Page 32 of Brotan

Good. Let him be uncomfortable. Let him wonder why I'm here, what I might know.

"I'm fine right here."

I don't trust Victor Hargrove. I don't trust his walls, his smile, or the power he still wields from house arrest. Yet I trust Maya enough to wait in this hallway instead of dragging her out. Trust her judgment when every instinct screams to protect her, to eliminate the threat.

When did that happen? When did this human doctor's opinion start to outweigh my own instincts?

The door opens, and Maya emerges, medical bag in hand, professional mask firmly in place. The assistant follows, glaring daggers at me.

"Thank you for your patience," Maya says, tone neutral. "We can go now."

I fall into step beside her as we descend the grand staircase, hyperaware of the assistant following several paces behind. Every muscle in my body remains coiled tight, ready to react to the slightest threat.

The maid hovers at the bottom of the stairs, visibly relieved we're leaving without violence. Maya pauses to give her instructions for monitoring Victor's fever, medication schedules, and warning signs to watch for. I tune out the medical jargon, focusing instead on scanning the massive foyer for any sign of Royce or other dangers.

Only when we're outside, the mansion's ornate door firmly shut behind us, do I allow myself a full breath. Maya maintains her professional composure as we cross the immaculate lawn toward our vehicles.

"You rode here?" she asks, the first crack appearing in her doctor mask. "In your condition?"

"What condition?" I growl.

"Half-cocked and ready to start a war," she says, stopping to face me. "What the hell are you doing here, Crow?"

"Making sure you don't get yourself killed," I reply, unable to leash the edge in my voice. "Victor Hargrove? Seriously? He kidnapped Savvy when she refused to do his bidding."

"He's sick," she says, like that somehow wipes his slate clean. "I took an oath."

"He's dangerous."

"He's under house arrest with an ankle monitor," she counters. "His assistant lives on-site under court order. What exactly did you think was going to happen?"

The rational part of me knows she's right. But rationality has nothing to do with the dread that clawed through my chest when Silas told me where she'd gone. Nothing to do with the images that flashed through my mind—Maya hurt, Maya trapped, Maya at Victor's mercy.

"You shouldn't have come alone," I say finally.

Her eyes flash with something dangerous. "Don't tell me how to do my job. I've treated gangbangers with gunshot wounds and murderers in the ER. I know how to handle myself."

"This is different."

"How? Because it's Shadow Ridge? Because you've decided I need protecting?" She takes a step closer, anger vibrating in every syllable. "Or is it because you're trying to make up for what happened at Gus's?"

The accusation lands like a blade between my ribs. "That's not what this is about."

"Then what is it about? Because from where I'm standing, you've spent days avoiding me, then suddenly decide to play bodyguard the minute I do something you don't approve of."

She's not wrong. The guilt I've been carrying since I pushed her away at Gus's has been festering, mixing with something darker and more possessive that I refuse to name.

"Victor doesn't play by rules," I say instead. "Quiet men are dangerous men."

"So you just barge in, undermining my authority with a patient? Do you have any idea how hard it is to establish credibility in a town like this? How carefully I have to navigate being an outsider?" Her voice drops to a fierce whisper.

"That's not what I was doing."

"Then what were you doing, Crow? Because what you just did shows you didn't trust me to do the job Hammer brought me here to do."

"Hammer wouldn't want you taking unnecessary risks."

"Hammer gave me this job because he trusts my judgment," she fires back. "He specifically said I should treat everyone—everyone—without taking sides in this town's politics."

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