Chapter 13 #2
“What?” Declan quickly stood and slammed his big hands on the table. His reaction at hearing his sister’s name and the possibility of danger was expected. What wasn’t expected was Noah, who had also bounded from his seat—fists clenched.
“It’s not definitive,” Cal said, his speculative attention on Noah, before moving it to Declan. “It’s a possibility this is coming from Spivey.”
“And Mercy wants to expose him,” Garrett said, nodding. “After the accident with Darius, I can understand why he’s worried. This puts Kara at risk too.”
“Declan,” Cal said to their heaving, tight-jawed friend.
“The colonel wants this kept completely under the radar. No one is to know she’s being watched.
Not even Mercy. He doesn’t want to bring attention to her.
” A slight pause followed before Cal continued with, “I think you’re too close to this to?—”
“Bullshit.” Declan’s hard gaze flew to Cal, his good eye blazing with anger as he leaned across the table toward Cal and once more slammed his hands down. “I will be protecting my family.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” Cal said, his tone even, but with an underlying command.
Duncan had known what he had been doing when he’d chosen Cal to lead in his absence.
“Or that you shouldn’t. But can you tell me here…
” he waved his hand around the group, his eyes never leaving their friend.
“In front of all of us, that you can watch over her without completely bulldozing into her life?” His frowning gaze went to Noah. “Is there a reason you’re standing?”
“No…” Noah remained rigid, his body practically humming with tension—fists still clenched, cheeks darkened, mouth tight, features taut. “No reason,” he said, sitting heavily into his seat. Though nothing about his demeanor changed. What was up with that?
She glanced at a clearly agitated Declan. Cal was right. They needed someone else to be lead on this.
“It should be me,” Solace said, her gaze still on Declan, before she swung her attention to Cal. “Mercy has…” She didn’t know how to say this without giving too much away. “She’s offered me a job with the District Attorney’s office.”
“What the hell,” Garrett all but shouted. “When did this happen?”
“Not long ago.”
Her gaze flashed toward Declan again, who nodded slightly. He’d probably surmised when that had happened, as well as why she was mentioning it now. The look she shot at him dared him to say anything.
“Wait,” Cal said, drawing her attention back to his grimacing face. “You’re only offering to do this to guard Mercy, right? It isn’t something you’ve seriously considered.”
She hadn’t considered it. Not until this very moment. And now that she’d said it, she realized this was exactly what she needed to do. It was her way out. She could slip into this job while protecting Mercy, then stay once it was over.
“You better not be,” Garrett said, while Noah and Chance each voiced their own objections. Then her heart took a quick shot she had to force herself not to react to, when Haven said, “I hope not. You can’t leave dad.”
That one was hard to hear, especially the way she’d said it. The only one who didn’t say a word, of course, was Declan.
She held up her hands, silencing the team.
“I think it should be me,” she said, lowering her hands. “Because she would have no suspicion about my presence.” Several tense shoulders relaxed. “We might as well take advantage of this offer. It’s the perfect cover.”
“It makes sense,” Declan added, which garnered him a surprised look from Cal, one that Declan must have noticed. “What?” He shrugged. “I can be reasonable.”
“Really,” Haven huffed. “Let’s see what Hope has to say about that.”
Declan ended up grinning. “I’m sure she’ll say I compensate for my unreasonableness at times in other ways that she finds more than reasonable.”
“Eww.” Haven visibly shuddered, though Solace had no doubt it was for show. “It’s bad enough I have to hear things like that from her. I don’t need to hear them from you too.”
“Oh? What have you heard?” Duncan’s good eye sparkled with interest.
“Like I would tell you,” Haven said, grinning, though she did sniffle a little.
“Okay,” Cal said loud enough it cut off any further discussion on that front. And though that last tangent had been completely off topic, at least it had had lowered the tension and finally had Declan sitting. “Solace will need back?—”
“I’ll do it.” Noah’s quiet but insistent voice broke in before Cal could finish. Silence met his words, while her widening gaze flashed toward the stone-faced, serious young man.
“Okay…” From Cal’s hesitant tone, she must not have been the only one to find his determined tone unexpected. “So, Solace during the day. Meaning, Noah, you’ll be on night watch. And Chance,” the other man perked up. “I want you shadowing Kara when she’s not at home.”
Solace nodded, while Noah’s features almost relaxed as he let out a deep breath, like he’d been holding everything in tight until Cal had agreed for him to be on the detail. Was it truly that important to him? Which brought her to another question.
Why?
“Garrett,” Cal said pulling her focus back to the head of the table. “I want you on standby.”
“What about me?” Declan nearly growled. It was clear he was still unhappy about not watching over his family himself. “You’re not sending me to Shanton’s, are you?”
“Shanton?” Solace laughed out.
“I’m tired of calling him both,” he said, shrugging at her, before skewering Cal with his hard gaze. “Well?”
“No,” Cal answered, shaking his head, before his loving gaze went to Haven.
His fiancé tilted her head at him, her brow furrowed.
“Your dad didn’t want help for himself. That doesn’t mean I agree.
” A slight smile curved the other woman’s mouth, as her eyes brightened.
Cal’s determined blue stare then took them all in, before landing once again on Declan.
Like her, no one in the room would doubt Duncan had a protective streak a mile long. If things were bad, he wouldn’t consciously put any of them in danger. He…
A little spark of hope lit deep down inside her. Had Declan been right? Had Duncan pushed her away in some misguided attempt at protecting her?
She didn’t know whether she should be flattered or insulted.
Of course, it wouldn’t matter to him one bit that he had been left vulnerable.
Although he did have an unknown someone with him.
But would he or she be enough? It was the time for the team to get proactive, and Cal’s next words confirmed what she—and she was sure everyone else in the room—believed was the next step.
“You and I will have eyes on Spivey.”