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"Stop busting his chops, Lash," Bianca said, all business as she nailed Isaac to the floor with a piercing gaze "This isn't like other freelance jobs This is for one of our own It's a teaoes lone wolf on this one"

Lone wolf? Is that what they wanted to call it? He didn't play ith others He did as right, not what he was told It had cost him his rank His livelihood His brothers in arain, he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger This wasn't Afghanistan, though, and the members of the B-Squad weren't a scared, irl's head In this specific instance, he could do the one thing he swore he'd never do again Be a team player

He nodded "Understood"

Taz gave hi hi "I sure hope so"

Heat flared in a primitive part of Isaac’s brain, the one that responded to direct challenges with fists and fireared to push it back Taz was just looking out for TamaraThe entire B-Squad was They weren't the enemy Jarrod Fane was Still, the whole inquisition chapped his ass

"If you're done lecturing et this show on the road"

"Elisa and Marko, you'll tag-tea off orders like she'd been born to run a tea in theI'll call Jake Warrick with Absolute Security and tell him we need the jet back fro Essie, the rest of us will ainst Fane Keir, you'll take lead on that Puot, and I need it yesterday"

Isaac didn't wait for a dismissal He had his orders In a , he and Tamara turned as a unit and strode across the room Vivi and Lexie were already headed out into the hallway He and Tamara followed out the door behind them They'd taken a few steps into the hallhen Tamara slowed to a stop

"What was that all about?" she asked

He could tell her all about that night, peel back his skin and show her all the invisible scars that were still as jagged as they were in the heartbeat after he'd fired that kill shot He could tell her But he wouldn't Soly was best left buried

"I'rin, but it felt crooked on his face So he did what he always did He walked

She curled her fingers around his forear him "No, you're not, you're—"

A ht of the Valkyries” sounded from her purse All the blood drained out of her face as she skipped rooting around for the phone and dumped it out in thethrough the receipts, tubes of lipstick, and stray receipts until she retrieved her phone with tre hands

"Essie, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice pinched

He couldn't hear the answer, but whatever it washer face