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“Don’t I?” He picked up a pistol from the table, checking the chamber with practiced ease.

“Let’s review. You got her through forty kilometers of jungle with cartel hunting parties on your ass.

Kept her alive through a Category 3 hurricane in a structure held together by rust and prayer.

Killed four hostiles in hand-to-hand combat while fatigued.

And when Silva had twenty guns on you at that dock, you and Lauren worked together to play human shield so perfectly that crazy bastard bought it completely. Yeah, you had nothing to do with it.”

“I only killed three. Lauren took out the fourth. Not sure if he’s dead. If not, he’s got one hell of a headache.”

Ty and Jace both turned to stare at me.

“Hold up.” Ty set the pistol down slowly. “The doctor took out a cartel soldier?”

“He was about to shoot me in the back. She hit him with a branch.” I was never going to forget Lauren standing there with blood on her shirt, fierce and terrified and absolutely magnificent.

Ty’s grin spread wide. “A woman who can save lives and take them when necessary? That’s not a unicorn—that’s a whole mythical creature we haven’t even named yet.”

“This is different.”

“Yeah? How?”

“Incoming,” Jace interrupted, laptop chiming with an incoming call. “Ethan’s dialing in.”

“Shit. Stall him for a second. I’ve got to get out of these clothes.”

Jace ran his gaze up and down me. “For the love of God, please do.”

I was back out less than two minutes later. The wall-mounted screen showed Ethan in his home office, Colorado mountains visible through the window behind him.

Ty was putting on a show, as usual. “I guess what I’m asking is whether waterborne cartel are essentially pirates? If so, do they have to wave the Jolly Roger for it to count as a pirate kill?”

Jace chuckled.

“I just want to use the right terminology in my mission report.” Ty leaned against the wall, arms over his chest. “Maritime cartel interdiction sounds way less cool than pirate engagement.”

Ethan spotted me. “Doing okay?”

I nodded. “Still breathing.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything further. Good. I didn’t need any more time sitting around talking about my feelings.

Or feeling any of my feelings, for that matter.

Ethan’s expression turned business. “Good work, everybody. Despite the complications, all four doctors made it out of Corazón safely.”

“Three are already stateside,” Jace reported, shifting into briefing mode. “Williams and Martinez flew out yesterday morning. Dr. Yang caught a red-eye last night, said something about a hot date with her own shower and a bottle of wine.”

“And Dr. Valentino?”

“Afternoon flight to Chicago.” I kept my voice flat, professional. “Commercial, already booked.”

“Security for transit?”

Silence. I felt both Ty and Jace turn toward me, waiting. Of course they expected me to volunteer. I was the one who’d kept her alive this long. I was the one who’d?—

I cleared my throat. “Jace is handling it.”

Both Jace and Ty stared at me. This was news to everyone, including Jace.

“I…am?” Jace blinked behind his glasses, then recovered with typical speed. “Yeah, absolutely. Happy to make sure she gets home safe.”

Ethan’s tone stayed neutral, but I’d worked with him long enough to hear the question underneath. “You don’t want to see this through, Logan?”

“No point. She’s not a protectee anymore. Just a civilian heading home.” The words tasted like sand. “Mission parameters are complete. Time to move on. I’m ready for whatever we have on the books next.”

“Right.” Ethan shuffled some papers on his desk, but I knew he was buying time, reading the situation like the operator he’d always be. “How about a little downtime first? You’ve earned it.”

“I need to work.” The words came out harder than intended. “That’s what I do. That’s what I’m good for.”

Silence stretched across the connection. Ty and Jace exchanged the kind of look that came from years of reading each other’s minds in hostile territory. I ignored them both.

“We’ve got an extraction in Myanmar,” Ethan said finally. “Journalist grabbed by local militants. Rough terrain, minimal intel.”

“Perfect.”

“Logan.” His voice carried that particular note of concerned command. “You sure you don’t want a few days? Reset after?—”

“I don’t need to reset. I need a mission.”

“All right.” He leaned back in his chair, decision made. “Jace, get Dr. Valentino to her flight safely. Logan, there’s a bird leaving for Denver at 0800. Be on it. We’ll brief you for Myanmar when you land.”

“Copy that.”

“Gentlemen.” Ethan’s expression softened slightly. “Again, excellent work. Despite everything that went sideways, you brought everyone home breathing. That’s what matters.”

The screen went dark.

“Myanmar?” Ty tossed the Sig onto the table with more force than necessary. “What is this, emotional whiplash bingo? You trying to hit every shithole on the map before Christmas?”

“It’s what I do.”

“It’s what you hide behind.”

I stood, exhaustion and adrenaline making my movements sharp. “You got something to say?”

“Yeah, I do.” He faced me fully, chin up like he was daring me to take a swing. “You’ve got something real right upstairs. Something that doesn’t come along every mission. And you’re bailing because feelings are scarier than bullets.”

“I’m being practical.”

“You’re being a coward.”

My fist connected with his jaw before conscious thought kicked in. Classic hook, all shoulder and hip rotation. Ty’s head snapped back, and he stumbled into the coffee table, sending weapons sliding.

“Logan!” Jace jumped between us, hands raised. “Jesus, what the hell?”

Ty touched his lip, checking for blood. Then he laughed—actually laughed, the crazy bastard. “There he is. There’s the guy who fights for what matters.”

Shame flooded through me, hot and sick. Exactly what I’d been trying to avoid. Violence as communication. Fists because words were too hard.

“I’m sorry.” The apology scraped my throat raw. “I shouldn’t have?—”

“Probably had it coming.” Ty straightened, rolling his shoulder. “Been needling you since you walked in. But my point stands. Running to Myanmar won’t change what happened in Corazón.”

“Nothing happened in Corazón.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, pressing it to his jaw. “But when you’re sitting in some jungle, wondering what she’s doing, wondering if she’s thinking about you—remember this moment. Remember you had a choice.”

I headed for the door, needing space, needing air, needing to be anywhere but here with their judgment and their understanding.

“It’s not too late to make this right,” Jace called after me.

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. The hallway stretched ahead, identical doors leading to identical rooms full of people living identical temporary lives. Never staying anywhere long enough for the marks to be permanent.

That was what I needed to remember. The bruises on Lauren’s arm weren’t unique. But she was. And that’s exactly why I had to go.

Distance was the only kindness I had left to offer.

So, I’d take it. Get on that plane. Find another jungle where the mission parameters were clear and the only person I could hurt was myself or some bad guys.

The elevator arrived with its polite chime, and I stepped inside. As the doors closed, I caught my reflection in the polished steel.

I looked exactly like what I was. A man who knew how to leave before the leaving got harder.