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Chapter 51

51

Six hours later, Alex stumbled out of the police interrogation room. The harsh fluorescent lights of the corridor made her wince, a dull throb pulsing behind her eyes. The relentless questioning had left her wrung out.

Gabriel’s face, distorted in fury, flashed in her mind. Her stomach twisted. How had she missed the hatred simmering beneath his sweet facade all these years?

The betrayal hurt worse than the lingering effects of whatever drug he’d used on her.

She patted her empty pockets, reality sinking in. No purse. No phone. No way home. “Fantastic.”

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, two familiar figures rounded the corner.

“Alex!” Liv and Mac cried in unison, rushing forward to envelope her in a tangle of arms and worried exclamations.

Liv pulled back, her mascara smudged. “We were so worried!”

“Are you okay?” Mac studied her from head to toe.

Alex managed a weak smile, deeply thankful for their concern. “I’ve been better. Where’s Jason? Is he still being questioned?”

Liv’s eyes sparkled. “Oh honey, he’s waiting outside. Once Paige and Cody showed up and explained Jason’s background … or at least the fit-for-civilians version, the cops were falling over themselves to shake his hand.”

“Come on.” Mac linked his arm through hers. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The night air hit her like a slap to the face as they exited the station. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees since she’d been marched inside. Her eyes immediately found Jason, standing beneath a streetlight like some noir film hero. He was deep in conversation with his teammates, but the moment he spotted her, he left them and bounded up the stairs two at a time, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close before she could utter a word.

She melted into his embrace, inhaling his comforting scent of soap and pure, honest male.

He murmured against her hair. “You okay?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. As if by silent agreement, their friends faded into the shadows, leaving them alone in their little pool of light. She shivered.

The summer evening was cooler than usual. Or was she simply wiped out? Jason pushed her gently away, whipping off his jacket and settling it over her shoulders.

Nothing could have felt so good.

“Let’s get you somewhere warm,” he said, his voice a soothing rumble. “Are you hungry? Because I’m starving.”

The mundane question grounded her instantly, pulling her back from the edge of emotional freefall.

“I could eat,” she lied. Her stomach was so full of knots there was no room for food. But Jason wouldn’t eat if she didn’t. And the man had to be running on fumes.

They walked arm in arm down the street, the silence between them comfortable rather than oppressive for a change. The neon sign of a diner winked at them from the corner.

“The detectives said this is the place for burgers and pie,” Jason informed her as he held the door open.

The diner’s interior was a time capsule of 1950s Americana, populated by a handful of bleary-eyed swing shift workers. The aroma of coffee and grilled onions wafted through the air. Her stomach growled traitorously.

When the waitress appeared, notepad at the ready, Alex found herself struck mute. Even making this small decision seemed overwhelming.

Jason smoothly stepped in, ordering burgers and apple pie for both of them.

As they waited for their food, he turned serious. “About your house ... It’s not good. Totaled. Sorry.”

She fiddled with a sugar packet, surprised to find she wasn’t as devastated as she’d expected. “I’ve been wanting to upgrade the mainframe anyway,” she said, attempting a lighthearted tone.

His hand covered hers, stilling her fidgeting fingers. “Mendoza, I like your style.”

She layered her other hand atop his, savoring the contact. His touch was an anchor in the storm of her emotions. “Back atcha, Army.”

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the world faded away.

A bittersweet ache spread through her chest, knowing their time together was limited. But she pushed the thought aside, determined to live in this moment, surrounded by the comforting buzz of the diner and the warmth of Jason’s gaze.

The waitress slid their plates onto the table, the aroma of sizzling beef and crisp fries momentarily distracting her. She picked at her food, her appetite waning again as her mind circled back to Gabriel’s betrayal.

“I’m really batting a thousand when it comes to picking trustworthy men,” she said, her attempt at humor falling flat even to her own ears.

Jason’s eyes flickered to the scar on her forearm. “What’s the story there?”

She traced the raised line with her fingertip, other bitter memories flooding back. “Happened a long time ago. I trusted a fellow agent based on nothing but a set of gorgeous eyes and a warm smile. Bad move.”

Horrible move, actually. While she’d been wondering if the charming Moroccan agent liked her back, Karim had been waiting to kill her. She’d been lucky to walk away with just a knife wound.

To her surprise, Jason nodded, understanding etched in the lines of his face. “Been there. Done that.”

His admission settled something inside her, a small comfort in the midst of chaos. She took a deep breath, the aromas of coffee and hot fry grease grounding her in the present.

“So what about Gabe?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “He’s out there, somewhere. He’ll want to finish this.”

Jason’s eyes hardened, his jaw clenching. “He’s never gonna get the chance. Mac and Liv are already working with my team to hunt him down. He might be a tech genius, but you and Mac and Liv are the experts at disappearances. Between you three and Paige and Cody, there’s literally nowhere for him to hide.”

A fair point. Relief—and a healthy dose of grief—sloshed over her. The booth’s vinyl seat creaked as she shifted, trying to process her conflicting emotions. Coming to terms with her cousin’s betrayal would take time ... and lots of prayer.

She poked at her burger. “So, Army, how did you happen to show up in time to save the day?”

Jason squirmed in his seat. “Let’s just say, I’m an idiot.”

“A given. Go on.” She leaned back, crossing her arms.

He ran a hand through his hair. “You leaving Redemption Creek didn’t sit right. So I followed my gut. Came to find you. And, well ... here we are.”

“Here we are indeed.”

“I’ve never met a woman like you. You do funny things to me. In a good way,” he hurried to add. “I like being around you, Mendoza. I like it a lot.”

She bit back a grin, warmth blooming in her heart. “Go on.”

“Look, I know our lives are complicated. We’ve both got our own teams, our own missions. But I think we could make it work.”

“How?” Because she wasn’t so sure.

He paused as a waiter passed by their table. The clink of cutlery from nearby diners punctuated the silence. “Maybe we could start slow. You know, take it one step at a time.”

“What did you have in mind?”

A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “How about we go on a date? A real date. No mission briefing. No objectives. No bad guys. Just you and me.”

Alex leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “A date, huh? And where exactly would Army Boy take me on this hypothetical date?”

“I’ve got a few ideas. But I’d rather keep you guessing. What do you say, Mendoza? Willing to give it a shot?”

“Yes.”

He blinked, clearly surprised. “Yes?”

“Yes, we should see where this leads.”

He sat back, looking slightly dazed. “Okay.”

“All right.”

He forked up a huge bite of apple pie and chowed down. “This is amazing.”

“I prefer cherry.”

He grinned, forking up another bite. “Good to know.”

“What about Gravy?” Alex asked, suddenly remembering her ragtag client. “He doesn’t need to disappear now, right?”

Jason’s eyes sparkled. “Turns out, Gravy’s mom was a wealthy woman in her own right. The government will seize his father’s assets, but he’s going to be rich.”

“Which doesn’t mean he won’t need friends. And a purpose.”

“No worries there. It’s looking like Redemption Inc. has a new mascot.”

Alex smiled, genuinely happy for Gravy and the team. “He’s good for you. You could use more laughter in your life.”

“Fair enough.” He lifted a bite of pie. “But you’re what’s good for me, Mendoza. I just wasn’t smart enough to see it.”

He was good for her too, literally a heaven-sent blessing.

“‘Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,’” she quoted softly the words of 1 Corinthians 13:7.

“Amen,” he murmured, reaching across the table to take her hand.

In that moment, surrounded by the comforting sounds and smells of the diner, Alex realized that sometimes the greatest adventures begin not with a bang, but with a quiet promise and a slice of pie.

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