It was much more.
Once, Mercer had looked at Marguerite that way.
When emotions got involved, the cases became even more dangerous.
He didn’t let Gunner and Sydney work in the field together any longer—he couldn’t. It was too much of a risk. But Sydney had been promoted to oversee their tech ops, and Gunner...well, Gunner had already shown signs of wanting to pull away from the EOD.
Few agents stayed with the EOD for life.
“I think you’re wrong.” Gunner’s voice was quiet. Intense. The way the guy always seemed to be.
Mercer glared at him.
“I think Cale is actually your best bet for keeping her safe right now.”
Bull. He was a liability. Despite any of Mercer’s original plans, the situation had changed. “Why would you—”
“Because I’ve got eyes, too, Mercer. If someone tried to hurt Syd, what do you think I’d do?”
He knew exactly what Gunner Ortez would do. Kill. Because Sydney and the twins were Gunner’s life.
But Cale had only just met Cassidy. His feelings for her couldn’t be trusted. They’d make him weak. They’d—
“He won’t leave her. You can kick him out of the EOD, you can try to force him from her side, but the man is one of the most dangerous I’ve ever met. We’ll waste more time trying to stop him from being with her than doing anything else.”
Gunner was trying to be reasonable.
Mercer was tired of reason.
“He’ll destroy her.” Said with certainty. Because Cale was too much like—
Me. And I destroyed my Marguerite.
“Sometimes people can surprise you.”
Mercer marched away from him. Techs had arrived on scene. They were studying the skid marks left on the road. They’d already flagged an area of blood on the cement.
Cassidy’s blood. He hated the sight of her blood.
“People don’t surprise me anymore,” Mercer muttered. He knew all about the darkness inside them. There were no surprises. In the beginning, he’d actually thought that Cale might—
He stopped the thought. No, Cale wasn’t good for Cassidy. Cale was too much of a threat. Steps would be taken to separate them.
Cassidy would be safe.
Cale would be sent on another mission.
Life would go on.
It always did.
Except for my Marguerite...
Her life had ended far too soon.
“Find them,” Mercer ordered the men and women who stared at him with wary eyes. Kill them. Because if her attackers knew Cassidy’s true identity, then he couldn’t allow those men to live.
He didn’t need Cale to tell him about priorities. His main priority was the same one that it had been since the day he buried Marguerite.