One by one they all said their goodbyes—O and Younger, Rorke and Rivers. Even Cannon came out of his office to give Jolie a nod that held so much respect.
“Take care, Jolie.”
“I will.” The thickness in her voice when she answered Cannon told Archer she was one breath away from breaking down in tears.
He couldn’t bear that.
He took her by the hand, uncaring what Sierra thought of it, and continued on. “At the end of the hall,” he said when everyone was behind them.
She nodded.
As they approached the exit, he drew out the black knit hood. Her gaze flicked to it and back up to settle on his face.
“Standard procedure.”
“I know.”
Still, his hands shook slightly when he lowered it over her head, and he was far too aware of her soft hair against his knuckles.
The last time he put this hood on her, he’d taken her to the greenhouse. Now…it was just the last time.
He took her hand and guided her through service corridors, down a back stairwell and out in the knife-cold afternoon.
Snow slanted sideways as they crossed to an SUV parked there for this purpose. He opened the passenger door and helped her in. Once she was seated, he leaned in to fasten the belt.
As his body brushed hers, he froze, and so did she.
Instead of straightening, he pulled her close.
She issued a soft whimper, and for a moment, his face crumpled. Thank God she couldn’t see anything because he was about to break in half.
“Archer…” She wrapped her arms around him, trembling against him.
Burying his face in her shoulder, he stole another second and held on too hard. “I’m here,” he managed to say.
He made himself let go, shut the door and got behind the wheel.
The mountain road curved through pines and fresh snow. He followed the map in his mind to the town of Alder Ridge out of muscle memory, even though the team never went there.
She sat composed beside him, hands resting on the clothes she’d brought. He kept stealing looks at her even though he knew he was only making this harder on himself.
At a small pull-off on the side of the road, he braked hard and turned.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice rose a notch.
He yanked the hood free and her hair tumbled loose around her tear-streaked cheeks.
A knife blade twisted in his heart at the sight, and he kissed her with fierce desperation, pouring out every word he couldn’t say into the crush of his lips.
She kissed him back with the same grief-struck hunger. “I don’t want to go back, Archer.” Her plea against his lips nearly ended all reason.
He cupped her beautiful face. “Rules are rules,” he roughed out. “But dammit…”
He pressed his forehead to hers, chest heaving with the effort it took to hold back words.
“I’ll break them.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
