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Mason closed his eyes. Oh man. Not good. He’d looked for cameras before swiping the packages, and had spotted them. But he’d thought they were far enough away. He could protect Avery from knives and bullets. Information, not so much.
He looked over at her, saw the panic written all over her face. “It’s okay,” he said softly, reaching out to take her hand in his. “We’ll figure this out.”
But even as he spoke the words, Mason couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse before they got better.
20
In. Out.In. Out.
Avery stood in the middle of Bridger’s opulent living room, trying to smother the wildfire raging in her chest. She took a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of leather and wood polish that permeated the room. Felt how the soft fabric of her t-shirt brushed against her skin, causing a whisper-light sensation that grounded her in the moment.
But even as she tried to anchor herself, her mind raced with worst-case scenarios.
She clenched her fists, feeling the bite of her nails against her skin. The pain was sharp and immediate, a welcome distraction from the rising tide of panic that threatened to overtake her.
Across the room, Mason and Paul were arguing in hushed tones, their voices rising and falling like the tide, but she barely registered their words. They sounded far away, as if they were speaking from the bottom of a well.
Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the gleaming hardwood floors and the tasteful artwork that adorned the walls. She tried to focus on the details, the way the light glinted off the polished surface of the grand piano in the corner, the intricate pattern of the Oriental rug beneath her feet.
But even as she tried to ground herself in the physical world, her thoughts kept circling back to the same terrible truth. Her career, her very freedom, hung in the balance. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Ryan had accessed traffic cam footage of her sitting in a car while Mason committed a felony.
She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. “Maybe Paige made a mistake,” she said, her voice sounding small and uncertain even to her own ears. “Maybe the request was related to something else. I haven’t been to work in two weeks. I have no idea what new active cases may have come along.”
Mason and Paul exchanged a glance, their expressions skeptical. Yeah. She felt it, too. She was grasping at straws.
Before she could voice her thoughts, her phone exploded with a flurry of texts and calls. She fumbled for the device.
“It’s Ryan,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I should answer.”
Mason held up a hand, his expression serious. “Read the texts first,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Best to have as much info as you can before you talk to the guy.”
Avery nodded, her fingers shaking slightly as she opened the messages. Short sentences bracketed by capitals and emojis. One from her friend, Alise, and several from other fellow agents all wanting to know what was going on. The final one was from Ryan. There were no tiny, superfluous faces. No exclamation points or caps. Just a chilling order.
Call me. Now.
The phone shook in her hand. Ryan knew. He’d guessed about her rogue investigation, and he was not happy.
Taking a deep breath, she hit the call button, her hands trembling so badly she nearly dropped the phone.
Ryan answered on the first ring. “What were you thinking? Avery, you crossed a line this time. Big time. You’ve broken rules before, but this has gone beyond what I can protect you from. What I want to protect you from.”
Avery’s head snapped back. Her cheeks burned as if she’d been slapped. She’d always known that her tendency to push the boundaries could get her into trouble, but she’d never imagined it would come to this.
“I can explain—” she began, but he cut her off.
“I don’t want to hear it. If I get any inkling that you’re still working this case, you’re fired. And even if you drop it now, you need to prepare for the possibility of getting fired anyway. You have no idea what you’re messing with here. This is way above your pay grade. Stop. Now.”
With that, he hung up, leaving Avery staring at the phone in stunned silence.
Mason touched her arm gently, his expression sympathetic. “How do you want to handle this? We can walk away, no problem. We have contacts. I’ll make sure this doesn’t bite you in the rear.”
Paul nodded in agreement, his usually mischievous face uncharacteristically serious. “So what if I have to create a new life?” he said with a shrug. “The one I have now isn’t that outstanding anyway.”
Avery was touched by the brothers’ generosity, but she knew she couldn’t accept it. “I can’t quit,” she said, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. “Unless I finish this, I’m going to have to resign from the Bureau. There’s no certainty that I’ll be safe even if I do walk away from the case.”
Paul frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why can’t you drop it?”