Page 61 of Fearless
“As far as Sergio Alvarez is concerned, he’s no longer a problem,” Ackerman interjects. “He was one of the ten men who planned to ambush us and was killed after they opened fire. Five didn’t make it, and the other five are also in our custody. After Eloise confirmed that there wasn’t a scheduled delivery, we suspected it was a trap. Monroe and Simms were in place to validate.”
Jessie punches Monroe in the arm harder than necessary. “You had me fooled, Monroe. To think, you were on ‘Team Finnegan’ the whole time. You made it sound like you had Finnegan pegged for the crime, and pretending not to like me was a nice touch.”
Monroe rubs the spot she punched and scowls at her. “I don’t like you.” When Jessie pouts, his gaze softens. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t hate you either.”
Jessie beams. “Aww. You tolerate me! I can live with that!”
Simms clears his throat. “I apologize for making you believe that we thought Finnegan was guilty. We did it so that Whitman would trust us. We didn’t know whether or not he was listening in. When he didn’t ask for the schematics from us, we knew that we were free and clear.”
I scan the area and notice that the chaos is dying down and that everything is under control. “What happens next?”
My mother gestures toward the agents gathered around. “The FBI will take it from here. You, my dear, need to go to the hospital.”
“Wait for us! We’re coming with you!” Savannah shouts as she heads off in the direction of the vehicles that are parkednearly half a mile away.
“Roger’s our family,” Patrick adds.
“And I need more footage of Roger doped up on pain meds! It will give me enough blackmail fodder for years to come,” Jessie adds, dragging Elijah behind her. Elijah simply shakes his head and smiles.
I rush through the sliding glass doors to the emergency room, searching for a doctor, a nurse, or anyone who can tell me what is going on. My father notices me and waves me over, patting the seat next to him. His eyes widen when the rest of the team and my mother come in right behind me. Only a few chairs are available in the waiting room, which is not enough to accommodate the 11 of us.
I take the offered seat while my mom sits on his other side. Ethan walks up and asks my father, “Is there any word on Roger’s condition?”
“He just went in for surgery,” my dad replies. He leans around Ethan and counts the number of people. “There might be another waiting room somewhere that’s a little less crowded.”
Ethan nods. “We’ll wait in the cafeteria where there is plenty of room. Please text or call me with any updates to Roger’s status or if you need anything. If you get hungry or need a ‘pick me up,’ then one of us will get you taken care of.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, standing up to give him a hug. I make eye contact with every member of Shining Knight andthen add, “Thank you all. It’s been an honor to be part of the team. The love, support, and unwavering dedication you show to one another is why you all succeed.”
Ethan leans in, “It’s our pleasure, Harper. It’s been great working with you, but don’t forget, it doesn’t have to end here. There will always be a place for you at Shining Knight.”
When Ethan and the rest of the group walk away, I stand and watch as they go. I don’t sit back down until I hear my mother make a comment.
“Oh, no. There’s that look again!” she says lightheartedly.
My father and I both look at her with the same confused expression. “What look?” I ask.
“Yearning and desire,” she replies. “It was the same look you had over ten years ago when you noticed Roger as a man and not as a family friend. Except this time, you yearn and desire to be a part of Shining Knight. Am I wrong?”
My father takes her hand and brings it to his mouth. “You never are,” he says.
I chuckle. “Mom will never admit it if she is, but in this case, she’s most definitely right. I wanted to be a part of that team for at least ten years. It’s why I quit dancing in the first place.”
“It was because of Roger, wasn’t it? Your mom told me that you’ve been head over heels for him for gosh knows how long. I can’t believe I didn’t see it!” My dad waits expectantly for me either to confirm or deny his words.
“In part. I wanted Roger to see me as more than your daughter, Dad. I thought becoming an agent was the best way to do that. Was it the smartest thing to do? Probably not, but it led us here. Over time, my motivations still included Roger, butthey grew to encompass so much more. When you shared their stories with me, I knew I wanted to be a part of something meaningful. And I was, just not in the way I had imagined. The FBI has been satisfying, but I want a family, too.”
He hangs his head. “Are you planning on leaving the FBI?”
That seems to be the question of the day. “I’ve been offered a position at Shining Knight Protection Services, but whether or not I take it will depend on how Roger feels about it. More importantly, it depends on how he feels about me.”
“He loves you, Kiddo,” my father tells me, pulling me into a one-armed embrace. “I gave him a choice. Me or you. I asked if he would be willing to give up 24 years of friendship to be with you.”
“Robert, you didn’t!” my mom shouts, her face contorting in utter disappointment at my father’s immature behavior.
“I did. However, I had my reasons. I wanted to know if his feelings were fleeting and if he would be willing to make the sacrifice for you. Words mean nothing without action.” He folds his arms across his chest, sitting back in his seat and looking smug. “Do you want to know what he told me?”
I stare at him defiantly. He stares back. We meet in a battle of gazes, and I refuse to be the first one to blink.
