Page 142 of No Good Fight

“Was it?” Carter asks from near the door.

Josh gives him a look.

Carter nods once. “Right. Stupid question.”

He goes back to the phone call he never ended, lowering his voice as he walks toward the far end of the room. I catch pieces of it. Carson Road. No marked units. Hold position. Nothing close enough to be seen from Mason Ridge.

When he hangs up, Remy looks over. “What’d you do?”

“Nothing worth writing down yet.”

“Carter.”

“I told patrol there’s a possible armed domestic incident in the area and they’re to stage outside visual range until we confirm the building. Nobody rolls sirens. Nobody lights the place up.”

Remy studies him for a second.

Carter raises an eyebrow. “You called me.”

“I’m remembering why.”

It is the closest thing to humor anyone manages. And it’s strictly because out of all of us, Carter is the real golden boy. He’ll ride along, fight by our side to bring Alex home, but he’ll find a way to do it the right way.

Logan ignores them and studies the aerial image beside the building plans. “There’s a tree line here and a drainage ditch along the east side. Service road comes in from the southwest. If Preston expects Alex by vehicle, he’ll be watching that approach.”

“He told her to use service road,” I say.

“He told her where he wanted her,” Logan corrects. “Doesn’t mean that’s where he is or where he’s watching her from.”

The distinction matters enough that I make myself listen.

Remy pulls another chair closer and sits, but only because it puts him at eye level with the maps. “Official response stays back until we have eyes on Alex and Mrs. Vance. If we bring half of Birch PD down that road and Preston has a camera, hired lookout, or even a decent view from a window, we make his decision for him and it becomes recovery instead of rescue.”

Josh’s hands flatten against the table. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying the people in this room go first.”

For the first time since they arrived, everyone stops what they’re doing.

Remy looks around the table. “Logan and Carter are with me because I trust them to understand the difference between getting them out and making an arrest. Casey knows the fire risk and how to handle himself with a gun. Josh knows enough about scenes and investigations that I’m not going to waste time pretending he’ll stay behind.”

His gaze reaches me last.

I’m already shaking my head.

“You’re with me,” he says.

“I’m going through the door.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he stares at me like I’ll submit. “No, you’re not.”

“Remy.”

“If Alex is standing on the other side of that door with Preston holding something against her throat, you are the worst person in this room to be first through it.”

My chair hits the floor behind me when I stand.

Logan doesn’t move from the map. “He’s right.”