Page 36 of Silent Sins

But Mason understood. He always did. “Someone tipped Avery’s supervisor off about our little delivery van stunt,” he said, his voice grim. “No way the guy would have randomly checked into traffic cam footage.”

Paul’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “Wait, you think Avery’s boss is in on this?”

The world around her slowed to a crawl, sounds becoming muffled as if she were underwater, her mind struggling to process the revelation. She didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t bear the thought that someone she trusted could be involved in something so corrupt.

“Rumor and innuendo helped sink my father’s career just as much as his own rogue behavior did. I’m not going to do that to someone else. Ryan, and my fellow agents, will remain innocent until proven guilty. I’m adamant about that.”

Mason nodded reluctantly. “I’m willing not to jump to conclusions,” he said, his voice measured. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna be guarding that cliff.”

Avery felt a rush of gratitude for his understanding, for the way he seemed to know exactly what she needed.

Was Ryan on the take?

Her whole body trembled. She couldn’t imagine him selling out. Not her old friend. Ryan was always a straight arrow. Kind and smart and dedicated.

Ambitious. But not ruthless or unethical.

She pressed her palms to her temples and closed her eyes, trying to slow down her whirling thoughts. Not Ryan. No way.

That would blow apart her whole world.

When she opened her eyes again, Mason was watching her closely, his gaze dark with concern. “We need my team here, not consulting over stupid screens.”

Avery hesitated. “I can’t ask your team to take that risk. It’s bad enough I’ve involved you and Paul. I could get fired, likely will, but you all could get arrested.”

Mason just smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Besides, federal prison? Please. We’ve been threatened with worse.”

He caught her gaze, his expression strong and steady and confident. “This is what we do. It’s literally what we do. And not to brag, but we’re pretty great at it.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Despite theirunorthodoxmeeting, Mason’s steady presence had been a gift from her Savior, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, she was never alone.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “How could this possibly get worse?”

Mason grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’ll contact Bridger,” he said, already reaching for his phone. “The team will touch down in Seattle inside of three hours.”

As he dialed the number, Avery sent up a silent prayer, asking for guidance and strength. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew one thing for certain— with Mason by her side, she could face anything. Even the possibility of losing everything.

21

“Bridger’s not coming,”the stunning pilot, Kate said as she bounded up the stairs to their teammate’s mansion behind the rest of Mason’s team.

Avery watched the impressive group file into the mansion, duffle bags in hand. Having met them online in no way prepared her for the sheer presence of Mason’s friends. The men were all sharp and fit, taking up more space than their muscled bodies actually required, filling the room with sheer personality and swagger.

Tai was … scary. The man was huge, but it was the way he moved that was even more frightening. He moved quickly and silently, but his smile and ready sense of humor made the intimidation factor fade quickly. The older man, Graham, reminded her of an aging gladiator. Scarred and battered, but still standing tall. And still powerful as ever.

She guessed Mason and Tai and Bridger were growing to look more and more like their older colleague as they aged equally as gracefully.

While ultra-fit, Fenn was leaner, and truth be told, by far the most classically handsome of the group. But for the air of edgy anticipation, he could have been a male model, only his intensity and the way he studied the space, silently doing recon, gave away his military background.

The two women, Paige and Kate, the pilot, were even more impressive, if that was possible. Kate was tall and stunning, with model-looks and a fire in her eye. Shorter and slighter, blonde Paige was all sweetness on the outside, but despite the Barbie-pink streak in her hair, Avery already knew the woman had a core of steel and a mind like a supercomputer.

If anyone could help, it was these amazing folks. She was glad Mason called in the cavalry.

And that surprised her. In the space of 48 hours, she’d gone from being a secretive lone wolf to looking forward to being part of a team. Well, part of Mason’s team.

A temporary situation, for sure.

Mason made the formal introductions, his deep voice echoing off the high ceilings of the mansion. The team members were cordial to Avery and uber-professional, but she could see the way they looked between her and Mason, as if they knew something she didn’t.

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