But it might already be too late, and both he and I knew it
"Riley, if I had any other choice, I would not be asking this of you."
I snorted softly. "Don't try conning me, Jack. Not this time."
He gave me a lopsided smile. "This time, it's the truth. Whoever's behind this has obviously infiltrated the Directorate. I have no idea who else there might be besides Alan Brown and Gautier. All the people on that list you found in Brown's office are dead, and while we are following up everything they worked on, it's going to take time. Which means that Misha is currently our only viable source of information. If we try to put anyone else on his trail or in his bed right now, they'll know we're on to him."
"Misha knows we're on to him. Raiding his office gave that away."
"But I suspect Misha is playing both sides of the fence, and that could certainly work to our advantage."
"Meaning I should just do my duty and spread my legs like the good little doggy that I am?"
Annoyance flickered in his eyes. "We found Kelly's remains in that place, Riley. She'd been beaten to a pulp in that goddamn arena."
Tears squeezed past my closed eyelids. I'd hoped against hope that her fate would be different from that of the other missing guardians. Had hoped that she was still undercover and merely overdue. But fate seemed set on turning my world upside down just then, and I really should have known that hope wasn't on the agenda
"That's playing dirty, Jack."
"They're playing dirty. I have no choice but to do the same."
I didn't say anything. Just grieved for the loss of a rare friend
"It's not over, and deep down you know it."
I swiped the tears from my cheeks and gave him what he wanted. "You're wasting breath on the already converted."
He chuckled softly and patted my arm. "You are going to be one of my best."
"No, I'm not. Nor will I approach Misha. I think it best if we just sit back and let him make the first move."
"With that, I can agree." He rose, and stretched, his bones cracking lightly. "Why don't you go find your brother and both of you go home?"
I looked at him. "I think we both deserve a week off for R and R."
His gaze narrowed slightly, but the glimmer was back in his eyes. "Two days."
"Five."
"Three."
"Let's split the difference, then."
He grinned. "Done deal. But if Misha approaches you in that time, I expect to be told."
"Okay." But he wouldn't. I was sure of that, if nothing else
Jack walked down the hill and disappeared inside the building. I lay in the sunshine a bit longer, then decided I'd better move before the weeds started to claim me
I pushed upright and headed back down to Genoveve. Rhoan appeared out of the main doors as I neared the road, looking as weary and disheveled as I felt
He didn't say anything, just pulled me into the hug I'd been wanting all night. The dam broke, and the tears started falling - grief for Kelly, grief for myself, and grief for a relationship that had never been given a chance
"Don't let him pressure you into anything you don't want to do," Rhoan said, after a while
I pulled back, hiccuping and wiping borrowed sleeves across my face. "I won't."
"And don't give up on Quinn."