Fearless Hero

Finally, Jordan broke the silence. “Look Brady—you’ve always been one of the best, so I really don’t know what to make of this. Can you tell me what happened?”

Another long silence occurred as I sat there, trying to put into words what I needed to say. Unfortunately, my mind was drawing a blank. Just moments ago, I had been prepared to tell the truth and face the consequences, hoping Jordan would have mercy on me. I had planned to confess that I had indeed gotten a little too close to Autumn Harper, and that my professional judgment had momentarily been hindered as a result. I wanted to tell him that nevertheless, I still took my job seriously and didn’t want to be discharged—that I was invested in Speaker Harper’s safety, and that from now on, it was all I would focus on.

Wallace could remain on Autumn’s detail, as long as she was safe.

But as I sat across from Jordan, none of those words seemed capable of leaving my mouth. All I could think about was the night I’d spent with Autumn at the pool, the last time we’d made love, and that fateful day in the library when I not only confessed my feelings to her, but had even acted on those feelings right on the spot.

I thought about the first time we’d met, all the way back in Turkey…

How last night, she had looked me right in the eyes and told me that she loved me, and how like an asshole, I hadn’t even responded.

Jordan cleared his throat, clearly not in the mood to be on the other end of the waiting game.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “I guess you can say some things went wrong during my assignment at the safehouse with Autumn Harper. She would now feel more comfortable if someone else was placed on her detail. I think her wishes should be granted.”

“Something went wrong like what?”

I swallowed. “I think there was some confusion about…about the nature of…the work I was doing for her.”

“I’ve also heard there was some confusion about the shifts between you and Wallace. Can you tell me why Wallace informed me that the two of you had occasionally been switching locations, after I clearly stated you were to stay with Speaker Harper? Wallace stated that he was under the impression that you had been given official word that such switches were authorized. But that’s funny—because I certainly never gave any orders on such a thing. So where did you get these orders from, Mr. Logan? And don’t tell me Speaker Harper put you up to it. Speaker Harper is not your captain.”

I lowered my head, ashamed. “It was my idea, sir. I told Speaker Harper that I could switch with Wallace to check on Autumn from time-to-time.”

“Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was of you?”

“I do. And I’m sorry.”

“I’m afraid sorry isn’t going to cut it. Not only did you disobey orders, but you blatantly lied on the job to cover your tracks. And based on reports I’ve heard from people who have spotted you in the presence of Autumn—or should I say the way you behaved with Autumn—I have reason to believe that your lies had nothing to do with the seriousness of your job, did it?”

When I didn’t answer, he narrowed his eyes at me. “If you do not speak up, I will have no choice but to take your silence as a sign of your confession.”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Jordan sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Unbelievable. I really cannot express how disappointed I am in you right now, Brady.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“If only ‘sorry’ could fix things. But it can’t.”

Once again, a long silence stretched through the room. The sound of the ticking clock on the wall seemed to grow unnaturally loud. I swallowed again despite my mouth being dry as I waited to hear what my fate would be.

But the longer the silence continued, the more I realized that I knew perfectly well what I wanted my fate to be. All the stress and frustration I’d been feeling began to dissipate with each passing second marked by the ticking clock on the wall.

I thought about all the attempts that had been made on Speaker Harper’s life. Terrifying as they were, if anything, it had made me realize just how short life could be. None of us were promised today or tomorrow, and in reality, there was nothing anyone could do about it.

And with life already being so short, didn’t we all deserve a shot at happiness?

If we knew without a doubt what would make us happy, it would be absolutely foolish to let it slip away.

Fucking stupid, actually.

I didn’t want to be stupid anymore. I had already made enough mistakes in my lifetime.

I cleared my throat. “Jordan, I’m sorry for the inconvenience that I’ve caused. And after a lot of consideration, I want to make your decision easier. Therefore, I would like to let you know that from this day forward, I officially resign.”

CHAPTER 17

Autumn