Eric knocked on the open door. “Time to go.”
That sounded like they had another callout to attend. Kira said, “Be safe.”
Meanwhile, she would be here doing the things she knew how to do. Making a difference across the world had been distilled down to doing the same thing but on a local level. One patient at a time. She’d made peace with knowing that she would never be a true hero. Not after everything she’d done for the British government and then, after, for the Americans, until she’d packed it all in and told them no more.
She was done using her skills like that. Done daydreaming about a dark-eyed man she had no business wanting and definitely didn’t plan to run into in a city this size.
After all, if she did run into him…
What on earth would she say?
Four
The halls of the federal courthouse were all wood wainscoting and gray tile floors. Luca’s shoes clipped as he made his way to Judge Mullinax’s chambers. He carried a hot cup of coffee and had his backpack over the shoulder of his suit jacket. He still didn’t know what this meeting was about, but he figured he would look the part no matter what.
After transitioning out of the military and coming back from the dead all at the same time, he had been approached by a couple of international private security firms. But Luca had found himself turning down offers. Choosing to operate more on a local level—which had turned out to be a good thing when Hammer’s family was in danger.
Working by himself as a private investigator wasn’t as satisfying as being part of a team, but he still got to coordinate with local cops like Detective Martinelli and his friends.
He wondered if he was early when he knocked on the chamber door, but it opened quickly, and a young woman with long blonde hair, wearing a skirt suit, waved him in. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Saxon. Everyone else is here.”
Luca frowned. “I’m not late, am I?”
“Depends on your definition.” She closed the door behind him. “The judge always says to be early is to be on time. But he’s also older than my father.”
He stuck his hand out. “Luca Saxon.”
She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Claire Carnforth.” She led him to an inner door, past her desk. “I’m the judge’s assistant.” She knocked gently on the door, then opened it. “Mr. Saxon is here.”
Luca gave her a small smile and stepped into the judge’s chambers. More wood wainscoting, a couple of floor lamps, and more bookshelves than he’d ever seen in his life. All of it filled with leather-bound volumes that were probably older than the judge—and Claire’s father.
A woman with dark hair sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and a tall guy in a suit was to the right, leaning against a sideboard. The guy had a silver star badge on his belt, his cowboy hat on the surface beside his hand, where he gripped the edge of the piece of furniture.
Judge Mullinax sat behind the desk, looking like a guy he’d seen in an old Western, but Luca couldn’t remember which one. He had dark hair threaded with the same gray that wove through the mustache and full beard on his chin. His big form filled the chair in a way that told Luca this guy had some heft behind him, like a man who’d spent years building muscle and made sure he didn’t lose it, even into his sixties.
“Glad you could join us.” The judge lifted his chin and indicated the man. “This is Deputy Marshal Ethan Butler. He’ll be coordinating things. And Dr. Kira Yassan from Renegade Mercy General Hospital.”
She turned and stood, facing him.
Kira.
To her credit, she managed to cover the flinch. Yeah. She hadn’t been expecting him. Turns out I’m not dead.
He had no idea what she thought.
“Do the two of you know each other?” Deputy Marshal Butler asked. “Because that would explain a lot about the fact you have exactly the same security clearance. It’s why you’re both here. The two of you are the only people in town with the skills to do what I need and the necessary background.”
Luca looked at Butler. “Dr. Yassan and I have met once, very briefly.” He looked at her, determined to keep all his feelings to himself. He could’ve held out his hand and shaken hers, but touching her was a slippery slope to betraying a little of what was going on in his head. “Good to see you.” He managed to nod.
“You as well.” She nodded back to him, her expression flat. Utilizing all the skills she’d amassed doing…whatever it was she’d been doing years ago in that refugee camp.
Was she even a real doctor?
She could have been faking it and using the situation for some kind of covert operation. Now she was here? Yeah, that wasn’t suspicious at all.
“You can have a seat.” Deputy Marshal Butler motioned to the other chair, and Luca and Kira both sat. He wandered around to the other side of the desk, standing beside the judge.
The older man with his silver-streaked hair leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers over his shirt buttons. He looked over at the marshal.