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“Then there’s still a need for me to say something.”
“I’ll stop when there’s no longer a threat.”
“Could that threat be handled more efficiently without outside involvement?”
She pushed up, scowling at him. “That’s rich coming from the guy who organized putting my best friend in danger. What if I hadn’t been involved, okay? What if Daar had found out about you and Harper? Hm? At what point did Robin’s safety matter in your investigation? She might have forgiven the two of you for your deception, but I haven’t forgotten that you told a man to seduce and fuck his way into my best friend’s life just to get closer to her uncle.”
“At no point did I tell him to do anything of the kind.”
“But did you tell him not to?” She shook her head. “The ends don’t always justify the means, Samuel. The fact that Robin and Harper are happy together is wonderful. But what if they weren’t? Do you pause to consider the damage you could have done to Robin? No. And that’s why I can’t trust you or your team. Because to you, it’s all about the big picture. You lose sight of the individuals. Maxwell Edward is a cancer. It didn’t take much digging to prove how awful he is, and no one is doing anything to stop him.”
Samuel swallowed and glanced away. He had been wrong when it came to that undercover investigation. But he couldn’t tell her that. It would just fuel this righteous fire of hers and there would be no stopping her.
“It’s rich that you as a lawyer can’t let the law do its job.”
“If the law could do its job in this instance, it would have. But when those laws have been perverted and circumvented, sometimes you have to be willing to take alternative steps to solve a problem.” She shook her head. “You’re a good agent, but it’s not always so… So clear-cut.”
“You do the job or you don’t.”
“That mentality takes the human element out of it, though. How can you not see it?”
“I do see it.”
She held up her hand. “I’m going to say something I can’t take back, so we need to just agree we’re never going to see eye to eye on this.”
He disagreed, but he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t break down the nuance of it all without sounding like he supported her independent investigation.
“I think I’m going to try to sleep,” she announced.
“Oh…” Samuel doubted that, but he couldn’t say that. “Well, I hope you have a good night.”
“You, too.”
She didn’t look at him, and that bothered him.
This wasn’t a clear-cut situation, but he also couldn’t talk about that with her. She’d read it as support of her views, and for her safety, he couldn’t go that route. He’d play the villain if that’s what it took to keep her safe.
Thursday. Recovery Facility, Undisclosed.
Jessica stomped down the gravel path. She’d slept poorly. Then this morning she’d gotten scolded because her vitamin D levels were still low. And Samuel was clearly avoiding her. He hadn’t made an appearance for breakfast or lunch. They were given the choice of eating in the main common room or in private. Even when they were on each other’s bad side, they’d still shown up for meals. But not today.
She didn’t know why it had her so grumpy.
Nothing Samuel had said last night was a surprise, but it had rubbed her the wrong way. Granted, when it came to Robin, Jessica could be accused of being overprotective. Still, it was ethically wrong to use people the way they had regardless of the law allowed for it or not.
She stomped down the gravel path on her early afternoon walk. It had warmed up, so her teeth weren’t chattering away.
The mountains were beautiful, but she was not made for the cold.
She rounded the bend that took the center out of sight, closed her eyes, and breathed in deep. The scent of pine and damp earth hung in the air. The lingering chill gave the air a bite that was rather pleasant.
It was only recently that the staff and security allowed her to take unchaperoned walks. While she understood how severe her injuries had been, this much hovering was going to send her over the proverbial edge. Not to mention it made her investigation harder to carry out.
She paused on the path, straining to listen for the faintest sound of footsteps.
The breeze rustled the limbs overhead and birds called to one another.
It was just her.
