“She doesn’t deserve to lead the US in any way.”
“Does that mean there’s not enough evidence to charge her with a crime?”
“I’m leaving that to the DA. Once her reputation and credibility are trashed, she won’t have any use for Bella. That’s all that matters to me.”
“You’ll get custody back in the US?” she asked.
“No doubt.”
“And the other team? The one in Turks and Caicos?”
“Seaver. Roman contacted someone named Bliss in the States who confirmed that Seaver grew impatient with your team, so she hired a second.”
Everly nodded. Her job here was done. Not the job she’d been sent to do, which would leave her twisting in the wind, but in her heart of hearts, she knew she’d done right by Austin and Bella. She knew that even without the security of her team or her job, she’d sleep well at night. Eventually. Once she came to terms with losing Austin. And not sleeping well at night had been the reason she’d left the military version of the Manhunters to begin with. The intensity of tier-one operations cut operators’ careers to half of that of most other military soldiers. She’d been ready to cash out after a decade of intensely dangerous missions that demanded a soldier be more robot than human.
“Someone on your team also hacked into Seaver’s father’s computer,” Austin continued, “and found a ton of child porn.”
Her stomach flipped, and her lungs emptied. “They did?”
He nodded. “They’re working on getting a valid reason for a search warrant, but now that I know Bella will be with me, there’s no crushing time limitation. Authorities will get him—eventually.”
“Thank God.” She looked down at the sand and dug in with her toes. “I’m sorry it worked out like this. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I never meant—”
Austin made an aggressive move toward her. Everly didn’t startle when he gripped the back of her neck. On some level, she’d been expecting this reaction.
“What about me?” he demanded. “About us? Was any of that real?”
She pressed her hands to his chest and met his gaze. “All of that was real.”
He didn’t respond, just searched her eyes, skeptical.
“You have every right to be angry,” she said.
“You’re damn right I do,” he bit back.
Then he kissed her, hard and passionate, the way he’d first kissed her. His beard was rough against her skin, but when his tongue found hers, all Everly’s barriers melted.
He pulled back, quick and fierce. “That’s the third time you scared the hell out of me.”
“I know.”
“Don’t do it again.”
She searched his eyes. “You make it sound like I’ll have the opportunity.”
His grip on her neck gentled, but emotion still etched his features. “You used me, Everly. I shouldn’t give you one.”
“You shouldn’t.”
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. His fingers flexed and tensed restlessly around the back of her neck. “What were you trying to say right before I left with Decker that day?”
Everly’s mind darted directly back to the words she’d left unsaid in that moment. Words she’d been wishing she’d said for days. She exhaled and curled her fingers into his shirt.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“I wanted to tell you that I cared. So that everything coming after wouldn’t hurt quite so much.”
“But you didn’t.”