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“She’s fine. Got some good news. Simon called on my way over. Aiden, Evie, and the kids returned to San Diego. You’ve got their house.”

I felt a huge sense of relief. “That’s really great of them.”

“Yeah. That’s just how they roll.”

“If you talk to them, tell them I appreciate it.”

“Will do.” I pulled out of the parking lot, taking a route that avoided main streets. We were all thinking tactically now, assuming surveillance and planning accordingly.

“Hell of a thing last night,” Roan said after a few minutes of silence.

“Bastard's smarter than we gave him credit for.”

“Maybe. Or maybe he's getting desperate, taking bigger risks.” He glanced over at me. “How's Joy handling it?”

“Better than I am, probably. She's tough as hell.”

“And you're beating yourself up for not predicting it.”

The observation hit too close to home. I stared out the window at the passing storefronts, trying to organize thoughts that were all over the place.

“It was a smart move. Use law enforcement against us. Turn the cops into his weapon.”

“Graham.” Roan's voice carried the authority of someone who'd been in impossible situations. “You can't anticipate every possible attack. This psycho's proven he's willing to escalate beyond normal stalker behavior.”

“I should have seen it coming.”

“Why? Because you're a wizard? Because Navy SEALs have crystal balls hidden in their gear bags? Only Marine Raiders have crystal balls.”

I barked out a laugh. “Asshole. SEALs eat Raiders for breakfast.”

I stopped at a red light, and Roan turned to face me fully. “You know what I see when I look at what happened last night?”

“What?”

“A stalker who's running out of options. Think about it. He tried flowers, notes, vandalism, phone calls. None of it worked. So, he played his biggest card, brought in the cavalry. And what happened?”

I considered his words. “We adapted. Moved locations.”

“Exactly. He threw everything he had at you, and you're still standing. Joy's still safe. He's the one who's desperate now.”

The light turned green. I accelerated through the intersection. His words hung in the air between us.

“You know as well as I do, he’s not done escalating,” I said.

“Of course not. But I think he's running out of moves that don't expose him. The SWATting was smart, but he can't pull that trick twice.”

We pulled into the parking lot of Thatcher’s Automotive.

“Graham.” Roan killed the engine and turned to face me. “You've got good instincts. Trust them. But don't let fear make you second-guess every decision.”

“What if my instincts are wrong? What if I miss something and he gets to her? What if it turns out to be Africa all over again?”

“Goddammit, Graham. You need to put that mission into perspective. How many of us in leadership positions have gotten bad intel? I’m thinking every single one of us. The thing you need to focus on is you got Kent out of there alive. Simon shared the reports with me, there was no way that should have happened. You both should have died.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean, you’ve read the reports?” I demanded to know.

“You know him. He’s snoopy. Can’t keep his nose out of anything. Hell, if you put your mind to it, and pressed some of your contacts, chances are you could find out a shit ton of things about Simon, or me for that matter. But who gives a fuck? What matters is you need to finally pull your head out of your ass about the men who died on that mission and focus on what you accomplished. It’s that same grit that you’re going to use to keep Joy alive. I believe in you.” He reached over and gripped my shoulder. “But you can't protect her if you're paralyzed by what-ifs.”