Page 35 of Code Name: Grit

“That’s not what I see when he looks at you.”

“Then, you’re imagining things,” I said more sharply than intended. “He made it clear this morning that all he cares about is the mission.”

Dante chuckled, which earned him a glare.

“What’s so funny?” I snapped.

“You two. Dancing around each other. He’s terrified of how he feels, and you’re afraid he doesn’t feel enough.”

I stopped walking. “You don’t understand what it’s like.”

“Don’t I?” He faced me. “I spent my entire adult life playing a part, pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Then I met Lark, and everything changed.”

“Grit isn’t Lark.”

“Thank God for that,” he said with a laugh. “My point is, I recognize the look of a man who’s falling for someone he thinks he shouldn’t.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, not from the cold but from the vulnerability of the conversation. “I’ve spent my entire life running. Mom and Summer both taught me that love wasn’t real. Nothing ever turns out like in fairy tales or romance books.”

“Tell me more about that,” he said, leading me to a weathered bench on the dock.

I plopped as much as sat down, gathering my thoughts. “Mom never talked about a time when she was happy in love. She told me once that the only good thing to ever came from loving a man in this life was having me and you—and Vincent Jr.”

“What about Summer?”

“She was eighteen when she got pregnant with Lark. The father threatened to kill her if she didn’t get an abortion.” I looked at him. “You know better than anyone how our brother helped us escape when I was just a baby.”

He nodded solemnly. “Vincent did one thing right in his life, at least.”

“Summer said he was the reason we all survived those early years. But, like our mom, she definitely doesn’t believe in love.”

“What do you believe?”

The question hung between us. What did I believe? A week ago, I might have given a different answer. “I want what you have with Lark,” I admitted quietly. “What Admiral has with Alice. A partnership. Trust. Someone who loves me just the way I am.”

“And Grit?”

I stared out at the lake. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s stubborn and infuriating and overprotective, but when he looks at me, I feel…” I trailed off.

“Seen,” Dante finished for me.

“Yes.” The simple word held so much weight. “But he’s determined to keep me at arm’s length. You know he lost someone, right?”

Dante shook his head.

“Her name was Kelly. She was an intelligence analyst at the FBI.”

His expression shifted to surprise. “What happened to her?”

“She was killed because of a case they were working on.”

“He never mentioned her to me,” my brother said, his brow furrowing.

That revelation settled in my chest—that Grit had shared even that small piece of himself with me when he hadn’t with many others.

“I’m not just talking about Grit,” I said, shifting the focus. “This work, being part of K19—it’s the first time I’ve had something that’s mine. Something I’m good at that matters.”

“You’re right about being good at it,” he acknowledged. “Better than I expected.”

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