Chapter 19
Brooke
I leaned against the metal railing of the rooftop terrace, watching the sun sink over the sea.
The sky blazed with fiery oranges and deep reds, reflecting off the water in shimmering patterns.
After the intensity of the day—Norris’s condescension, the underground tunnels, and the horrifying revelation of Fenix’s dual-deployment plan—I’d escaped to this quiet sanctuary while the team strategized below.
Eight thousand people. The number kept circling in my mind. Eight thousand unsuspecting concertgoers who would become test subjects in Fenix’s twisted phoenix ritual.
The Mediterranean breeze cooled my skin. I inhaled deeply, pulling in the scent of the sea. From this vantage point, I could almost believe peace was right around the corner. No more barreling into labs after a hot tip, no more forgetting what time zone I was in, no more chaos.
I traced the edge of my scar behind my ear, feeling where the texture of new tissue gave way to the skin I’d been born with.
The creak of metal interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Rav at the top of the staircase, pausing when he spotted me.
“Sorry,” he said, already retreating. “I didn’t realize you were up here.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, turning back to the twinkling lights in the distance. “There’s room for both of us.”
He hesitated, then his footsteps grew closer. “Seems we had the same idea.”
I turned halfway, angling my body so he’d join me on the right side. “Great minds, I suppose.”
He stopped next to me and folded his arms, staring out at the view. He was still in the clothes from our reconnaissance—dark jeans and a navy henley that stretched across his shoulders. The fading sunlight accentuated the sharp angles of his face and the intensity of his dark eyes.
“It’s a lot,” he said quietly. “What Fenix is planning.”
I nodded, shifting my gaze to the city in the distance.
“I’ve been with Pendragon for three years tracking down Dr. Haddad’s research and anyone who might have had access to it.
We found three of his lab partners who had pieces, and a few hackers who’d tried to grab the information from Mnemis’ servers, but no one ever had the complete formula.
” I shook my head. “We really thought the Greek Fire formula wouldn’t make it into the wrong hands.
And now here we are, facing a mass civilian attack. ”
“We’ll stop them.” His voice carried the same quiet confidence I remembered. It wasn’t a hopeful statement; it was just a fact.
“You sound very sure of that.” I glanced at him again, finding his dark eyes already on me.
“I am.” He turned to face the view. Neither of us could look at each other. “Reynolds won’t fail. Scarlett won’t let it happen.”
“You really trust her that much?”
A small smile crossed his face. “With my life. Have since we were kids.”
I studied his profile, noting how the lines of tension around his eyes softened when he spoke about Scarlett. “She said you’ve known each other since you were twelve?”
“Ben oui.” He shifted his weight, leaning his forearms on the railing. “I was the new kid in school. Moved from Quebec after my parents died, came to live with my grandmother in Halifax.”
“I remember you telling me about her.”
“The kids at school made fun of my accent and height.” He shrugged, the movement almost imperceptible. “Scarlett decided I was worth saving, apparently. She sat with me at lunch one day, told everyone else to back off, despite everything she was going through.”
This was new information. I’d always pictured Rav as the confident protector, not the one who needed protecting. “She sounds like a pretty amazing woman.”
“I’m lucky.” His eyes met mine, something vulnerable flickering across his face. “We all need someone in our corner sometimes.”
I’d thought he was in mine. Until he didn’t call me back.
“I remember when we were investigating that compound outside Kandahar,” I said, smiling at the memory. “You insisted on bringing medical supplies for the locals even though it wasn’t part of our mission parameters. You said humanitarian gestures build trust that might save our lives later.”
“Cohn was pissed.” He smiled, a tiny one, but it evaporated as he looked away from me again. “But that was a lifetime ago.”
“Was it?” I challenged gently. “Because I saw that same man at Mnemis, donning gear over his shorts and T-shirt, so he could rush in and rescue Brie. You were brave and completely devoted to someone on your team.”
He closed his eyes, bowing his head. “Reynolds isn’t just my team, they’re my…”
“Family?”
“Yeah.”
“So you like living in Halifax?”
“It’s home.” He let out a long sigh and opened his eyes again. “Where did you settle after Afghanistan?”
I gave a small shrug and skipped right over the Owen Kensington year. “Since I took the position with Pendragon, I’ve pretty much lived out of a suitcase. Most of my belongings are in a storage locker in DC.”
“That must be lonely.”
It was lonely. The hotel rooms, temporary apartments, and safe houses that had been my life for the past three years weren’t real. I didn’t have anything permanent or truly mine.
“I’m doing an important job.” That was also true, but it wasn’t really an answer either.
“How was Norris?”
I accepted the shift in topic. “Condescending as ever. Still refers to that chemical spill as ‘what we found in Barin Kala,’ as if we stumbled across it on a nature walk.”
“Some people never change.” A hint of bitterness laced his words.
I snorted a tiny laugh. “At least he didn’t call me ‘the Canadian girl.’”
He laughed with me. “I still think he was jealous of how much you’d accomplished at such a young age.”
“You’ve changed, though.” I gripped the railing, the metal cool beneath my palms. “Back in Afghanistan, you would have told that security guard to his face you were going to take those photos.”
That drew another soft laugh from him. “The direct approach doesn’t always work in civilian ops.”
“And I’m still having a problem getting accustomed to the lack of a beard.”
He stroked his naked jaw. “Hair too short for you, too?”
“It’s definitely a change.”
He glanced at me. “You’re the same, though.”
If only I were the same woman as I’d been six years ago. Sure, I had more experience, more knowledge, but I hadn’t found joy in so long.
“Shorter hair, but still sharp as hell. You connected the drainage system to the fireworks immediately.”
“That’s my job.” I shrugged, though his praise warmed something inside me. “I still feel like I’m missing something, though.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Rav said with the same steady confidence as always.
The sun dipped lower, casting longer shadows across the terrace. The breeze, which had been pleasant when I first came up, was now sprouting goosebumps up and down my arms.
But I wasn’t ready to go back downstairs.
“Do you ever think about it?” I probably shouldn’t have asked the question, but couldn’t stop myself. “About that mission?”
He straightened a bit, flexing his fingers. “Every day.”
The simple honesty of his answer caught me off guard. I’d expected deflection, maybe even denial. “Me too.”
A weighty silence settled between us, filled with all the things we weren’t saying. How he’d been shot while protecting me. How I’d been caught in the chemical splash when a reagent bottle shattered in the mayhem.
How we’d both been medevaced to Kandahar. Then he’d been flown to Germany. How I’d called him afterward, and he’d never called back.
“I won’t let…” He balled his hands into fists so tight, his biceps flexed. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The conviction in his voice soothed something ragged inside me. There was the man I remembered—the one whose certainty had made me believe the impossible was achievable.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I admitted. “On this mission.”
“I wanted to ask… in the tunnels today, when you put your hand…” He shook his head slowly, then pushed off the railing and faced me. “I have no right to ask, but…”
“You can ask me anything, Rav.”
His eyes met mine, his lips moving as if they were searching for the right words, until he said, “Do you ever think about…”
I blinked at him, waiting for the rest of the question.
Pain, years, and history flowed between us. But no words.
I straightened and was suddenly aware of how close we were. Had we been drifting while we talked? Was it the same magnetic pull as we’d had before?
The way he looked at me reminded me of the tunnel. Of my room in the FOB. Of every time I saw him in my dreams.
My pulse quickened, and for one minute that wasn’t nearly long enough, I watched as he moved closer. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I was barely aware of leaning toward him, drawn by some invisible force that had never quite disappeared between us.
My hand rose toward him again, but I couldn’t make contact.
He caught it gently and placed it against his chest. He whispered, the sound curling around in my belly, “Do you ever think about us?”
Every goddamn day.
His heart beat strong and rapid beneath my palm, matching the thundering rhythm of my own.
But I couldn’t say it. If I told him I still thought about him, that might lead somewhere. And if it did, he’d see the scars, and he’d leave me.
The only thing worse than not having him would be losing him again.
Before a lie could form itself on my tongue, the sound of footsteps on the metal stairs rescued me.
We snapped apart as Malcolm bounded onto the terrace. Slightly breathless, he said, “There you are, Rav. Scarlett wants to discuss tomorrow’s meeting with Noah.”
Rav nodded, already on the move. “I should go.”
Why was it so easy for him to move on from whatever just happened between us? Were the pauses and reluctance to ask me questions all part of the roles he’d learned to play with this new team of his?
Was he just looking for a quick fuck and figured the wounded warrior approach was his best bet?
Fucking hell, Brooke. Don’t fall for that man again.