Page 56 of The Enforcer’s Pawn

Elena sees that as well. “Rest, eat, then decide how angry you want to be.”

“I usually multitask,” Cara says.

A faint softness reaches Elena’s mouth. “I noticed.”

She leaves, and the latch clicks into the silence.

Cara sits on the green settee with the blanket over her knees, pale but upright, her dark hair loosening around her face. The sweet tea steams beside her. The broth is untouched. Beyond the rounded window, snow covers the ground, and black trees stand behind the bars.

I stand near the mantel, far from her, because if I get close, I will touch her.

“You heard her,” I say. “Drink.”

Cara lifts the cup, takes one resentful sip, and replaces it on the table. “You turn every basic bodily function into a security protocol.”

“You fainted,” I point out.

“A tactical exit from consciousness.”

“You insulted Maksim first.”

She leans back against the pillows, and the blanket slides lower over her knees. “He needed feedback.”

“He could have killed you for less,” I say.

“And yet here I am, being force-fed tea by committee.”

Color has come back to her face. I’m glad to see it. I pull a chair closer, then stop before I sit beside her. Cara sees me stop.

“What?” she asks. “Afraid I’ll faint on you again and ruin your terrifying control?”

“You worked well.” I look at her hands first. “With Patrick’s archive.”

They’re steady again, the hands of someone who knows what to do with a locked system.

Her expression shifts. “Was that almost a compliment?”

“No.”

“Good.” She tugs the blanket higher, settling deeper into the settee. “I’d hate for the hostage program to get emotionally confusing.”

I look toward the door, then back at her. “You’ll be working beside me.”

Her smile dies. That means more than praise. It puts her inside the work, right at my side, where every man in this house can see her.

“Why?” she asks.

“Because Patrick’s files need you.”

“Patrick’s files.” Her fingers tighten around the blanket. “Patrick keeps coming at me from every side.”

“He came into my life before you did.”

Cara looks up.

I should stop. Elena would tell me to stop, and Maksim would tell me to stay with the facts. I get up from the chair and cross to the mantel. My palm presses against the stone for one second, then I turn back.

Cara says, “Say that again.”