising, you're going to be there. Fully present. Not thinking about a Delta operator in North Carolina."
Mara met her eyes. "I'll be there. I'm always there."
"I know you are. Usually." Sloane sat back. "But this is different. This isn't just post-operation processing. This is something personal. Something you haven't dealt with before. And I need you to figure out if you can compartmentalize it or if it's going to be a problem."
"It won't be a problem."
"Then prove it. Focus on Dallas. Focus on the girl who needs us. Deal with your feelings about Logan after the operation. Not during." Sloane's expression softened slightly. "I get it. He made an impression. You feel something. That's normal. But timing matters. We have four days to get this right. After that, when the girl's safe and relocated, you can deal with whatever's happening with him. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Mara said.
"Good. Now get out of here and help Nadia finalize the tactical plan. I want options and contingencies by end of day."
Mara stood and left the office. Walked back to the operations center where the team was still working. Still planning. Still doing the job that mattered. She pulled up the Dallas files and forced herself to focus. Forced her mind away from Logan and back to the mission. Back to the twelve-year-old who needed extraction. Back to the work.
But even as she reviewed entry points and security protocols, part of her mind was still in North Carolina. Still wondering if he was thinking about her. Still hoping he'd keep his promise.
Four days. She could focus for four days. Could compartmentalize and execute and save a life. And then, after Dallas, she'd figure out what to do about the Delta operator who'd looked at her and seen someone worth dying for.
The afternoon bled into evening. The team worked through the Dallas plan until they had three viable approaches and contingencies for each. Nadia ran combat scenarios. Kira prepared medical protocols. Winter coordinated vehicles and safe houses. By 1900 hours, they had a solid plan. Not perfect, but solid. Good enough to execute.
Mara was reviewing the final details when she made a decision. She found Quinn in her office an hour later.
"Can you get a message to Logan?" Mara asked. "Through Beth?"
Quinn looked up, one eyebrow raised. "I can. What do you want to say?"
Mara hesitated. This was the moment. Once she sent the message, there was no taking it back. No pretending the connection hadn't been real. "Tell him that I remember the promise. That Louisiana's not that big if you know where to look. And that the beer's waiting whenever he's ready to collect."
Quinn's expression softened. "You sure?"
"No. But I'm doing it anyway."
"That's the spirit." Quinn pulled up her encrypted messaging system. "I'll route it through Beth. Should reach him within a few hours."
"Thanks."
Mara left Quinn's office, her heart still racing. She'd done it. Had reached out first. Had let Logan know she was thinking about him. That what happened in Mosul hadn't been just adrenaline and chaos.
She walked back into the operations center and found Nadia watching her with a knowing expression. "You look like you just made a decision."
"Maybe I did."
"Good decision or terrifying decision?"
"Both."
Nadia grinned. "Those are usually the best kind."
Mara pulled up the Dallas tactical plan and forced herself back into mission mode. Forced her mind to focus on entry points and contingencies and the twelve-year-old who needed them. The message to Logan could wait. The feelings could wait. The possibilities could wait.
Right now, she had work to do.
But somewhere in North Carolina, a Delta operator would soon be reading her message. And that made everything feel different.
Four days. She could handle four days.
And then she'd figure out what happened when a woman who saved lives reached out to a man who'd stayed behind so she could do it.
