Page 61 of Nico

I frowned. "How?"

"Because we don't have enough to justify that kind of response yet."

I opened my mouth. "The truck..."

"Anything we can prove he did," Tony corrected.

I shut my mouth again.

"He hasn't threatened anyone directly. We don't have proof he tampered with the truck, and we don't have proof he's the one sending the gifts. Right now, he's a suspicious person who's been hanging around a private filming location."

"But he's been trying to get closer."

"Which is why security can remove him if he crosses the barricade. They can tell him he's not welcome and issue a trespass warning. If he starts making threats or actually harms someone, that's different. But until then, assigning an enforcer specifically to them would be difficult to justify."

My frown deepened. "So... no enforcer?"

Tony shook his head. "Not for this. Not yet."

He paused before adding, "Besides, what do you think Isaac would say if he heard you wanted an enforcer assigned to protect him?"

Tony was trying to make a joke. I knew that, but I couldn't find it in me to laugh. My mind was already racing, searching for another solution.

There had to be something else I could do, something that would make sure they were safe. Something that would make sure Isaac was safe.

My wolf prowled restlessly beneath my skin, almost frantic, as though it could somehow find a way out of the cage of my control.

Do something. Protect him.

It didn't care about gray areas or jurisdiction, nor did it care about what we could prove or whether we had enough evidence to convince anyone else. As far as it was concerned, someone wanted to hurt someone important to us, and that was all that mattered.

Tony’s hand wrapped gently around my wrist.

“Hey."

I looked down and realised my claws had slipped out. For a moment, I simply stared at them before forcing them back beneath my skin. It took more effort than it should have.

Tony sighed. "Look. You've been doing an excellent job so far. You're good at this, Nico. You're thorough, you notice things other people miss, and you actually care about the people you're working with." His expression softened slightly. "Sometimes too much."

The compliment caught me off guard. He continued, "You know this has always been your problem. You get attached, you go above and beyond, and when something goes wrong, you take it personally."

"I don't..."

Tony raised an eyebrow, and I stopped myself. We'd had this conversation before, and I already knew how it was going to end.

"And that's one of the reasons Cooper was hesitant to give you a solo mission."

That stung more than I wanted it to. "So you're saying I shouldn't do anything?"

"No." Tony's answer came immediately. "I'm saying you need to be careful about what you do next."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "This is your first solo mission. People are watching, Nico. Cooper is watching. The other specialists are watching. If you handle this well, it'll show them that you can do this. I know you can."

His expression grew more serious. "But if you go too far now, people are going to focus on the wrong thing. They'll say you got too close to the case again, or that you're too emotionally involved."

I clenched my jaw. Tony wasn't telling me I was wrong. He was telling me not to give anyone a reason to doubt that I was ready for more responsibility, which somehow made it even more frustrating.

"Go to Cooper first," he said. "Tell him what you've found and give him the facts, including the parts you're not sure about."