Page 74 of Lethal Sins

Clearly, he didn’t have to. Paige knew he was leaving. He could see it in the tight set of her face. The jerky movements as she jumped up from the table.

He’d stared down the barrels of terrorist guns, defused bombs with seconds to spare, and slipped undetected into enemy strongholds. But nothing in his years of training had prepared him for the gut-wrenching ache that seized him as she faced him, laptop clutched to her chest like a talisman against heartbreak.

The air between them crackled with unspoken words and barely contained emotion. He could almost hear the rest of the team trying to fade into invisibility, their movements exaggeratedly careful as they edged away from the epicenter of tension.

“Let’s get these dishes done,” Mason muttered.

“How long for the antidote?” he asked, his voice sandpaper-rough.

Paige’s movements were stiff, almost mechanical, as she turned towards her room. “A day? A week? I have no idea.” Herwords carried a bitter edge that sliced through him. “You don’t have to wait around. The team will get you a copy as soon as it’s ready.”

She walked away without another word. He watched her go, the urge to follow her, to explain, to beg forgiveness, nearly overwhelming. But he held back. She had every right to her anger, and he had no business trying to rob her of it.

Instead, he gathered an armload of dirty dishes, porcelain clinking softly as he made his way to the kitchen. The familiar scents of dish soap and leftover lasagna did nothing to quell the storm raging in his chest.

Mason was there, his hulking frame incongruous among the gleaming stainless-steel appliances. Cody shooed him away with a curt nod. “You’ve done enough.”

The sniper’s eyes flicked towards the empty hallway, his expression a mixture of concern and exasperation. “I was thinking the same about you, man.” He jerked his head toward Paige’s room. “You should fix that, bro.”

Cody’s hands tightened on the edge of the sink, his knuckles bleaching white. “Wish I could. There’s no way.”

Mason walked off, shaking his head, leaving Cody alone with the dirty dishes. The quiet hum of the refrigerator mocked him, a constant reminder of the domestic life that would forever elude him.

Cody scrubbed at a stubborn bit of sauce on a plate. The sound of footsteps pulled him from his brooding, and he looked up to see Bridger and Tai entering the kitchen.

Bridger grabbed a dish towel without a word. “Thought you could use some help.”

Tai nodded, picking up a sponge. “So, what’s the deal with this Seven-Five?”

Cody sighed, rinsing suds off a glass. “The analysts I talked to think it’s a reference to the ‘Seven Sages’ of ancient Greece and the ‘Five Elements’ in Chinese philosophy.”

Tai made a choking sound. “Take themselves serious much?”

Bridger dried a plate with more force than strictly necessary. “Listen, Cody, you don’t have to disappear. I could talk to the team about bringing you on board.”

His hands stilled in the soapy water. “You’re the best team I’ve ever worked with. That’s a great offer, but I don’t know that it’ll fly with your other personnel.” His gaze shot to the hallway.

Tai’s eyes narrowed, studying Cody’s face with unexpected perception. “Scared to take the next jump. I feel you.”

“Look,” Tai continued, his usual bravado softening, “I’ve got this girl, Tenaya. Been dragging my feet about taking the next step. Not ‘cause I don’t want to, but what if she doesn’t? What if I faceplant harder than a drunk raccoon on roller skates?”

Bridger groaned at the analogy, but Tai pressed on, his eyes intense.

“Then I realized, you gotta take the chance. Put yourself out there. Like my nona used to say, ‘You can’t catch a fish if you don’t wet your hook.’”

Bridger’s eyeroll was practically audible.

“Speaking of ‘all talk,’” Bridger added, fixing Tai with a pointed stare. “How about you show us some action?”

Tai’s hand dipped into his pocket, emerging with a small velvet box. He cradled it like it might shatter at any moment. “I’m asking Tenaya to marry me. The second we touch down in Redemption Creek.”

Cody felt a pang in his chest, a bittersweet mixture of joy for the big Marine and a deep, aching longing. His gaze drifted down the hallway towards Paige’s room, Tai’s words echoing in his mind.

“Running won’t protect her,” Bridger said. “If that’s what’s stopping you.”

Tai nodded sagely. “And it won’t lessen the guilt if the Consortium gets her. There’s nowhere to hide from that.”

Probably not. He pressed the heels of his hands into the edge of the sink. These guys were right. Running wouldn’t keep her safe. And it wouldn’t keep his heart safe.

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