Chapter 45

45

The gentle High Sierra sun filtered through the curtains the next morning, coaxing Alex from her fitful slumber. She blinked groggily at the bedside clock: 9:03 a.m. Normally, she’d have been up hours ago, but they hadn’t even touched down in Redemption Creek until after three a.m.

With a groan, she dragged herself out of bed, her muscles protesting every movement. The few hours of sleep had done little to ease the bone-deep exhaustion. Her malaise was more mental than physical, but that didn’t make it any less real.

The smell of coffee beckoned her out to the great room. Both teams were already gathered, looking as worn and shell-shocked as she felt.

Jason nursed a steaming mug at the kitchen island, his usual sharp gaze dulled by fatigue. Tai sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed in what appeared to be meditation, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed his calm exterior.

Liv and Mac sat across from each other on one of the couches, looking calm as usual, if maybe a touch more subdued.

Alex’s gaze lingered on Gravy, slumped in an armchair. His usual carefree demeanor was replaced by a haunted look, his eyes fixed on some distant point only he could see.

Gabriel stood by the window, staring out at the sunbaked landscape. The morning light cast shadows across his face, accentuating the new lines of worry etched there.

“Gabe,” Alex said softly, approaching him. “I’m proud of you. The way you handled things last night ... you were incredible.”

Her cousin turned, offering a wan smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thanks.” There was a numbness to his expression that Alex recognized all too well.

She understood his state of mind perfectly. The violence they’d witnessed was a far cry from the losses they’d experienced before. Losing their parents had been traumatic, but watching a man die—being an active participant in such intense conflict—that was a different kind of trauma altogether, one she’d had to handle during her time in the CIA. But Gabe had never faced it before.

Beside her, Gravy whistled low. “Home sweet heavily fortified home.”

Alex couldn’t help but smile, even as her stomach tightened with anticipation of the debriefing to come. Relief at being back warred with the weight of what they’d uncovered.

Bridger strode towards them, his usual stoic demeanor tinged with an undercurrent of excitement. “Welcome back. Glad to see you all in one piece.”

“Mostly,” Cody quipped, rubbing his bruised jaw.

Bridger’s lips twitched. “I feel you. Jane’s C-section is scheduled for tomorrow. Looks like I’ll be trading one kind of sleep deprivation for another.”

Alex felt a pang in her chest. New life. New beginnings. While they grappled with the darkness they’d uncovered, the juxtaposition was almost poetic.

The sound of footsteps drew her attention to the doorway. A slender, silver-haired woman entered the room, her presence immediately commanding attention. Despite her age, which Alex estimated to be in her late sixties or early seventies, the woman moved with the grace and poise of someone much younger. Her slim-fitting tech tee and cargo pants and perfectly coiffed hair spoke of meticulous attention to detail.

Alex found herself instinctively standing straighter as the woman studied the room. There was an aura of quiet authority about her that was impossible to ignore.

Bridger stepped forward, a hint of respect in his voice as he addressed the group. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Pegasus. She’s here to assist with the debriefing and help coordinate our next steps.”

The woman—Pegasus—nodded in acknowledgment. Her gaze settled on Alex, and a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Ms. Mendoza. I’ve heard a great deal about you. I look forward to hearing your report.”

“Likewise, ma’am,” Alex replied, a mix of respect and wariness coloring her tone. According to the Redemption Creek team, the woman was a legend in their world. Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that the evil cabal’s fate now rested in her elegant, manicured hands.

As Pegasus glided farther into the room to greet the others, Alex caught Bridger’s eye. He gave her a subtle nod, as if to say, “Yes, she’s as formidable as you think.” Alex squared her shoulders, steeling herself for what promised to be an intense debriefing.

While Pegasus conferred in the kitchen with Bridger and Tai, Gabe stretched, his joints popping audibly. “As impressive as this place is, I can’t wait to get back to LA. It’s too quiet out here. I miss the city buzz.”

Liv nodded emphatically. “Agreed. And where am I supposed to find a decent Krav Maga dojo out here in the boonies?”

Alex blinked, momentarily thrown. “Krav Maga? Since when?”

Liv shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye. “A girl’s gotta have hobbies.”

Mac, however, seemed lost in thought. “I don’t know. I could see myself out here. Maybe get a ranch. Some cows ...”

Gabe snorted. “You? Mr. Tech-Wizard with pet cows? I’d pay to see that.”

Their banter faded as Bridger and Pegasus came back into the dining area, taking the spots at the head of the table.

“Captain North has given me the broad strokes of your encounter with Seven-Five,” the woman said. “I’d like to debrief you all individually at some point, but first I think we need to turn our attention to figuring out how to stomp these people out. Thanks to Ms. Mendoza’s quick thinking, we’ve got new leverage. I think we should all hear it. Then I’d like your takes on the matter of how to proceed.”

The conversation shifted, words like “extraction” and “reintegration” floating through the air. Alex listened as Pegasus outlined plans to fly Alex and her team back to LA, her heart performing an odd little dance of relief and regret.

Conversation dimmed as Bridger played the tape of Munsinger’s confession.

“This is just the break the good guys have been waiting for,” Pegasus announced once it finished. “Now that we’re aware of just how deep Seven-Five may have infiltrated Western espionage services, the process of rooting them out can begin.” She trained her piercing gaze on Alex. “But progress will be slow. Especially at first. We’ll need your team to maintain a low profile for the time being.”

Alex nodded, her mind already racing ahead. Back to LA, back to normalcy—or whatever passed for it in their line of work. But leaving Jason ...

As the meeting wound down, Alex found her gaze drawn to him. The set of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes—everything about him called to her. But the complications loomed large, too. Their careers. The changeable nature of their work: here one minute, in Tahiti the next. It all added up to the sheer impossibility of either of them being able to maintain a normal relationship.

Whatever that was.

Lost in her own thoughts, she barely noticed the others filing out. It wasn’t until Jason touched her elbow that she realized they were alone.

“It’s been a rough couple days,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.

“Feels more like months.”

He tipped his head to the side. “You mean that in a good way, right?”

“Mostly.” She couldn’t lie. “Remember when we first met? I wanted to knock your head off.”

“And I thought you were the most arrogant, willful woman …”

“Me? Arrogant?” She gasped in mock offense. “Okay, maybe a little.”

They shared a moment of laughter, the tension easing slightly.

“We make a pretty good team, though,” Jason insisted.

Her heart thudded against her ribs. “Yeah, we do.”

She waited, hoping he might say something more, suggest a coffee, a date, anything. But he remained silent, his expression unreadable.

When they first met, she’d seen only the hard edges—the stubborn set of his jaw, the stern furrow of his brow, the rigid posture of a career soldier. Now, she noticed so much more.

His eyes, a warm hazel that could flash with intensity or soften with concern. The laugh lines at their corners, hinting at a sense of humor he kept carefully tucked away. His hands, strong and capable, yet gentle when tending to an injured teammate. Even his stance had changed in her eyes—no longer just rigid discipline, but a quiet strength that made her feel inexplicably safe.

She wondered about the small scar above his left eyebrow, sure there was a story there. Then she studied his face, drawn by the way his five o’clock shadow accentuated his strong jawline and the slight quirk of his lips when he was amused but trying not to show it.

It wasn’t just his physical appearance. She’d seen his leadership, his unwavering loyalty to his team, his quick thinking under pressure. The glimpses of vulnerability he’d allowed her to see had touched something deep within her.

As the silence stretched on, she realized with a pang that she wanted to know more. To uncover every layer of Jason Reilly.

But he remained silent, his expression giving nothing away. The moment slipped away like sand through her fingers.

“Well,” Alex said finally, her voice unnaturally bright. “I should go pack. Kate says we can take off in an hour or so.”

Jason nodded, taking a step back. “Right. Of course.”

They walked to the door together, their steps slightly out of sync. At the threshold, they paused, facing each other awkwardly.

“So ...” Alex began, trailing off.

“Take care of yourself, Mendoza,” Jason said, his voice gruff.

Alex swallowed hard, forcing a smile. “You too, Army.”

He walked away.

Jason clearly wasn’t ready or willing to even discuss the possibility of more. But then again, was she? Their lives were complicated enough without adding a long-distance relationship to the mix.

Maybe it was for the best to put a few hundred miles between them. Give them both some space to figure things out. But as she rounded the corner of the hallway, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking away from her future.