Page 36 of Anchor
BOARDROOM – 2101 HOURS
The boardroom was quieter now but no softer. Ian stood at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping the members like he could see into each of them.
“You were all there,” he said, voice low but resonant, “except Kieran and Mike, the day we were told to stand down on the Vos hit. And you were all there the day Joe Bowman was murdered. Claire is his legacy. I keep my promises. She will be safe.”
His tone hardened. “And whoever is behind this, even if it’s not Vos, has marked her for seeing what she should not have. That makes her our responsibility.”
A beat of silence followed, thick with memory. Wes’s jaw worked. Julian stared at his hands. Troy’s eyes narrowed, processing. Zach alone met Ian’s stare, his understanding cutting deeper than words.
Martin cleared his throat, practical as ever. “Protection has to be immediate. Level-three team on rotation.”
Noah shook his head slightly. “Or Tree Town One, if they’re ready.”
“Not yet,” Killian said. “But close. Which means, if they’re assigned, the burden falls on Reid. And his relationship with her complicates everything.”
Zach leaned forward at that, his voice calm, decisive. “It doesn’t complicate; it defines. It’s early, but Reid and Claire are tied, sanctioned or not. That connection must be factored into any protection plan. It can be a strength or weakness depending how it’s managed. Ignore it, and it will burn us.”
Ian didn’t argue. He simply nodded once. “Bring Reid back in, alone.”
The door opened.Reid stepped back into the boardroom, shoulders squared, eyes sharp. Ian waited until the door shut behind him. Then he pressed, harder this time. “You’ve made it clear where you stand. Can you lead your team and protect her without compromise? Can you follow orders even when they cut against what you want? Because, make no mistake, Claire is no longer just yours. She belongs to this fight. And if you fail her, it won’t be her alone who pays. It will be everyone in this room.”
Reid didn’t hesitate. His voice rang like tempered steel. “Yes, sir. I can. And I will. My orders are hers. My responsibility is hers. My line holds.”
Ian studied him a long moment. Finally, he nodded. “Zach.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Domestic Law Enforcement Division Zach Wentworth leaned forward. His tone was clipped,final. “Then here are your marching orders, Reid. Claire Bowman is now a protected asset under Chase Security. You are her primary detail until further assignment. She doesn’t move without you or without coverage you approve. You’ll run Tree Town One, but your priority is her security. Fail, and there won’t be a second chance. Understood?”
Reid’s jaw flexed. He gave a short, sharp nod. “Understood.”
Zach leaned back. Ian finally shifted, settling into his chair. His voice softened, but only slightly. “Then God help anyone who tries to take her from you.”
EXECUTIVE SUITE LOUNGE – 2105 HOURS
The lounge was quiet in the way hospitals are quiet, with muted footsteps, soft lights, and the kind of silence that wasn’t restful but waiting. Claire sat on the edge of a leather chair that probably cost more than her entire apartment’s furnishings, her hands locked together in her lap.
Tuck Hanlon was across from her, his big frame folded into the seat like the room had shrunk to fit him. Pete Walter leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes tracking the hallway that led back to the boardroom. Both men were steady, like anchors thrown into shifting seas. She envied that calm.
Her own hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting. She pressed them flat against her knees, then stilled them.
Thirty minutes ago, she’d been inside a room with Ian Chase, telling him things she swore she’d never say out loud again.Emberline. The anomaly. The orders to sanitize. The deaths. All of it. And now Reid was in with him and Chase Security’s power—alone.
Her chest tightened. They were pressing him. She could feel it, pressure building behind a wall she couldn’t see. Ian Chase wasn’t the type to hand out trust without grinding it to dust first.
She glanced at Tuck. He hadn’t moved, but his eyes were steady on her, seeing too much.
“You’re holding your breath.”
She let out a shaky laugh. “Feels like if I breathe too much, I’ll tip something over.”
“Reid’s fine,” Pete said from the wall, his voice calm, measured. “They’ll come at him hard. That’s the way they do it. But he doesn’t break. He never has.”
Claire swallowed. “That’s what scares me. He won’t bend, not even for himself.”
Tuck leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his gaze softer now, almost paternal. “That’s why they gave him a team, Claire. That’s why he’s in there.”
Her throat burned. She looked away, blinking fast. She’d fallen hard. Was it that he was her first? She wondered what he thought. Did he feel the same?
The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the silence. Claire closed her eyes, listening to it, and realized she wasn’t afraid for herself anymore. She was afraid for Reid. Afraid of everything they were laying on him. Afraid of what this fight would carve out of him if she couldn’t help carry it.
