Page 93 of Fierce Hope
She took a moment to change, slipping into a simple emerald sweater and jeans. When she emerged from her bedroom, Deke was standing by her bookshelf, examining a small, framed photo of her college graduation—the only personal photo she displayed.
“You looked happy,” he observed.
“I was,” she confirmed, moving to stand beside him. “Fresh start. Clean slate.”
“And now?” he asked, turning to face her.
“Now I don’t need a clean slate,” she said with quiet confidence. “I just need to keep moving forward.”
Deke’s smile deepened, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “DJ’s bouncing off the walls. Fair warning, he’s told the story of your heroic table flip about fifty times already.”
“Great. I’ll never live that down, will I?”
“Probably not. The team’s pretty impressed, though.”
She was grabbing her coat when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Becca: Just heard about that girl Sarah from church. RU okay??? And what’s the latest with your hunky bodyguard??? DEETS PLEASE!
Deke raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
Cheeks burning, she angled the screen away from him. “Just friends checking in.”
She hesitated for a moment, thumbs hovering over the screen. What could she possibly say? That she’d nearly died? That somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, she’d found something she never expected?
Best to keep it simple.
Then, after thinking about it for a second, she added a second heart.
Details later.
She slipped the phone into her pocket and followed Deke outside.
Halfway across the landing, Deke turned back to her. “Fair warning: the team’s celebrations can get intense. Especially now that DJ is their hero.”
“Should I brace myself?”
“You might consider protective gear.”
“I survived Sarah Tannenger—I think I can handle your team.”
Deke raised an eyebrow, mock-serious. “Helmet optional, then?”
She laughed, slipping her hand comfortably into his. “Maybe I’ll risk it. This once.”
Together, they stepped out into the crisp evening air, hands intertwined. She gazed up at the winter stars just beginning to appear in the twilight sky. From con artist to accountant to ... whatever came next. Her path had never been straight, but somehow it led her exactly where she needed to be.
48
Deke steppedinto the hangar ahead of Jade and stopped dead.
In the four hours since he’d left, Knight Tactical Headquarters had undergone a full-scale transformation.
The helo and the Pilatus had been rolled into Kelli Reese’s family hangar, replaced by a two-story, glitter-covered unicorn bounce house that gleamed under flashing disco lights. Streamers dangled from the exposed beams, and pulsing music reverberated through speakers he didn’t even know they had.
But most of all? Glitter. Everywhere.
Jade let out a breathy laugh. “Wow. Impressive.”
