The man glanced at Rex, questions in his gaze.
Rex? He recognized Rex, didn’t he? But how could that be?
Olive studied Rex a moment.
He wasn’t surprised, she realized. Not even a little.
Jason’s voice was firm as he gripped the man’s arm. “You want to tell us your name? And what you’re doing hiding in the walls of this lodge?”
“My name’s Michael.” He looked at Rex again. “Rex can explain the rest.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Olive’s gazesnapped toward Rex.
Her boss exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw, then raised both palms slightly in admission. “He’s telling the truth. I brought him here.”
Olive stared at him, gaping. “Youwhat?”
“I didn’t want to involve the rest of you,” Rex said, his voice even and nonplussed. “Michael is a witness. He needed protection.”
Jason’s tone sharpened. “Protection from who?”
“From people who’ve already killed to keep him quiet,” Rex said.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Mitzi looked stricken, her eyes darting between Rex and Michael. “You brought him here? Toour retreat? Without telling anyone?”
“I didn’t have another choice,” Rex said. “We were supposed to move him to a safe house after Christmas. But there was an attempt on his life a week ago, and his cover was blown.”
Tevin stood in the corner and shook his head. “To reiterate what Mitzi asked: So you brought him here? To our non-workingretreat? The place where we were supposed to get away from everything?”
Rex met Olive’s gaze, steady and unflinching. “I thought no one would find him here.”
Olive’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. “But someonedid. Is that why JJ was killed? Because someone was looking for this guy?”
Her words hung in the air like smoke.
No one answered.
Because somewhere deep inside, every person knew the truth.
JJ had died because of Michael.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The fire snapped and hissed, the only sound in the room. Snow pressed against the windows like a living thing, the wind a steady moan in the chimney.
Olive’s gaze moved from Michael—still standing, hands half-raised—to Rex, who looked like a man standing trial rather than leading his team.
Rex finally broke the silence. “I owed a friend a favor. A big one. He’s in federal law enforcement. When Michael’s cover was blown, there weren’t any safe houses available. My friend called me personally and asked if I could get him somewhere quiet until the storm passed.”
Mitzi crossed her arms, her tone sharp. “So you brought him here. Toourretreat. The one where you told us all to take mandatory rest. The one where you practically ordered us to relax.”
Rex didn’t flinch. “I see the irony.”
“No.” Mitzi crossed her arms, her eyes narrow with anger. “Youarethe irony.”
