Chapter 19 #3
“Why? Because I’m making a connection between Shrike, Doyle, Sterling, and a man who survived the raid that killed my husband,” Juniper said.
“When it comes to Pike, you're making a huge leap. He wasn’t part of Mark's death, and he's not part of this. You're not focused. You're spiraling, and that's not good. You remember what happened the last time you did that?”
"I'm not losing my mind." Juniper had spent years listening to suspects lie. They covered things in different ways. Some talked too much. Some repeated the question. Some gave clean answers to dirty questions because they’d practiced in the mirror.
"I need you to focus on Sterling and the job, or I'm pulling you."
"You can't do that."
"I can and I will."
Juniper reached for her water bottle and took a drink because her mouth had gone dry. “I'm focused.”
“I’ll look into pulling you.”
“Don't do that. I'm fine." Juniper hated the plea in her own voice. Hated that she had to use it. Hated more that it might work. “Give me a day. Let me get my head straight. If I still sound like this tomorrow, then we talk about extraction.”
“One day,” Bea said. “You stay close to routine. You do not chase Pike. You do not confront Sterling about anything outside your assignment, and you do not let Nick pull you into whatever he and Sterling are building.”
“Understood.”
"Take care of yourself."
The line cut.
Juniper stood in the buzz of the fluorescent light and listened to the pub breathe around her.
Bea had lied.
Not a small lie. Not a protective lie.
A lie with teeth.
Juniper closed Mia’s report, shut down the secure window, and sat back in the chair for one second. Maybe two. Long enough to keep from picking up the laptop and throwing it at the wall.
Then she locked everything down, slid the computer into the drawer, and stepped out of the office.
Manny had the kitchen door propped open with a case of tomatoes, and steam rolled out from somewhere inside. Juniper moved past it, through the short hall, and into the bar.
Sterling sat on his usual stool. Of course he did. One elbow on the bar, one hand wrapped around a glass of water, his gaze already fixed on her. He pushed off the stool the second she reached the bar. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
She glanced around the room. Tara was near the far end of the bar with two regulars. Manny had disappeared back into the kitchen. A couple from out of town sat in the corner booth arguing over a map on a phone. Normal. All of it normal.
None of it safe.
Sterling lowered his voice. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
“I need air,” she said.
"Let's go outside." He guided her out the backdoor.
The late-day heat sat heavy over the water, thick with salt and the sweet rot of mud. An egret lifted off with an ugly squawk.
Juniper stopped near the railing and gripped it with both hands.
Sterling stood beside her, angled enough to watch the door and the tree line at the same time.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I know without a doubt Bea’s a problem.”
“What did she say?” he asked.
“She said Pike is one of hers. She looked me in the eye and fed me that lie, and I know it's a lie. Not unless he's been undercover for two fucking years, and everything Mia found is bullshit.” She glanced up. "I believe Mia. What does that say about me?"
"It says you're a smart woman who knows a lot, and I'm sorry Bea isn't who you thought she was."
"I wasn't put here to protect you from Shrike," Juniper said. "I was put here to watch you for them. Do you have any idea what that does to me? How that makes me feel?"
"I have some idea," he said. "I wish I had great words of wisdom. But you can't hold onto that. Because right now, we're one step ahead. However, they're not far behind."
"I know."
“Anything else?” he asked.
“She's gonna try to pull me,” Juniper said.
“I know people," Sterling said. “So do Nick and Buddy. She can try to pull you. That doesn’t mean she gets to make you disappear before we know what she’s tied to.”
Relief forced its way in, heavy and ill-fitting. She hated how badly she wanted him to be able to make sure there was no way Bea could remove her. Hated how much she trusted him to try.
Sterling shifted closer, pulling her into his arms. “The shit’s going to hit the fan fast.”
Juniper blew out a breath. “That’s a terrible way to put it.”
“It’s accurate.”
“Still terrible.”
“I’ll work on phrasing after we survive the next twenty-four hours.”
She lifted her gaze. He had changed since she’d met him. Or maybe he’d finally allowed her to see the man under the careful layers. The quiet operator. The man who remembered everything.
“I care about you," she said. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did."
He smiled. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
"Well, that's a statement." She rested her head on his chest.
"It's the truth."
"I know," she said. "I love you, too." God help her, she loved Sterling with everything she was. And while the timing was horrible, and she had no idea what tomorrow would bring, it somehow didn't matter because he would always remember she loved him.