Chapter 10 - COLE’S CALL
Cole called me that weekend.
“How’s Ava?”
“Fine.”
“Rabbit okay?”
I smiled.
“Major survived combat.”
He laughed.
Then became serious.
“I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“The mat.”
“You didn’t make the pairing.”
“I still charged.”
“Grant put your contract on the line.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
I respected that.
“Then apology accepted.”
He exhaled.
“Thanks.”
There was a pause.
“Victoria offered me a position.”
“That’s good.”
“I turned down the protection team.”
“Why?”
“I’m taking training operations.”
I laughed.
“So future candidates get fewer surprise tackles?”
“That’s the idea.”
Then:
“She asked whether I thought you’d come back.”
I looked toward the living room.
Ava was repairing Major’s ear with a child-sized sewing kit.
“Come back for what?”
“The job.”
I said nothing.
Northstar had suspended the entire assessment.
Every candidate would be reevaluated.
Grant was gone.
But something inside me resisted.
The building now felt connected to Ava watching a grown man kick the one object she carried because her father was dead.
Jobs are replaceable.
Children remember rooms.
Cole seemed to understand my silence.
“Rachel.”
“Yeah?”
“If you say no because of what happened, I get it.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“You were the best person there.”
“According to you.”
“According to everyone except the guy committing credential fraud.”
That made me laugh.
Then he said:
May you like
“Don’t let Grant make your decision after he’s gone.”
I hated good advice when I wasn’t ready for it.
