Page 104 of Fatal Vision

“But why anonymously? And who deleted it?”

Probably the counterterrorism director since he didn’t want Shelby sidelined for that one incident, but Colton couldn’t be sure. Between the CIA, FBI, and Navy, there were a lot of players involved. They’d all wanted Quan in the worst way. The counterterrorism director had done her a solid, keeping her from shit-canning her career over one mistake.

Shelby’s quiet horror continued to envelope the room, making Colton hurt in a way that no injury or goddamn surgery could.

The counterterrorism director had jumped ship eventually, going over to the NSA. Colton had hoped the issue died with him, but now… “I take full blame for forcing your hand with the report, Shel. You wanted to go to the Director of the FBI then and come clean, but I wouldn’t let you. If you want to tell him now, I’ll go with you and explain everything.”

She sat for a long moment, staring at the ceiling. The bitter silence, broken only by the beep of monitors, ate at him. His body was a goddamn mess since his insides had seen far too much damage over the years. Yet, what he’d done on the outside, hurting so many others when he’d only been trying to look out for them, was the thing he knew would kill him in the end.

Shelby’s gaze came back to his. Tears swam behind her pretty blue eyes. Her voice was strained, barely above a whisper. “That’s why we divorced, isn’t it?”

One more truth to lay on the pyre he was building for the final bonfire of his life. “One of many. You couldn’t stand to live a lie, and I was the embodiment of that lie.”

A knock sounded on the door. Nickelback stuck his head in. “There’s a guy out here says he needs to talk to Shelby. Name’s Daniel. Says it’s important.”

Shelby waved him off. “I can’t talk to him right now.”

Nickelback started to close the door, but Daniel yelled over his shoulder. “Shelby, it’s your mom! It’s her heart. She’s asking for you.”

Shelby bolted out of the chair. “Oh, no, Momma.”

“Wait,” Colton said. He tried to swing his legs around and sit up. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

Nickelback came all the way inside, closing Daniel out. “Stay in bed, chief. I got this.”

Shelby pointed a finger at him, looking slightly like Jack when she did. “He’s right. Stay where you are. Nickelback can take me down. Momma’s probably just having an angina attack. I tried to get her and Daddy to go home hours ago, but they wouldn’t budge.”

“The killer could be in the hospital, Shel. He could be one of them.”

“I appreciate the conspiracy theory, but honestly, Colton, this is probably the safest place for me. There are cameras everywhere and all kinds of people. Our killer isn’t that bold or stupid. Now relax, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Nickelback brought him a cell phone. “Zeb will keep an eye on you and Connor’s down the hall with Sabrina. You need anything, hit 1.”

“Take Zeb with you. You need a two-man team.”

“Not leaving you alone, bro.”

“Where’s Megadeth?”

“Had to go back to his medical conference in New Orleans.”

Nickelback helped Shelby out the door, even as Colton continued to try to order them both to stay.

Zeb came strolling in before Colton could untangle all the tubes and get his sorry ass up. “Well, aren’t you as white as my hair.”

Colton gave up and lay back in the bed, his entire system a hot mess. “I can’t talk about it, old man, so don’t even ask.”

“’Bout what?”

He could hear the grin in the man’s voice. “About the spy.”

“Ah, yeah, good ol’ Wyatt Evers, code name Nightingale. Was he a loyal operative or a double agent? Guess you know the answer to that, don’t you?”

Evers was the only reason they’d been able to find Connor.

Now he was dead.

Colton was tired of lying. Tired of pretending.

What was one more stick on his ever-growing pyre?

“He was both, actually,” he said, and for the first time since that night in Baghdad, he told the truth about the other man he’d rescued from 12 September.