Page 83 of Code Name: Harbor

“And is there a reason?”

“Does there have to be?” I counter.

Bill chuckles, but it’s not one of amusement. It’s the laugh of a man who has my number. “Son, I know my daughter and she’s not one to move into a man’s house after knowing him a handful of weeks. Your answers to my questions are too vague, and I’ve gathered intel for my entire adult life. Something’s going on.”

I was afraid this might happen. Bill McAdams isn’t a man you bring into your kitchen and hand a coffee. He’s a retired marine general who spent his entire career asking hard questions and he can spot a deflection from a mile away.

But most of this story isn’t mine to tell. I’ll give him as much truth as I can without divulging the full truth.

“Her work is in a complicated place right now and it’s been pressing on her. She and I both agreed she’d be more comfortable here than at her house until it resolves.”

“Complicated how?”

“Complicated in ways I can’t speak to, sir.”

He sets the coffee down and folds his hands on the island. The blue of his eyes is glacial.

“Finn… my daughter is one of the best intelligence analysts this country has produced. She’s also my only child. I’ve spent many years watching her work cases I’m not cleared to know the details of, and I’ve lived with it because that’s the deal. So I’m not going to ask you to break confidence with her about her job, but I am going to ask you a question, and I would like a straight answer.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is she in physical danger right now?”

I don’t break eye contact. “Yes, sir. There’s a good chance she is.”

“Serious danger?”

“When it comes to Josie, there’s no other kind,” I reply.

His jaw moves and he nods in understanding. “And that’s why she’s here in your house instead of at her own?”

“I think she’s fully capable of protecting herself, but I believe she’s safer with two of us watching out.”

He looks at me for a long beat. “Good answer.”

A floorboard creaks at the top of the stairs. “Dad?”

Bill’s whole face changes and he swivels on his stool to face Josie.

“There she is.” Bill beams like a father who watched his daughter take her first steps.

Josie comes down in a white robe I haven’t seen her in yet, belted at the waist, her hair loose around her shoulders. No makeup, her feet bare on the wood, and so fucking beautiful, my chest squeezes.

She gets to the bottom step and stops, looking at Bill like she’s trying to decide if she’s actually awake. “What are you doing here?”

Bill throws his thumb my way. “Finn invited me.”

She turns her gaze slowly to me, her lips curved into a soft smile. “You invited my father over?”

I lift a shoulder and sweep the diced pepper into a bowl. “I thought you’d like it.”

She crosses the kitchen and goes straight into Bill’s arms. He folds her into a hug and kisses the top of her head.

Then she turns to me. She doesn’t say anything but comes around the island and slips her arms over my shoulders for a tight hug. She then kisses me once on the mouth in front of her father before murmuring, “Thank you. That’s so sweet.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turns back to Bill. “Coffee?”