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Luke presses harder. “So you’re immune to her backstory? Because I shared it with you for a reason. This mission isn’t just about your guilt.”

I grip the sink. My hands tremble.

“If Caleb hadn’t walked in when he did,” Luke says, voice low and cold, “she’d have taken your gun and the key. We’d be chasing her—and hoping she didn’t drag you down too.”

“It wasn’t ever going to go that far,” Mick says, but his voice doesn’t sound certain.

“Really?” Luke’s laugh is hollow. “You think you’ve got that much control?”

“I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”

Luke doesn’t reply. He doesn’t need to.

Then, finally, the one I’m not ready for.

“Because you aren’t falling for her?” Luke asks.

My breath hitches. I hold it.

“Absolutely not,” Mick says.

No hesitation. No kindness.

Just the truth.

Something tightens in my chest—then cracks. I let go of the sink and steady myself. The sharp edge of rejection slices through whatever fragile hope I was holding.

A knock rattles the door. Adena’s voice, flat and irritated. “Time’s up.”

Yeah. It is.

Whatever I thought was happening here—I was wrong.

He doesn’t see me. Not really.

Fine.

He’ll get what he wants. I’ll smile. I’ll behave.

But the second it’s dark?

I’m gone.

Mick

Luke slides his phone back into his pocket and rolls his neck. “Adena needs to be somewhere else, but I can stay if you need me?”

As I’m considering whether I need him after this pep talk, my phone chirps, and I yank it out, praying it’s not my CO again.

It’s Brooke. Finally returning my text from earlier.

Except it’s not a text, it’s an image, and it’s not a ballistics report.

Weirdo that she is, she’s sent me a selfie. She’s holding up a newspaper and is grimacing as though she’s in pain.

Right. Got it. Her baby brother making the news is probably making her look bad. She writes under a pen name, but her colleagues all know I’m her brother.

Another thing I didn’t consider. How this impacted her work life.