“Maren will say yes,” he said. “You know that.”
“I know, Soup.” Gina opened her email. She’d already started one to Elissa and cc’ed Flint. “That’s why we have to make sure she knows every risk before she does. She’s spending the day at the ranch later. We’ll tell her there, after we get more intel on Dekker, Voss, and Carr.”
Gina plugged her phone into the laptop, opened an app, and attached a recording of the phone call to the email. She typed a brief list of instructions, but Elissa would already know what to do. That’s why Lach had left her in charge of LA Watchdog. Lachstood and took her empty coffee mug while she typed. He went to the kitchen and poured her another cup. When he returned, he looked at her for a long moment.
“Sunshine,” he said quietly as he set the mug down. Not the working tone, the other one they’d used in secret for so long.
“I’m all right,” she said. She closed her laptop and stood up.
He put his arms around her. “Just making sure, lass.”
Gina pressed her cheek against his chest. Fleur leaned against both their legs.
“I thought I could leave it all behind.”
“You can’t.”
“I can’t.”
Lach tipped her chin up until she was gazing into the eyes of the man who had proven he’d tear the world apart to save her.
“Then I’ll make sure you’re never doing it alone.”
THIRTY
“I’ll do it,”Maren said. She folded her hands on Arden and Kyle’s kitchen table—end of discussion.
Colin had watched her face while Gina told her about a woman named Lynn Carr—a traitor within NCIS and an absolute bitch as far as Colin was concerned. He’d seen the moment Maren decided what she would do after Gina had given her all the details that Elissa had dug up since Gina had spoken to Lynn early that morning.
Two seconds of silence after Gina finished speaking—that was all it had taken for her to make up her mind.
Through the back windows he could see the deck. Mac was cross-legged on the boards with a plastic teacup balanced in one large hand. He looked entirely serious while Juni explained something at length. Camo was draped over both of Mac’s feet. The morning light lit the mountains behind them, and for one second Colin let himself look at that scene—at Juni pointing at something above their heads and Mac looking up and smiling.
He looked back at Maren.
“No way.” His voice rose before he could stop it. “I will not let you use yourself as bait, because that’s what you’ll be. Elissa says Dekker is in San Diego. The man who killed Mira and Ray. He’sbeen watching locations connected to her, to Ray, to the whole damn investigation. And you want to walk into one of those locations.”
“Yes,” Maren said simply.
“Pretending to be your sister.”
“Yes.” Her determined expression didn’t change.
His stomach dropped. He looked at Kyle. “Tell her.”
“I agree with Colin,” Kyle said. “You shouldn’t do this.”
Maren turned to him. “Kyle, you have to stop treating me like I’m going to shatter if I step off your property.”
Arden inhaled softly. Kyle’s expression tightened.
“I’m sorry, Kyle. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Yes, you did,” Kyle said quietly. “And you’re not wrong.”
That seemed to shake her more than an argument would have. He went on. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we won’t expose you. We don’t give you up. You’re family. You and Juni both. The woman who helped bury your sister’s investigation wants to help us finish it, but that doesn’t mean we hand you to her or to Voss. That application is not worth you.”
“It’s not just an application.” Maren’s voice cracked, but only a little. “It’s your dream. It’s Alex’s work. The dogs. The puppies. Kevin and Bennie. Pretzel. All of it.” She looked toward the windows, toward Juni safe with Mac and Camo. “They’re threatening the things you love because of me—they’re threateningJuni—and I want to stop it.”
