“She passed out before she could give me a name, but she said she knew who it was Commander.” Finding Laney passed out on the ground like that had taken about thirty years off my life. But fuck me, hearing her say she loved me, well that had been the best feeling of my life.

“Well keep a close eye on her Atlas. I need to know that name yesterday. Whoever it is, I want their fucking ass on a platter!”

I knew the feeling. “Commander I have a feeling this wasn’t the work of one person. I think there’s a mole at Stanford but somehow other governments found out about it.”

“Get answers as soon as she wakes up.”

“Yes sir.”

“And Atlas I wanted you to know that I’ve put in your retirement papers.”

I frowned. “My what? Sir, are you unhappy with how I’ve handled the situation with Dr. Watson?” Shit, had he somehow guessed that things had moved beyond platonic?

“Is it Dr. Watson now, not Laney?”

Was that amusement I heard in his voice? “Commander Mahoney, it’s not like that.”

“It damn well is, and I say it’s about damn time. The team will be sorry to lose you, but it’s time.”

“No it’s not. It’s not time Commander!” I couldn’t lose the only thing I’d ever had that meant a damn thing to me. “With all due respect Commander, it’s not your decision.”

“Son this assignment was meant to be your last. You can write your own ticket, choose wisely.”

There was more I wanted to say but he’d ended the call, the way he always did. The man was determined to get his way at all costs, but in this he was wrong. At least I hoped he was.

“Mr. Atlas, Dr. Watson would like to see you.”

Finally! “How is she?”

“Fine. A little out of it, but she seems a little desperate to see you.”

“Right. Thank you, doctor.” I’d spent the past few hours going out of my mind as she drifted in and out of consciousness before leaving her to the care of a Navy doctor at Mahoney’s instruction. “Laney, how are you feeling?”

She reached an arm out to me. “Better now,” she smiled and winced, placing a hand to her nose. “How bad do I look?”

“You look beautiful, as always.”

She rolled her eyes and patted the bed. “I never realized what a bad liar you are.” She patted the spot again until I sat down, holding her hands in mine. “Ryan Austin is the leak.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “The man who attacked me outside the bathroom said his boss can produce the batteries needed for the Harness very cheaply.”

I frowned. “But it doesn’t require batteries. Right?” I still had a minimal understanding of her work, but I knew that much.

She smiled, but it was so faint it could hardly be called a smile. “No but that was one of the changes I made to the different copies of the dissertation.”

“That’s my girl,” I told her and brought her hands to my mouth, brushing a kiss against her knuckles. “I’ll get word to Mahoney.”

“Wait. He thanked me for my research like I worked for him. I knew it sounded weird but I couldn’t quite figure it out. But as I floated back to consciousness and saw your face, I knew.”

The President of the goddamn university had set her up from the beginning. “I’ll kill that sack of shit.”

“No you won’t Bennett, you’ll let the Commander and whatever other entities inside the United States government handle him. He’s not worth risking your career over.” She just understood, and that was a gift. I knew many of my team would love to have a woman like her waiting for them when each mission ended.

“I don’t know Laney, he might be after what he put you through.”

“Bennett,” she sighed, giving me that soft-eyed look she wore after we made love. “I don’t know how I can ever possibly repay you.”

“I don’t need you to repay me.” I didn’t want her to think she owed me anything.

“Then what do you need?”

And in that moment I knew. “You. Just you, Dr. Watson.”

“Are you sure about that? I mean this is all pretty unorthodox by anyone’s standards, right?”

“That’s true but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

“Is this real, Bennett? Would you have been with me if we hadn’t been forced into close proximity by the threats to me, my research and national security?”

“If I’d gotten to know you like I do, absolutely.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled back with a smile. “I wish you could see how I see you, Laney. You’re fantastic. Beautiful as hell, and so smart it should be scary. But you know what?”

“What?” Her question came out breathless, full of emotion.

“It’s hot as hell.” I laughed and she joined in, just as I hoped she would.

Then she sobered. “But you’re leaving. Back to the Navy, right?”

I nodded because I couldn’t seem to push the words past my lips. I didn’t have to go back to being an active SEAL if I didn’t want to, and if Commander Mahoney could be believed he’d already started the process for my retirement. If I accepted that I could do whatever the hell I wanted. I could start my own security firm. I could do something with my engineering degree or get a job making a shit ton of money in the private sector.

“For a while anyway.”

She looked away, wiping at her eyes, but her other hand stayed on my leg, buried under my own hand. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you Bennett.”

“Who’s asking you to?”

“Circumstances.”

“What will you do next?”

“I don’t know. Going back to Stanford seems impossible, but what are my options?”

Come with me. I wanted to say that to her, but it wouldn’t be fair. “You are the smartest person I have ever met, on any continent. You can do whatever the hell you want.”

“Thank you Bennett.” When she turned watery blue eyes my way, I felt simply gutted. Her eyes were filled with tears and regret, love and hope. “You are a special man and I’m grateful that I got a chance to know you. To love you.”

“Laney, you’re killin’ me sweetheart.” I wanted to say more to her. To tell her I felt the same way, but several men in suits and a few in different military uniforms came through the door, squashing any personal talks.

***

I should have let it go and gone back to San Diego to finish up my last month with the SEALs, but I couldn’t. I’d gotten in Mahoney’s face and pretty much forced him to let me in on this part of the project. Only I couldn’t.

This asshole had scared, no terrified, Laney. He’d sent mercenaries after her who set her house on fire, beat her and put a bomb under her car. He needed to pay and that’s where I came in. A week had passed since Laney and I had arrived at the Pentagon and she hadn’t yet returned to California. No doubt Austin thought he’d gotten away with it. The prick.

See, I knew this guy. I’d met guys like him all over the world and they were all the same. They had a great deal of power in their small corner of the world but that wasn’t enough. No. They wanted more, and because they weren’t smart enough to aim for more, they went to extremes and took shit into their own hands.

Just like Ryan fucking Austin. So, I sat on Laney’s sofa and waited. I knew he would show up, we’d been monitoring his emails. He had the dissertation, but he didn’t have the prototype and he needed it to get paid. An hour of waiting and he’d finally put in an appearance, clumsily attempting to break in.

I waited.

He entered and didn’t even bother looking around, creeping across the living room. He froze when his gaze landed on me. “Mr. Atlas,” he wore a smug grin.

“What a surprise to find you here Austin.”

“Dr. Watson asked me to grab something from her lab.” He could barely contain his fucking smirk, and I wanted to smack it right off his fucking face.

“Yeah? She didn’t say a thing to me, but go right ahead.” I knew what he didn’t, that he wouldn’t find what he was looking for downstairs.

He walked slowly, cautiously through the kitchen and down to the basement. Seconds later a string of curses wafted up from Laney’s lab and I smiled. Footsteps sounded quickly up the steps and he scowled down at me.

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” I shrugged with a smirk.

“The prototype, asshole. Where is it?”

“Not here would be my guess.”

He laughed bitterly but slowly it turned to amusement. “I knew when you showed up she would go wild for you. No man had ever touched the brainiac before, and you, well I knew you would be the distraction she needed.”

“You shouldn’t have threatened her, and you would have gotten everything. If that asshole at the club hadn’t put his hands on her, or tried to burn us along with the house, you’d be counting your cash on a beach somewhere by now. Instead you’re going to prison. Maybe worse.”

“I have the research, and as soon as Watson gets back I’ll have the prototype.” He grinned like he’d just won.

I loved this part. Standing I stepped forward until we were face to face and I wore my own smug grin.

“Well here’s the thing, Laney is much smarter than you are. Than I am. Hell, she’s smarter than most people. And she knew the best way to find the mole and make them think they’d won was to alter the research. That’s how we knew it was you, the guy who came after her mentioned batteries.”

His smile slipped. “What are you talking about?”

“Whatever you thought you sold is a big fat fucking lie. I imagine even if you found your way out of this mess your partners wouldn’t look too kindly on being duped.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?” I shrugged and shoved my hands in my pocket. “Then I guess only time will tell. For now, you’re coming with me.”

He shook his head. “She won’t be safe, not as long as she’s alive. A brain like that is the kind people will do anything to have on their side. Anything.”

“Well they’re welcome to try, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“I can’t go to prison,” he insisted and pulled a gun from inside his jacket pocket. “I won’t go.”

I laughed. “Is that how you want to play this?” I took another step forward. “I won’t let you shoot me and I won’t even let you shoot yourself, so give up the gun and this will all be easy.”

He raised the gun. I grabbed his wrist and twisted until he dropped it before sweeping his feet under. He was face down on the ground with my knee in his back.

“Ow, okay! Okay, I said!”

I gave the code word and the men came in to cuff Ryan Austin and take him away.

I hopped in my car, and for the second time in a week, made the long drive down to San Diego.

Back to my old life that now seemed like a lifetime ago.