What he didn’t say was that when he’d found out Garrett was considering him for the new team leader position, the only person he’d wanted to tell was now sitting across from him, wearing his clothes and looking at him like she was proud of him.
That look made his pulse trip.
He’d loved the old Alyssa, the one who fit against him like she was made for him, who laughed at his dry humor, who made everything lighter just by being there.
This new Alyssa was more self-assured, more assertive. And he thought his heart might be in even more trouble with this version.
The realization was inconvenient, dangerous, and entirely inappropriate given that he was supposed to be keeping her alive, not cataloguing the ways she’d changed and deciding he liked them.
“You’ll get it,” she said with certainty. “The promotion. You’re good at what you do.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m serious. You’re—” She paused, searching for words. “You’re the most competent person I’ve ever met. When you’re in charge of something, it’s going to get done.”
The compliment landed in his chest. He didn’t know what to do with it, so he finished his coffee and stood to clear the plates. She helped without being asked, and they moved around each other in the small kitchen with the ease of people who’d done this many times.
“I need to shower,” he said when the dishes were done. “I won’t be long. If the sat phone rings, don’t answer it. Don’t answer any phone or go to the door, understand?”
She gave a weary sigh, nodded, and went back to her sketchbook. He gathered clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.
The hot water helped clear his head.
Alyssa was safe for now. The cabin was secure. But that window was closing. She needed to give the FBI her statement and sketches. That was non-negotiable. They wanted her cooperation, and refusing to provide it would burn bridges he couldn’t afford to burn. The safe house would be ready by tomorrow night, hopefully sooner. That was the smart play. Stay put until then, minimize exposure, and move her once into a location that could be held long-term.
But the FBI wouldn’t like waiting. Garrett wouldn’t like it if he refused to do this by the book. Claire was already worried about his judgment, about whether he was thinking professionally or personally.
And Blake was out there somewhere, knowing his sister had seen him with the cartel, knowing she could destroy everything he’d built with a single statement to federal agents.
All the reasons Mack didn’t want to drive her to the FBI office in Missoula today for a debriefing.
At least, that’s what he told himself. His judgment where Alyssa Bennett was concerned had always been questionable at best, and right now it felt less like sound tactical thinking and more like he was keeping her close because the alternative made his chest tight.
He turned off the water, got dressed, and pushed the thoughts aside. When he came out of the bathroom, she’d disappeared into the bedroom. The door was shut.
The sat phone rang.
“Hawk.” Claire’s voice was professional when he answered, but he could hear the edge underneath. “We need Alyssa in Missoula as soon as possible.”
The hair at the nape of his neck came to attention. “What’s happened?”
“Our UC was killed two hours ago. We no longer have his testimony. We need Alyssa’s and yours to confirm identities for the arrest warrants. The DEA is involved now and they’re pressuring me. This is bigger than the party.”
Mack looked out the window. The sky was painfully blue, the kind of clear day that suggested warmth while the air was still cold enough to freeze in your lungs.
“The safe house isn’t ready. Moving her now is risky.”
“We know. We’ll keep her in protective custody at the field office until it is.”
“No.” The word came out flat. Final.
“Mack—”
“The field office has a hundred people in and out daily: staff, agents, contractors, and cleaning crew. Any one of them could be compromised. I’m not bringing her into that.”
The silence that followed told him Claire was choosing her words carefully, which meant she knew he wouldn’t like what came next. “I understand your concern. But this isn’t a request. The FBI needs her cooperation, and right now, you’re the one standing in the way of that.”
He was. The professional consequences were stacking up like dominoes, and he could see exactly how this looked from the outside. Personal. That he might be compromised. Exactly the kind of judgment call that proved you weren’t ready to lead a team.