Page 53 of The Fixer

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hated how easily he could unsettle her. “Me?”

Jake tilted his head, his gaze holding hers. “Yeah, you. Like how you’re holding up after today. How you’re still pushing forward despite everything.”

Lyndsey let out a soft laugh, though it lacked humor. “I don’t know if pushing forward is the right phrase. More like clinging to the edge of a cliff and hoping the wind doesn’t pick up.”

His lips curved into a faint smile. “You’re doing more than just holding on, Lyndsey. You’re fighting. And I admire the hell out of that.”

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and quickly looked away. “Sometimes I don’t know if it’s bravery or stupidity,” she admitted. “Part of me thinks I should just let go. Let someone else take over.”

“That’s not who you are,” Jake said firmly, his voice low but steady. “You don’t let go. You fight because you care. Because you know what’s at stake.”

Her throat tightened, and she nodded, swallowing hard. “It’s terrifying, though. All of it. Not just Lang or the research but... everything else.”

Jake’s brows drew together in concern. “Everything else?”

She hesitated, her hands twisting in her lap. “Us. What happens after this is over? If it ever is over.”

The vulnerability in her voice struck something deep in him, and Jake reached out, his hand covering hers. His touch was warm, grounding. “Lyndsey, we’ll figure it out. One step at a time.”

She shook her head, her gaze dropping to their joined hands. “You say that, but how do we even begin? You live in this world of danger and adrenaline, and I... I’ve spent my life in labs and lectures. We’re so different, Jake. What if this...” She gestured between them. “What if it doesn’t work?”

Jake shifted closer, his hand tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. “You think I don’t ask myself thesame thing? But then I look at you, and all I can think is how much I want this to work. How much I wantusto work.”

Her breath caught at the raw honesty in his voice, and for a moment, the room seemed to shrink around them. “What if we don’t know how?” she whispered.

Jake’s lips curved into a faint, wry smile. “Then we learn. Together.”

His words settled over her, soothing some of the doubts swirling in her mind. But a new fear crept in, one she hadn’t voiced before. “And what if I fail? Not just us, but the research? What if Lang’s already done too much damage?”

Jake leaned back slightly, his hand still holding hers. “You won’t fail, Lyndsey. You’ve already come too far. And even if Lang’s stolen pieces of your work, he doesn’t have you. That’s his biggest weakness.”

She let out a shaky laugh. “No pressure or anything.”

His expression softened, and he squeezed her hand gently. “It’s not pressure. It’s the truth. You’re brilliant, Lyndsey. And stubborn as hell. If anyone can finish this and stop Lang from corrupting it, it’s you.”

The sincerity in his voice made her chest ache, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. “I’m scared, Jake,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “Of losing you. Of failing. Of everything.”

Jake cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear that escaped. “I’m scared too. But I promise you, Lyndsey, they won’t win.”

The quiet intensity in his gaze made her heart stutter, and before she could overthink it, she leaned forward, her lips brushing his. The kiss was soft, tentative, but it carried all the emotions neither of them could put into words.

Jake’s hand slid to the back of her neck, deepening the kiss as he pulled her closer. The danger, the uncertainty, the weight ofthe world—all went on soft focus. It was just them, finding solace in each other.

When they finally pulled apart, Lyndsey rested her forehead against his, her breathing uneven. “We’ll figure it out,” she murmured, echoing the sentiment of his earlier words.

Jake smiled against her lips, his voice a quiet promise. “We will. I’ll make sure of it.”

A soft knock at the door broke the moment, and Reyna’s voice cut through the quiet. “Jake, Lyndsey. We’ve got movement on Lang’s facility.”

Lyndsey straightened, her heart pounding as reality came crashing back. Jake gave her hand one last squeeze before rising to his feet, his expression already solidifying into the focused determination she’d come to admire.

As she followed him out of the room, Lyndsey knew one thing for sure: whatever happened next, she meant to come out on the other side with both Jake and her research intact.

The safe room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the table lamp casting warm shadows on the walls. Lyndsey sat cross-legged on the leather Chesterfield sofa, her laptop balanced on her knees, though she wasn’t paying attention to the screen. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of a whirlwind of emotions and the strange, undeniable pull she felt toward the man sitting across from her.

Jake leaned back in the armchair, his eyes fixed on her as if he could see right through the walls she’d spent years building. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was charged, like the quiet before a storm.

“You’re thinking too much,” he said, his voice low but certain.

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