Page 66 of Fierce Hope
Axel exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “And Jade’s got no intel that could harm them. No one’s coming after her now.”
Deke’s eyes locked on Jade’s. The tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled slightly against the table. She wanted to believe it. Needed to. But doubt clung to her like an old wound.
“It’s over,” he said quietly.
She let out a slow breath, nodding. “I guess it is.”
The weight in Deke’s chest should’ve lifted. It didn’t.
Across the table, Kenji, ever the opportunist, let out a loud sigh of relief. “So … does this mean we finally get to eat? Because I’m starving.”
Zara smirked. “You’re always starving.”
Kenji pointed at her. “This is a survival mechanism.”
The tension in the room finally cracked. Laughter—quiet but real—rippled through the team. But Deke barely heard it. His attention stayed on Jade.
She was too quiet. Too still.
He should say something. Something to keep her here just a little longer. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, collecting herself.Closing the chapter.
“Well,” she said, voice steady. “That’s that.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Deke cleared his throat. “Ready for dinner?”
She shook her head, taking in the others. “I appreciate the offer, but I haven’t had a minute to myself in days.”
Kenji blew out a breath. “I hear you, woman. Go relax.”
Deke couldn’t let it go at that. “Where are you headed?”
Jade offered a small, wry smile. “Home.”
Home.
It shouldn’t have felt like a final word. Like a goodbye.
“Right.” He nodded once, keeping his voice neutral.
A beat of silence. The unspoken weight of everythingnot saidsettling between them.
Jade twisted her fingers together over her chest. “Thank you all so much. You’re wonderful. This has been …”
“It sure has,” Kenji cracked, giving her a wide smile. “We’d do it again in a second. I’m not sure about the poker part, though. We’re gonna have to start calling you Villanueva Slim.”
Jade smiled one last time, then turned and walked toward the stairs.
Deke watched her go, jaw tight. The words he should’ve said stuck in his throat, tangled with something uncomfortably close to regret.
And just like that, the case was closed.
And Jade was gone.
36
The next twodays dragged for Jade. She told herself she must be exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but she knew the real reason for her gray mood.
