Doyle fixed his gaze on Mark. “You need to get over it. Walker did the right thing. He got you, the package, out of the situation. You’re an agency man. He followed protocol. You know he did.”
Mark’s mouth pressed so tightly his lips were barely a thin line, but he gave a curt nod. Walker breathed a fraction easier.
“Mitch has said you can return home. Leon and his team are dead. You’re going to need to take extra security measures, but the agency will help you with that.”
“Is the threat over?” Mark asked.
Doyle shrugged. “The immediate threat has been neutralized. We don’t know whether Leon was giving the orders or if he was just a pawn. We’ve got our guys onto that.”
“And other rogue agents coming after me?”
“The agency is going to be taken apart from the top downward. Mitch has threatened Upstairs with the worst threats he can think of.” Doyle’s lips twitched. “Jake is moving from training to investigations.”
Walker wrinkled his brow. “We don’t have an investigations department.”
“We do now. He’s liaising with an outside agency to investigate us. They’re Seattle-based.”
Mark nodded; he didn’t seem much interested in Doyle’s explanation. “So I can go home?”
“If you cooperate with us, yes.”
Walker would make Mark cooperate if it was the last thing he did.
“I’ll need a ride home,” Mark said. “I’ll call Si.”
I, not we. Walker’s heart fractured as he realized Mark wasn’t including him in his plans.
Doyle shook his head. “No. One of us will drive you.”
Mark opened his mouth to protest, but Walker took his arm and hustled him away from the rest of the team.
“Just let me speak, okay?” he said as Mark folded his arms across his chest and scowled at him. “You don’t know that the threat is over. The agency is only letting you go home because the threat came from one of their own. They’ve got housekeeping to do first. Just let them drive you home or you’ll find yourself in protection somewhere.
“No,” Mark said flatly.
Walker gritted his teeth. What was it going to take to get through to the man? “Mark—”
“You take me home. No one else.”
Walker’s heart faltered. Did he hear right? Mark wanted him to drive?
“I hate what you did,” Mark said, “but you followed training. Doyle is right. I can’t blame you for that.”
“Are you still angry with me?”
“Yes.”
Walker nodded. This was part of the job he was going to have to get used to. Making decisions for other people whether they wanted it or not. It didn’t stick right with him, but it was essential. “I’ll need to organize a ride to the airport when we get to your place.”
“You don’t want to stay the night?”
“Are you sure you want me to?” Walker asked.
Please say yes!
Mark huffed and gave a wry smile. “I know I’m being an ass. You did good, big guy. I just want to be the one giving the orders to you, not the other way around.”
The breath caught in Walker’s throat, and he knew by the smile in Mark’s eyes he’d heard it.
“You can give me orders,” he said.
He closed his eyes as Mark leaned forward to give him the briefest of kisses.
“Aw, how sweet.”
Walker opened his eyes at Collins’s sneer. “If I kill him you’ll give me an alibi, won’t you?”
“You should have let me hit him earlier,” Mark said.
“Yeah, I should.”
“Walker?”
He turned to see Jamie holding what looked like a wand in her hand. She looked like hell to be honest. She’d had a gun held to her twice in one day and he’d have been a gibbering wreck if he’d been her, but she had a core of steel running through her. Jamie held up the wand, saying “You were right.”
“I was?” he furrowed his brow. “What was I right about?”
“Pete’s vehicle was bugged. It was well hidden. You’d never have spotted it with a casual glance.”
“I bet it was Rees,” Mark said.
Walker furrowed his brow. “But when?”
“Maybe at the motel, although why didn’t he kill me there?”
“I don’t know. They all knew where we were. Si and Rees, all the time.” Walker shook his head. “What a fucking cock-up.”
“Yet we’re the ones still standing.” Mark squeezed his shoulder. “You know, let’s get out of here.”
“We haven’t got a vehicle.”
“Here.”
Walker started; he’d forgotten Jamie was there. She held out a key fob.
“Take one of ours. It’s the pick-up out front. Leave it with your…friend. I’ll collect it tomorrow.”
The hesitation was there. Walker could have been offended, but he was tired, the adrenaline crashing, and he was just grateful to get out of there.
“Thanks, Jamie. How is Uncle Chip?”
She pulled a face. “Angry, bad headache. I wouldn’t go near him for a while.”
“Okay.”
He was going to need to build bridges with Chip and his family, but maybe they all needed space first.
Mark plucked the fob out of his hand. “I’ll drive.”
Walker opened his mouth to argue but Mark put a warm palm over his mouth.
“It’s seven hours drive. You’re gonna be asleep before I hit the interstate.”
In truth, Walker was too weary to make a fuss.
“There’s Gatorade in the pick-up,” Jamie said. “Make sure you drink it before you fall asleep.”
Mark grinned at her. “You’re very efficient.”
“It’s my job.” She left them alone and Walker looked over at his team.
“Just let me say goodbye, and we’ll go.”
Doyle inspected his face as Walker approached. “Everything okay?”
“I think so. Could I have a word?”
“Sure.”
He followed Doyle a few feet away.
“What’s up?” Doyle asked.
“Am I gonna be canned for this?” He pointed to the junkyard.
Doyle shook his head. “Already cleared it with Mitch.”
Walker blinked at him. “You did?”
“You used resources available to you. I knew about it. As far as our section leader is concerned it’s a team issue.”
A bubble of tension eased in Walker’s gut. The thought of being forced to choose between his family and his job had gnawed at him.
Doyle gave him a knowing look. “What about your family?”
Walker grimaced. “I dunno. It’s fifty-fifty whether they’ll ever talk to me again.”
“Seems to me that girl is the one you’ve got to worry about and she’s fine.” Doyle inclined his head at Jamie who was talking to Costa.
“She’s off-limits,” Walker warned.
“It isn’t me you’ve gotta worry about,” Doyle said. “Costa’s getting right cozy over there.”
Walker scowled at Costa, but he was too busy listening to Jamie. He would find time to warn Costa that his family was strictly off-limits.