“Pretty much,” Noah said quietly.
Avery rubbed her temples. “Then we don’t know who’s pulling the strings.”
Noah looked at her. “Not yet. But we will.”
His voice was steady, certain. But Avery couldn’t shake the dread curling in her gut. Whoever was behind this wasn’t just pulling strings. They were cutting them, one by one.
Noah ran a hand over the back of his neck, the lines around his eyes deepening. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner about Charlotte being a mole,” he said. “It was part of her agreement with Sheriff Chase and me. She made it clear that if anyone else found out, she’d walk away.”
Avery nodded, though her chest felt tight. She understood why Noah had kept it quiet, but it still stung.
Before she could say anything, Noah’s phone buzzed. He looked down, his face tightening as he read the message. “Damn it,” he muttered.
Jackson straightened. “What now?”
“Cal just texted,” Noah said. “He and Garrett spotted two suspicious men trying to come through the hospital’s back exit. Cal could tell they were carrying concealed.”
Avery’s pulse kicked up. “What happened?”
“They took off the second Cal and Garrett saw them,” Noah explained. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, his voice going hard. “Maybe they were just casing the place. Or maybe the Brotherhood sent them to finish the job.”
Avery didn’t need him to explain. Mick was inside the hospital under guard, but that didn’t mean he was safe.
Neither were they.
Noah’s gaze settled on her, steady and firm. “Avery, Jackson,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I want you two back at the compound. Headquarters…or better yet, Jackson’s safehouse where you can get some rest.”
Avery opened her mouth to protest, but Noah raised a hand. “That’s not a request. Cal and Garrett can handle things here. You’ve both been running on fumes, and I need you sharp when the next move comes. Added to that, you’re on medical leave,” he reminded Jackson. “I didn’t stop you from going to the op today, but I sure as hell should have. With you not being a hundred percent, I could have gotten you killed.”
“I had to go on that op,” Jackson insisted.
“Yeah, I know,” Noah verified, “and that’s why you went. But that doesn’t mean it was the smart thing to do. Now, go home. Rest. And for God’s sake, take something for the pain. I can see it etched all over your face.”
Avery could see it, too, and she silently cursed herself for Jackson being pushed to the limits of his injured body. Still, she couldn’t have stopped him from going on that op. No one could have.
Jackson nodded, though Avery could tell he wasn’t thrilled about leaving either.
“You think the kidnappers will reach out again soon?” Avery asked.
Noah’s expression darkened. “Yeah. I do. They’ve been too quiet. It won’t stay that way for long.”
Avery looked toward the hospital hallway where officers stood guard. “What about Mick?”
“I’ll keep security on him,” Noah said. “If the Brotherhood wants him dead, they’ll have to go through me first.”
Avery exchanged a look with Jackson, and he gave her a small nod. She knew what that meant. For now, they’d followorders. But neither of them was planning on standing down for long.
Noah’s voice softened a fraction. “Go get some rest. I have a feeling the next time the kidnappers call, it’s going to be bad.”
Avery swallowed hard and followed Jackson toward the door. She could feel it, too. Something coming, close and dark. And whatever it was, it would hit before they were ready.
She hesitated when Noah repeated the order for them to leave. Every instinct told her to stay, to try to talk to Mick again while they still could. He might hold the one piece of information that could lead them to the hostages. Or to whoever had killed Charlotte.
But she couldn’t ignore the other possibility. If the Brotherhood had sent gunmen here, they weren’t just after Mick. They were after her too. And if a firefight broke out inside the hospital, innocent people could die.
She swallowed that thought and followed Jackson and Isla out to the van. The air was cooler now and damp, carrying the faint scent of rain-soaked asphalt. Isla slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, guiding them out of the parking lot and toward headquarters.
No one spoke for a few minutes. The tires hummed against the road, and the hospital faded behind them. Avery stared out the window, her reflection pale in the glass.
