Chapter 20

In. Out. In. Out.

Avery stood in the middle of Bridger’s opulent living room, trying to smother the wildfire raging in her chest. She took a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of leather and wood polish that permeated the room. Felt how the soft fabric of her t-shirt brushed against her skin, causing a whisper-light sensation that grounded her in the moment.

But even as she tried to anchor herself, her mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

She clenched her fists, feeling the bite of her nails against her skin. The pain was sharp and immediate, a welcome distraction from the rising tide of panic that threatened to overtake her.

Across the room, Mason and Paul were arguing in hushed tones, their voices rising and falling like the tide, but she barely registered their words. They sounded far away, as if they were speaking from the bottom of a well.

Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the gleaming hardwood floors and the tasteful artwork that adorned the walls. She tried to focus on the details, the way the light glinted off the polished surface of the grand piano in the corner, the intricate pattern of the Oriental rug beneath her feet.

But even as she tried to ground herself in the physical world, her thoughts kept circling back to the same terrible truth. Her career, her very freedom, hung in the balance. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Ryan had accessed traffic cam footage of her sitting in a car while Mason committed a felony.

She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. “Maybe Paige made a mistake,” she said, her voice sounding small and uncertain even to her own ears. “Maybe the request was related to something else. I haven’t been to work in two weeks. I have no idea what new active cases may have come along.”

Mason and Paul exchanged a glance, their expressions skeptical. Yeah. She felt it, too. She was grasping at straws.

Before she could voice her thoughts, her phone exploded with a flurry of texts and calls. She fumbled for the device.

“It’s Ryan,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I should answer.”

Mason held up a hand, his expression serious. “Read the texts first,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Best to have as much info as you can before you talk to the guy.”

Avery nodded, her fingers shaking slightly as she opened the messages. Short sentences bracketed by capitals and emojis. One from her friend, Alise, and several from other fellow agents all wanting to know what was going on. The final one was from Ryan. There were no tiny, superfluous faces. No exclamation points or caps. Just a chilling order.

Call me. Now.

The phone shook in her hand. Ryan knew. He’d guessed about her rogue investigation, and he was not happy.

Taking a deep breath, she hit the call button, her hands trembling so badly she nearly dropped the phone.

Ryan answered on the first ring. “What were you thinking? Avery, you crossed a line this time. Big time. You’ve broken rules before, but this has gone beyond what I can protect you from. What I want to protect you from.”

Avery’s head snapped back. Her cheeks burned as if she’d been slapped. She’d always known that her tendency to push the boundaries could get her into trouble, but she’d never imagined it would come to this.

“I can explain—” she began, but he cut her off.

“I don’t want to hear it. If I get any inkling that you’re still working this case, you’re fired. And even if you drop it now, you need to prepare for the possibility of getting fired anyway. You have no idea what you’re messing with here. This is way above your pay grade. Stop. Now.”

With that, he hung up, leaving Avery staring at the phone in stunned silence.

Mason touched her arm gently, his expression sympathetic. “How do you want to handle this? We can walk away, no problem. We have contacts. I’ll make sure this doesn’t bite you in the rear.”

Paul nodded in agreement, his usually mischievous face uncharacteristically serious. “So what if I have to create a new life?” he said with a shrug. “The one I have now isn’t that outstanding anyway.”

Avery was touched by the brothers’ generosity, but she knew she couldn’t accept it. “I can’t quit,” she said, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. “Unless I finish this, I’m going to have to resign from the Bureau. There’s no certainty that I’ll be safe even if I do walk away from the case.”

Paul frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why can’t you drop it?”

But Mason understood. He always did. “Someone tipped Avery’s supervisor off about our little delivery van stunt,” he said, his voice grim. “No way the guy would have randomly checked into traffic cam footage.”

Paul’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “Wait, you think Avery’s boss is in on this?”

The world around her slowed to a crawl, sounds becoming muffled as if she were underwater, her mind struggling to process the revelation. She didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t bear the thought that someone she trusted could be involved in something so corrupt.

“Rumor and innuendo helped sink my father’s career just as much as his own rogue behavior did. I’m not going to do that to someone else. Ryan, and my fellow agents, will remain innocent until proven guilty. I’m adamant about that.”

Mason nodded reluctantly. “I’m willing not to jump to conclusions,” he said, his voice measured. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna be guarding that cliff.”

Avery felt a rush of gratitude for his understanding, for the way he seemed to know exactly what she needed.

Was Ryan on the take?

Her whole body trembled. She couldn’t imagine him selling out. Not her old friend. Ryan was always a straight arrow. Kind and smart and dedicated.

Ambitious. But not ruthless or unethical.

She pressed her palms to her temples and closed her eyes, trying to slow down her whirling thoughts. Not Ryan. No way.

That would blow apart her whole world.

When she opened her eyes again, Mason was watching her closely, his gaze dark with concern. “We need my team here, not consulting over stupid screens.”

Avery hesitated. “I can’t ask your team to take that risk. It’s bad enough I’ve involved you and Paul. I could get fired, likely will, but you all could get arrested.”

Mason just smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Besides, federal prison? Please. We’ve been threatened with worse.”

He caught her gaze, his expression strong and steady and confident. “This is what we do. It’s literally what we do. And not to brag, but we’re pretty great at it.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Despite their unorthodox meeting, Mason’s steady presence had been a gift from her Savior, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, she was never alone.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “How could this possibly get worse?”

Mason grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’ll contact Bridger,” he said, already reaching for his phone. “The team will touch down in Seattle inside of three hours.”

As he dialed the number, Avery sent up a silent prayer, asking for guidance and strength. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew one thing for certain— with Mason by her side, she could face anything. Even the possibility of losing everything.