Page 78 of No Man Left Behind

When Marcus took one back to the prisoner, she angled the monitor so she could watch. Sean joined her.

They watched Marcus approach the cell. The man didn’t move or respond that she could tell. Marcus opened a section of the cell wall and placed the bowl inside along with a spoon, then turned to leave.

“Has he said much?” Sean asked when Marcus returned.

Marcus shrugged. “Not much that we didn’t already know. He was surprised when I used his name.”

Elina added. “He got scared when Marcus used his uncle’s name.”

Marcus nodded. “I mentioned that Faadir might not be pleased with Aazar going rogue here in the States and bringing the attention of the FBI to the drug smuggling organization.”

Sean laughed. “I bet that scared the piss out of him. Nice. Are you bringing in Shanice? She was great when that jerk followed Branna up here from Florida.”

“It’s next on the list.”

Sean nodded. “Why don’t you get to that? Elina and I can hang out in the squad room for a bit.”

Elina smiled. “I don’t need a babysitter. I can hang out there by myself.”

Sean laughed. “You could, but this way, you get to have some interesting company.”

And Marcus could have privacy for his call. She was sure police work of this nature required that he be alone unless the FBI agent needed her account of what had happened.

She followed Sean into the squad room, and they sat at the desk she’d used before.

Sean studied her seriously. Like the rest of the team, Falcon was observant. “How are you?”

She shrugged. “Better. I’m sure I’ll have nightmares, but seeing him in a cage helps.”

He nodded. “I bet. How’s Arrow?”

“Better, too. He keeps a lot inside, but I know having the man in custody helps. As does having a plan to keep him behind bars, along with the rest of those involved in the drug smuggling operation.”

“Arrow does like his plans. Especially when they involve making the world a safer place.”

That described him very well. “I’m so grateful to him and to all of you. I knew that your team would keep us all safe. It made it easier to stay calm and to wait for Marcus to give me a signal.”

Sean grinned. “You were great. Keeping still and not panicking meant we were able to keep the asshole in our sights but didn’t need to make the shot. We figured you and Arrow would work out a plan.”

She laughed. “I’m not sure it was a plan. I just knew if I followed his lead, it would be okay.”

“That’s how we dealt with all the crap we saw overseas. Arrow is the best of the best.”

Her heart filled again. “He is.”

“He deserves the best. So, you’re going to stay here in Phail and make him happy.”

The fact that he didn’t phrase it as a question made her laugh. The fact that he was taking care of his team leader filled her with contentment. These were the people she wanted in her life.

Even if she hadn’t fallen completely in love with Marcus, she thought she might settle here in Phail. But she was in love, and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere without him.

She smiled at Sean. “As long as he’s here, I’ll be here, too.”

Sean grinned. “Exactly what I wanted to hear.”

Knowing Marcus wanted her to stay was everything, but knowing his team approved of them as a couple made it even better.

Despite what had happened with Aazar earlier, she thought it was a pretty good day.

---