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Chandler ended the call, never taking his eyes off Eden. “There. It’s done.”
Lips compressed, she tapped the toe of her sneaker on the pavement. “That’s it, then?”
“Yep, that’s it.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll brief Matt as soon as I get to the office, and he’ll be in contact with you for next steps.” He inhaled deep. “Look. I know you don’t understand this and you’re not happy about it.”
“You got that right.”
“But,” he said, with more emphasis than necessary, “once you think it through, you’ll see that the only way to complete this mission successfully is to get back to treating it like what it is. A case.”
“I see.” Her expression said that what she saw was right through his bullshit. “So all of this,” she gestured between them, one brow arched. “What’s happened between us this past week or so. It’s nothing but another case to you? Another mission?”
Everything inside him screamed to say no. Hell no. Nothing about what he’d shared with Eden was normal for him. He felt things for her he’d never felt for anyone else in his life. But telling her so would defeat everything else he’d done here. It would mean all the pain, all the regret he’d heaped upon himself for his actions thus far had been for nothing, so no. He would not tell her the truth. He would not say he loved her, because he needed to protect her.
Emotionally, he went into lockdown, shutting his feeling away just like he did on a SEAL mission before they went out on the battlefield. He cleared his mind of everything but the drive to just get through it. Just get it done. Forcing the word out was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. “Yes.”
Eden blinked at him slowly for a long moment, the pink in her cheeks slowly draining away into stark paleness and the fire in her eyes dimming. “Right. Okay.” She looked away, her throat working hard. He clenched his hands tighter at his sides to keep from reaching for her and confessing that it was all a lie. “Then I guess this is it. We’re done.”
He gave a stiff nod. “Yes. We’re done. I’ll still help with the trial, since it’s next week. Not sure Matt will be able to get up to speed that quickly on everything there.” She’d already started walking away before he finished speaking.
“Whatever,” she said over her shoulder, not even looking at him now, like he didn’t exist. That hurt worse than anything. Eden started around the front of the van. “I’ll move in with my parents tonight.”
“Wait for me to follow you back to my place, in case this guy shows up again.” Chandler got in his own car and followed her out of the parking lot, staring at her taillights in the gathering twilight. He didn’t like that he’d hurt her, but it was for the best. If she was hurt, she wouldn’t fight for their relationship. She’d just walk away. And that was what he wanted. What he needed. To keep her safe. He’d watch from a distance now. Make sure she gave her testimony in court, just as he’d promised. And through it all, he would stay cool. Calm. Collected.
Even if it felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest and run over.
