Page 10 of Raven's Claw
Kash pursed his lips, shaking his head as he kicked at the floor.“That’s on us.We thought we’d talked him down — gotten him through this episode.”Kash held up one hand.“I swear he was fully coherent when he left the hangar.Said he was heading to Seattle for a few days — was going to visit an old teammate.Get his head on straight.If we’d thought he was still a danger…”
“Yeah, well I just checked on that old teammate.Turns out his new address is a headstone at Medical Lake.”
Kash let his head tip back, a rare moment of vulnerability bleeding through the sarcasm and strength.He’d obviously lost teammates, the truth evident in the lines around his mouth.How he looked over at his buddies before visibly shoving everything down.“I…”
Greer gave Kash a pat on the shoulder.“Not blaming you or your crew.You did your best.But it does put me in a difficult position.”
“What are you gonna do?”
Greer snorted.“The man pulled a Glock in the middle of a café.Legally, I’m obligated to take him back to the station, throw half a dozen weapons charges his way, and let him rot in a cell until the judge comes back from his dirty weekend in Portland.”
“And not legally speaking?”
“I guess that depends.”Greer raked her hand through her hair, glancing over her shoulder for a moment.“Bodie’s got an in with a rehab house for vets that specializes in Tucker’s particular issues.They’re willing to take him in, tonight, and keep his ass there until he’s feeling more like himself.Assuming he’s willing to go.But that means I have to look the other way, and neither you, nor Ms.Archer, can press charges.”
Kash nodded.“We’re all just one bad day away from screaming at the shadows.The man needs help, not a cell.”
Greer arched a brow, looking at Jordan.“And you?”
Jordan held up her hands.“I’m not looking to put my name on a report.”
Greer snorted.“Right.I’ll see what I can do.I’m gonna need everyone to come to the station and give a formal statement.Jordan, you can drop by after your shift.With all the other accounts, I can probably stick yours way in the back where it might get lost or filed incorrectly.But I still need to take it.”
“I’ll be over as soon as I’m done.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”Greer walked off, talking to Bodie before they helped Tucker up then escorted him out the door.
Kash nudged her shoulder.“So, are you okay to make your way to my place?Say, seven?Or should I wait at Greer’s office and give you a lift?”
Jordan stared at him.Had she said yes before everything had gone sideways?“You still want to have dinner?After all this?”
“The guys will likely try to blackmail us into joining them at Beck’s.But they can be disappointed.”
Her stomach clenched, those gorgeous eyes and full lips looking expectantly at her.Only now, she knew exactly how he tasted.“Kash, I…”
“How about I make you a deal?I won’t ask any probing questions, and you won’t have to lie.Okay?”
She glanced at the table where the entire evening had unraveled.Chances were, she’d have to run.Especially if Greer dug too deep.Why not give herself one unforgettable night?“I might be a bit later than seven, if Greer’s chatty.”
“I’ll tell her to keep it brief.”He reached up and brushed his thumb across her lips, again.“Seven, Jordan.”
She nodded, following him to the door.He jumped into one of the trucks, Nyx landing on his lap a second later.He gave the canine a scratch, smiling as Chase backed up then pulled onto the street, their taillights fading around the far corner.
Dinner.
She only hoped it didn’t dissolve into a war zone.Ruin her chance at making one last pure memory.Because come morning, she was done hiding.She’d told Rook she’d bring the fight to him, and it was time she started hunting.
ChapterThree
Jordan straddled her dirt bike and stared at the expansive house stretching across the property.A series of lights brightened the darkness, the warm yellow glow chasing away the worst of the shadows.Fog rolled across the grounds, clinging to the tress like ghostly apparitions waiting to strike as rain puddled in the driveway.
She swallowed, the inklings of doubt shivering down her spine — manifesting as goosebumps across her skin.Twenty years under the iron rule of Rook and Scythe.Covert missions to places even Kash and his teammates likely hadn’t ventured — the threat too chaotic, too raw to be worth the fight — and for the first time in her life, she was scared.
She didn’t do nice.Didn’t attend gatherings or make small talk.Not unless it was part of her cover.And since Rook abhorred any form of joint operation — any chance of the world catching even a suggestion of Scythe’s existence — she’d lived her private life like she had her missions.Alone.Always searching the shadows.Ready to bolt on a moment’s notice.
She could adapt.Like working at the Lighthouse Café.It was a role.A way of gathering intel without exposing herself more than necessary.People talked.She listened.Nothing more, nothing less.So, agreeing to dinner, knowing full well it would likely involve the rest of Kash’s team in some capacity…
It was foreign.Like her feelings for Kash.An anomaly that had her so far outside her usual orbit, she was surprised she hadn’t crashed.
