Chapter 50

The next morningdawned bright and sunny, the kind of jewel-bright autumn day Seattleites treasured. Avery stood in Bridger’s kitchen, her fingers absently shredding a bagel as she watched the team file in, one by one. The sun was barely up, but she’d been awake for hours, her mind churning with thoughts of Mason and the future that she knew could never be.

She told herself it was just the excess adrenaline, the lingering effects of the previous day’s chaos and danger. But deep down, she knew the truth. She dreaded the moment when Mason would walk out of her life, taking with him all the fantasies she’d been spinning in her head.

Because that’s all they were. Fantasies. She wasn’t built for relationships, and from what she could tell, neither was he.

The team looked refreshed, well-rested after a night’s sleep. All except for Mason, who looked like he’d been wrestling with a tractor. His longish, gold-streaked hair was rumpled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Avery felt a pang of sympathy, but she pushed it down, focusing instead on the events of the previous day. They’d been at the crime scene for hours, well into the evening, as local law enforcement called in the Bureau.

Javier had been caught speeding away from the scene. He wasn’t even cuffed before he admitted everything, how Ryan had been his mentor for years. “The Ghost,” Javier called him.

A fitting nickname for sure.

Avery had been prepared to be fired on the spot, had even welcomed it in a way. But to her surprise, the district supervisor had commended her for her tenacity, praising her for decimating a counterfeit drug ring, unmasking a rogue agent, and tying him to a string of murders.

“I can’t believe Goshiro was able to maintain his ties to his old gang for all these years.” Supervisor Kantor shook her head. “That’s gonna be one big, black eye for the Bureau.” She winced like she had a terrible case of heartburn.

“After your vacation time is over, I want to see you in my office,” Kantor had told her. “We have a lot to discuss about your future in the Bureau. All of it good.”

But now, as Avery watched Mason avoid her gaze, she felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

She turned her attention to Paul, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his face alight with excitement.

“I decided I’m gonna go back to school, finish my business degree,” he announced, his voice ringing with pride. “Can’t run my own shop without it.”

Mason’s face softened, his eyes shining with pride as he clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Outstanding.”

Paul blinked, his lips parted as if surprised at Mason’s wholehearted approval.

“Copy that,” Tai added.

Graham grunted. “Smart move, kid.”

Paul shrugged his thin shoulders, ducking his head.

Kate cleared her throat, her eyes darting between Mason and Avery. “I hate to shut this party down, but we have a lot to do for Kellen’s party tomorrow. I’d like to be wheels up ASAP.”

Mason’s eyes widened, and he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Right, the adoption ceremony,” he said, his voice filled with chagrin. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.”

He turned to Paul, his face serious. “You should come with us.”

Paul hesitated, his eyes darting around the room as if he was looking for an escape route. “Nah, that’s okay,” he mumbled, his voice barely audible.

But Mason shook his head, his eyes blazing with conviction. “You’re family. We want you there.”

The rest of the team nodded, their faces warm with acceptance and love.

“He’s right, Paul,” Tai said, his voice gruff with emotion. “You’re stuck with us now. Sorry, not sorry.”

Paul cleared his throat, clearly unable to speak.

Avery wasn’t sure she could say anything either, without bursting into tears. So much healing had come from such a horrible situation.

Mason turned to her then, his eyes searching her face with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat. The team, sensing the shift in the room, quietly slipped out, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

Avery braced herself, preparing for the terse goodbye that she knew was coming.

Don’t cry. Do not cry.

Mason took her hand, his eyes nervous and uncertain. He seemed to be stalling, his free hand fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he searched for the right words to let her down gently.

“Wait a sec,” he said finally, his voice rough with emotion. “I have something for you.”

He disappeared from the room, leaving Avery alone with her bleak thoughts and the pounding of her heart. When he returned, he was carrying the landscape painting he’d bought at the auction, the one she’d admired so openly.

“For you,” he said, his voice soft and tentative as he held it out to her.

Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she took the painting from him, her fingers trembling slightly. “Mason, I … I don’t know what to say. This is too much. You don’t have this kind of money …”

A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I do, actually. There’s a lot about my background that I wish I could tell you, but …”

“But you’d have to kill me.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Something like that.”

But then his smile faded, his eyes growing serious as he looked at her, his gaze filled with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat.

“Avery, I …” He ran a hand through his hair. “Boy, this is hard.”

“Just say what you need to say,” Avery encouraged him.

“You still up for that vacation?” he asked, not quite meeting her eyes. “We’ve got an extra seat on the Pilatus. By my calculations, you’ve got another week of vacay. Come with us.”

She hardly dared to breathe. Did she have the courage to dive into water this deep, to take a chance on a future that was so uncertain?

She wasn’t sure, but before she could figure out a way to answer him, Mason set the painting aside and took her hand, his fingers caressing the sensitive skin in a way that made her skin tingle and her breath catch in her throat.

But still, she couldn’t bring herself to take the leap.

Mason seemed to sense her hesitation, his eyes filling with disappointment even as he tried to hide it behind a brave smile. “Too soon. I totally get that. You know where to find me.”

And then he turned away.

She froze, watching him collect his bags, open the front door, and jog down the wide front stairs, heading for the car that would take him back to Redemption Creek and the life he’d built there.

She closed her eyes, sending up a silent prayer for illumination, for the courage to take the leap and join the future that Mason had offered her.

And then, before she even realized what she was doing, she was racing after him.

“Wait!” she shouted, her voice ringing out across the driveway.

Mason turned, his eyes wide with surprise and hope.

“I’m still technically on vacation, and I know exactly how I want to spend it.” She launched herself toward him.

He dropped his bags and caught her in his arms, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around in a dizzying circle. “Outstanding.”

Avery laughed, her heart soaring with happiness as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight. The feel of him, strong and steady against her, washed away the ugliness of Ryan’s heinous betrayal and filled her with hope for a bright, shining future.

Together.