Page 135 of Rogue Mission

“Rosalie, this is your time to recover after all the terrible things you went through. I can’t imagine how you feel after having to face down an assassin.”

With a shaky exhale, I take the chair across from them, tucking my feet up underneath me.

How do I feel?

We’ve talked about this a lot in the deep hours of the night, and things come up, but I’m surprised by how good Idofeel.

“It’s a lot to process,” I agree, “But in truth, it happened so fast. Before that day so much had happened leading up to the face-off with Walton, including the kidnapping. It’s almost like I had some kind of emotional shield.”

Justice shifts, taking a deep breath, trying to release the tension he gets whenever the subject comes up.

He’s so protective. Always.

The flutter in my pulse kicks around and a warmth builds behind my eyes.

“Honestly, your brother is the real reason I’m doing so well,” I tell Liberty. “I knew he was coming for me. With one hundred percent certainty, I knew he would do everything he could to stop Walton.”

He snuggles me close, his warm arms not just holding me, but grounding me when memories could assault me.

Speaking in a warm rumble next to my ear, he says, “Walton’s injury isn’t fatal and he’s going to be in prison for the rest of his life. The man who kidnapped Rosalie is federal system, and it looks like the same thing for him from what we can tell. Having both of those men put away makes us all rest easier.”

Okay, we need to lighten this mood.

I turn to Liberty. “If you need to learn to shoot bear spray, I’m your girl.”

She stares at me for a breath, a warm laugh coming up when she relaxes.

As her eyes drift to her brother’s she says, “She’s a lot like you. I’m glad she’s going to give you hell.”

Justice huffs out a rough sound that’s a laugh in SEAL language. “Told you, she’s amazing.”

I lean forward, smiling. “I’ve heard you’ve got some amazing things going on too. I can’t wait for you to tell me all about the work you do helping young women with eating disorders.”

She blushes, a look of surprise in her eyes. “How do you guys know about that?”

Oops. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to say anything.

Justice reaches for her shoulder, gripping it affectionately. “Just because we weren’t close doesn’t mean I wasn’t keeping up with your life.”

His tenderness that cracks my chest wide open.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he tells her quietly. “But we’ve got all the time we need to do that.”

Footsteps echo from the corridor and we all glance that way as Spence appears.

The former SEAL’s broad chest is bare and damp with sweat, his gray sweatpants are slung low, and there’s a stainless water bottle in one hand and a jump rope in the other.

He stops dead in his tracks when he sees Liberty.

The shift in his expression is anything but subtle. His body flinches as if someone just punched all the air out of him.

Liberty is frozen too. Her hand at her throat as they stare at each other.

Oh boy.Justice doesn’t miss the crackling airwaves vibrating between the two of them.

His gaze narrows, flicking between the two of them with tactical precision, and no small amount of protectiveness.

“Ma’am, you must be Juctice’s little sister. Glad you made it here safely.”