Tessa Quinn didn’t fold. She didn’t panic.
She’d stood in his cabin during a blizzard and told him the truth without flinching.
She liked him.
And for one night, he’d let himself believe it.
He replayed the argument. The kiss that ended it. The agreement—find Sara first. Then figure out what they were.
Then she was gone.
She was trained. Tough.
But she wasn’t untouchable.
The anger settled lower in his chest. He let it.
He hadn’t slept. Hadn’t eaten. He was running on that anger and the image of her not coming back.
He couldn’t lose her.
Not after she’d finally let herself want something.
“Scout,” Burke said. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t convincing. He didn’t care.
They turned onto Keller’s cul-de-sac.
Car in the driveway. Movement behind the front window.
Scout slowed to the curb.
One breath.
Then another.
When he opened the door, he already knew?—
If Keller was involved, he wasn’t walking out unchanged.
Not if Scout had anything to say about it.
51
Deputy Scout Wilson — Keller Residence
Scout parked at the curb, engine idling while snow dusted the street. A tucked-away cul-de-sac. A tricycle tipped over in the yard.
Burke gathered the paperwork. “Let’s keep this tight. Professional. No disruptions around the child.”
Scout nodded as Denton’s SUV rolled up behind them.
Before they reached the porch, the front door opened.
Jonathan Keller filled the doorway, pale, sweat beading along his hairline. “My lawyer isn’t here yet.”
