Maren was sitting very still with Juni pressed against her chest, watching the three of them, wary and regretful. Shelooked like she was calculating staying or reaching for her keys and running again.
Dammit.
“Maren,” he said, gentler. “We’re going to figure this out. Nobody’s arguing about whether we’re protecting you and Juniper. Just who and how.”
“I know,” Maren said. Her voice came out thin. “Okay. But please don’t scare my niece, she’s been through enough.”
Juni’s silver-gray eyes moved from Charlie to Shane to Kyle. She didn’t look frightened to Kyle. She was watching. “I want the first man.”
“The first man?” Kyle asked. He glanced at Arden who looked just as puzzled.
Juniper nodded. “The man in the box.”
Kyle looked at Maren, whose confusion suddenly cleared. “She’s talking about the man at the gate. Colin?”
There was a gentle knock on the conference room door as it opened. Jodie leaned in, smiling.
“I was thinking,” she said, looking at Maren and Juni as though the rest of the room wasn’t there, “that these two might want a quick potty break, a snack, and a look at the other dogs. I’ve got cheese and crackers in my office, and I happen to know there’s a litter of puppies about twenty feet from here who are absolutely ruining everyone’s productivity today.”
Juni’s head came up off Maren’s chest. “Puppies?”
“Puppies,” Jodie confirmed with a solemn nod. “They’re very soft, and they smell like heaven, and I’ve had to go see them three times already today and I still haven’t gotten any work done.”
Maren looked at Kyle. Kyle nodded.
“Go,” he said. “Take your time.”
Maren stood carefully, Juni on her hip, Snoopy and the remnants of the teddy bear and the fairy doll clutched againsther shoulder. She let Jodie steer her out with a hand at the small of her back. Camo got up from where he’d planted himself at Juni’s feet and followed them without looking back.
The door clicked shut.
Nobody spoke for a second.
Kyle blew out a breath. “I need to give Jodie a raise,” he muttered. “I’m not paying her nearly enough for her psychic powers.”
“You’re not,” Gina said mildly. “She’s underpaid by a lot.”
“Affirmative.”
Then Charlie cleared her throat. “Kyle. I’m doing this. I was on that boat?—”
“I know where you were?—”
“—and I got six guys out and I didn’t get out the seventh, and the seventh was that little girl’s father and my best friend and I amgoing to do this?—”
“The hellyouare,” Shane started in again. “We’redoing this.”
Kyle shook his head. “Neither of you?—”
“Igrew up with him—” Shane shouted.
“Shane.” Arden said quietly beside Kyle. “Shane. Hey. Look at me.”
Shane shook his head once and deliberately kept his gaze off hers.
Kyle’s jaw locked. He could feel every wrong thing he was about to say lined up and waiting.
She’s my wife’s niece. She’s Sean’s daughter. I just watched her put her hand on Camo’s head and I watched Camo come home. She brought my dog home in his head. She’s my responsibility. Mine.
