“Grim Reaper out.”
Grace hauled herself out of the tub and took the towel Jack offered her. She didn’t look at herself in the mirror as she dried her face and hair. Her breathing was ragged, and only sheer force of will kept her legs steady beneath her.
“Grace,” Jack said.
“I can’t Jack. Not yet. I’m sorry.”
She heard him sigh and say, “Oh, baby,” just before he pulled her into his arms. She was stiff against him because he wasn’t Gabe, and she knew if she let him comfort her that she wouldn’t be able to keep her emotions in check.
“I’m okay, Jack,” she said, pushing away. “It’s my fault. I got distracted. It won’t happen again. I need to apologize to the team.”
“Yeah, not telling us this could happen is your fault. And Gabe’s.” His voice was gentle as he handed her a thick robe to stop her shivers. “But whatever is causing this to happen isn’t your fault.
“Grace,” Gabe said as he came into the bathroom in a rush.
He didn’t have time to touch her or ask if she was alright before Jack shoved him into the bedroom. They went down with a heavy thud against the thick carpet, and she winced when Jack’s fist connected with Gabe’s ribs. The fight wouldn’t last long. They never did. Jack was bigger and had more bulk, but she’d never seen Gabe come out on the losing end of a fight. The fact that he let Jack land a punch at all meant that he was feeling some guilt over not letting him know about her sooner.
“You told me to keep a fucking eye on her,” Jack said. “You didn’t tell me she might collapse and go into a trance during the middle of a fucking mission. Those are important details, my friend.”
Gabe only grunted as he dodged Jack’s fist.
Grace stripped out of her wet clothes and wrapped the robe around her tighter, keeping her eyes on the two bodies rolling across the floor. Gabe twisted his position so his knees were planted in Jack’s sternum, and she knew it wouldn’t be too much longer.
Clothes that belonged to Piccoult’s mistress hung neatly in the closet, and she pulled out a pair of designer jeans and a top that draped open in the back. She had a pair of strappy heels on her feet and her hair braided by the time Gabe finally got tired of fighting. He picked Jack up by the front of his shirt and threw him against the wall.
An obscenely expensive looking glass plate sculpture shattered against the writing desk it had been hanging above. Jack and Gabe were both breathing hard, and blood dotted the corner of Jack’s lip. They stared at each other for a long time, and she knew they’d worked with each other long enough that words didn’t have to be spoken for them to have an entire conversation.
“Grace, I need to talk to you,” Gabe finally said.
“You can talk to me with the rest of the team. Your thirty minutes is up.”
“Grace—”
“I don’t want to talk about this now. I can’t. I’ll apologize to the others. I know they deserve that, but I don’t feel like being dissected by you right now. Just give me some time.”
His lips tightened to a thin line, and she knew if she’d been standing closer he would have grabbed her and hauled her into the bathroom where they could have some privacy, but she was already past Jack and into the main sitting room, and he didn’t have any choice but to follow.
“This is Dragon checking in,” Ethan said through the com link. “Everyone okay out there?”
“Stand by,” Gabe said. “We’ll wait until everyone joins us.”
“Grim Reaper back online,” Logan said. “I’m at the door of your suite.”
Grace took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She’d made a mistake, and she’d face the others like a big girl. She opened the door for Logan and met his gray eyes as he walked over the threshold.
Jack and Gabe had come into the room behind her, and Jack tossed Gabe a beer before he grabbed one for himself—the hostility gone as if it had never happened. Jack turned a chair around and straddled it, and Logan stood by the door as if he was waiting to make a hasty exit. Gabe stared at her a long moment, and for the first time since she could remember, she couldn’t read his expression. It was the face of the man she’d been married to that last year he’d worked for Tussad. The face of a man who had secrets.
“Is someone going to tell us what’s going on?” Ethan asked impatiently.
“I want to apol—”
“No,” Gabe said, interrupting her. “This is my op. My mistake. I’m the one who owes you all an apology.” He stood with his back to the glass balcony doors that overlooked the city, his expression grim. “There are personal issues I knew could come up on this mission, and I knew that Grace might not be able to make it through the op without her past weighing down on her. This is my fault, and I take a hundred percent of the responsibility. And at this point I have to think of the team and the mission.”
Grace’s hands clamped into fists, and something terrible ripped at her insides. Gabe’s gaze was steady on hers, as if the others weren’t in the room at all, but he wasn’t looking at her as he had twenty-four hours ago.
“You’re the best sniper I’ve ever worked with, Grace, but until you let yourself heal, you’re a danger to this team. I’m sending you back to headquarters. Once Jack and I have secured the painting, you and I will talk this through and see what we need to do. But I can’t take the chance with the rest of the team.”
Cold fingers of fear licked down her spine. She’d always chosen to isolate herself—to be alone because she wanted to. It had always been her decision. Now he was taking that away from her. And then there was the fact that Gabe had made her love him again and was pushing her away because things were getting too hard to deal with.
“And what about all of your promises, Gabe? You’re the one who wanted me here. I was doing just fine on my own.”
“You can lie to yourself all you want, Grace, but that doesn’t change the facts. I brought you here because I love you, and it’s time for you to stop running. I brought you here because you need me as much as I need you.”
“And what about Tussad?”
“I’ll deal with Tussad another day. Once we’re not neck deep in shit in the middle of hostile territory. Did it ever occur to you that revenge might not be the best option?” he asked, frustration clouding his voice for the first time. “Because it’s sure as hell occurred to me. Maybe if you could let go of the past, you could have a future that didn’t involve you having a breakdown during the middle of a mission. Maybe you could have a normal life again.”
“What the fuck is a normal life?” she yelled, hating the fact that her control was slipping. “You want to go back to what we had before? Where your entire life was a constant lie? One you didn’t feel the need to share with me? Can’t you ever think of anything besides the next mission? When did she stop mattering to you, Gabe?”
She knew her words were harsh, and she meant to lash out and cause him pain. It might be childish, but she was hurting too.
“Jesus, Grace,” Jack said, shaking his head. “You’re not playing fair.”
“Stay out of this, Jack. Nothing is ever fair. I know what matters in my life. And I know what I’m living for. Tussad is mine. And taking him out of this world is worth spending an eternity in hell. It can’t be much worse than spending it here on Earth.”
“Listen to me, Grace. If you want to fight, then we’ll fight. But not here. Not now. Tussad is another issue and another op. You and I are another issue. I know someone who can help us when we get back to headquarters. But right now, you need to do the best thing for the team, and go home.”
Numbness settled over her body, and she could feel the color fade from her cheeks. She wanted to scream. She wanted to let free the rage that was pummeling against her rigid muscles. To release the pain that was seizing her lungs until every gasp of oxygen felt as if it could be her last.
“Fine,” she finally managed to say. “You’re the boss.” She turned on her heel and headed to the bedroom to gather her rifle.
“Grace,” Jack called out. “Don’t do anything stupid. Just go home and wait for us there.”
