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He grunted. “Wasn’t just me.”
“Still,” Jane pressed on, “I owe you.”
“Owe the team,” he corrected, still avoiding her gaze. “That’s what we do. We help each other.”
“Right,” Jane murmured, biting back a sigh. “The team.”
“Speaking of which,” Tai chimed in, “I think there’s a little celebration waiting for us back at headquarters. Let’s don’t keep them waiting.”
“Definitely not,” Paige grinned. “Fenn’ll eat all the cake.”
“Hope it’s chocolate,” Jane quipped, trying to ignore the ache in her heart.
“Only one way to find out,” Tai said, flashing a smile as he bumped Bridger with a beefy shoulder. “Let’s get this brick in the air, son.”
Disappointment leached the joy out of the moment. Despite the fact that Bridger and his team had saved her life and defeated the last of the bad guys, the flat ending was far from the Hollywood ending she expected.
“Great job, everyone.” The words tasted like dust in her mouth.
“Couldn’t have done it without you, Jane,” Tai answered, his grin a flash of white against the darkening sky.
That made her laugh. “Yeah, I had a hard job. Park myself on a couch and don’t cry.”
The big man sketched her a bow. “You did it magnificently, madam.” His grin faded. “Seriously. You are amazing.”
“Copy that,” Paige chimed in, rubbing dirt from her hands onto her jeans.
A soft breeze played with Jane’s hair as she stood next to Bridger, Tai, and Paige, watching the stars bloom.
“Feels like it’s been a lifetime since this whole thing started,” Jane remarked, her voice tinged with a mix of relief and regret.
“Time flies when you’re chasing bad guys,” Tai joked, his laughter breezy but forced. Bridger’s silence was sucking the life out of the moment.
“Taking it to the bad guys, you mean,” Paige corrected.
“Hang on,” Bridger interjected, pulling out his phone as it buzzed in his hand. “It’s Pegs.”
Jane crossed her fingers. “Please let it be good news.”
After greeting the woman, Bridger listened for a long time. Finally, he flashed a grin. “Nice,” he said to the woman on the other end. “You made my day. You’ve got a standing invitation at our new place. Anytime.” Still grinning, he hung up.
“Tanaka and Marks arrested Romero the minute the ambulance arrived at the local hospital. Turns out they’d already located Bronski and his crew. One of them already agreed to rat out his partners. They’ll all go down for embezzlement, and kidnapping.”
“What about Pete’s murder?” Jane interjected.
“And Pete’s murder,” he added. For the first time, since he landed, he met Jane’s eyes. “You’re completely in the clear.”
Jane exhaled, her shoulders dropping in relief. “What happens now?”
Bridger shrugged. “The wheels of justice will grind on. Just know no one will be coming after you.”
“Any loose ends we should worry about?” Tai asked, his posture tense and alert.
“Nothing left to chase,” Bridger confirmed, his eyes locked on the phone screen. “Let’s get Jane home.”
“Right,” Jane whispered, steeling herself for the long ride back.
Get her home. Not the team. Not the family…
