Page 66 of Lethal Illusion

“Yeah, hold on a sec.”Navarre jotted down the parts he’d replaced and adjustments he’d made to the pistol.He’d finish the rest of the work this afternoon, and test-fire the weapon the next time he went to the range.He glanced up to find Jackson giving him an odd look.“What?”

Jackson closed the armory door behind him, a sign that whatever he wanted to discuss was serious.“Talk to me, man.You ain’t been right ever since we left that motel.”

Leave it to Jackson to cut to the heart of the matter.

Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean he had to be honest about it.This wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss, not even with his closest friend.“I’m fine, just a little tired.”

Jackson slowly shook his head.“Seriously, that’s how you want to play it?Come on, it’s me, man.Cut the shit.”

Navarre straightened.He didn’t want to have this conversation, but considering how stubborn Jackson could be, he didn’t see an easy way out of it.At least they were in a secure room where no one could overhear them.“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“How about we start with the truth?”Jackson’s eyes bored into his.“What’s going on with you and Sloane?”

Chapter 21

Navarre’swholebodytensed.“Last time I checked, she was going to be fine—”

“That’s not what I’m asking, and you know it.”Jackson rubbed a hand along the side of his neck.“I’m not blind.You know better than that.”

Struggling for normal, Navarre slapped on his best poker face, determined not to have this discussion at work.Or after work.Probably never.Yeah, never worked best for him.“You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?”A low chuckle rumbled from Jackson’s chest.“Dude, it’s me, so let’s be real.I saw how you looked at her in that motel room.I also saw those rumpled sheets, and your boxer briefs on the floor.”

It was times like these when it really sucked to have observant friends.

“She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out,” his friend continued.“There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to her.There’s also nothing wrong with acting on that attraction.”

He considered denying it, but what was the point?He and Jackson had been friends for so long, they could practically finish each other’s sentences.He was best man at Jackson’s wedding.They’d lived, fought, bled, and damn near died together more times than he could count.Most important, he was the closest thing Navarre had to family, and family didn’t bullshit each other.“She’s a coworker.That makes it all kinds of wrong.”

Jackson scoffed.“You’re consenting adults who work in separate units.Neither of you have authority over the other.I don’t see how that could pose any kind of conflict.As long as you act like professionals and don’t let your relationship interfere with your jobs, you’ll be fine.”

If only it were that easy.“That’s all well and good, but what happens if things fall apart and we still have to work under the same roof?”

Jackson simply stared at him for a good five seconds.“You’re worried about the potential fallout from the end of a hypothetical relationship?”

“You know me.I always plan for the worst so I’m never disappointed.”The practice had served him well for more than a decade, and he had no intention of stopping now.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to take a leap of faith and see where it leads you,” his friend insisted.

“I’ve tried that before.Didn’t like the results.Don’t plan on doing it again.”Granted, those leaps of faith hadn’t been romantic in nature, but a similar risk level applied.

Jackson’s shoulders rose and fell with his deep intake and release of breath.“You could be missing out on something spectacular.”

“Or I could be dodging a bullet.”

“So now it’s Schrodinger’s relationship?”Jackson chuckled.

“It’s not funny.”An edge crept into Navarre’s voice, and he caught himself before he lost his temper.Lips pressed into a grim line, he searched for a way to make it make sense to somebody looking in from the outside.“Look, I love you like a brother.I’d lay down my life for you without a moment’s hesitation.But this place…everyone I work with—you, Austin, hell, even Wade…it’s like I have a family again.I belong here.Six Points is my home.I can’t afford to fuck that up by getting involved with a colleague.”

All traces of humor left Jackson’s expression.He nodded.“I get it, man.I really do.Your family hurt you something fierce, and now you’re scared of losing the new family you found here.Let me finish,” he said when Navarre opened his mouth to argue.“But here’s the thing: family’s not supposed to be conditional.It sure as hell ain’t perfect.We haven’t always seen eye to eye, now have we?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts.We’re still family, even though we’ve pissed each other off more times than I can remember.Nobody in this building is going to judge you for following your heart.You owe it to yourself.If you don’t even try, you’re going to spend the rest of your life wondering about what you missed.It might not work out, but if it does…” He smiled.It was that goofy grin he always got whenever he thought about Essie.They’d gone through their own rough patch, but now that they’d worked through their problems, they were in a really good place.“Damn, it’s something special.I can’t even begin to describe how phenomenal it feels.I want you to experience it someday.After all the shit you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy.”

“Iamhappy.”He hated the fact that came out sounding defensive.Because it was the truth: he was happy with his life.He had a job that he loved, respect from his peers, money in the bank, a roof over his head, and friends he’d take a bullet for and who would do the same for him.So what if he wasn’t in a romantic relationship?That wasn’t a deal-breaker for him.Sure, he dated, but he’d yet to find a woman worth taking that kind of chance.

The look in Jackson’s eyes made it clear that he saw straight through Navarre’s bullshit.“Sometimes you’ve got to take that leap of faith.It’s scary, I know.It hurts like hell when things don’t work the way you want.But when they do…” The smile came back.“The reward is worth any risk.Just think about it, man.I’d hate to see you miss out on something amazing.”

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