Page 123 of Override

"She keeps trying to see the best in people."

The words come softer now. Harder.

"Even when they don't deserve it."

Nobody interrupts. Nobody moves. And that only makes it worse.

I exhale. Slowly.

Then finish with the one thing that's been bothering me most.

"She smiles like she forgot she was allowed to."

Silence. Complete silence. The kind that follows a gunshot.

Rachel slowly looks down at Matt.

Matt closes his eyes. Once.

Then rubs a hand over his face. "Well."

Rachel smiles. Small. Victorious. "I told you."

"I know."

"You were wrong."

"I know."

She looks entirely too pleased about this.

Then Matt turns toward me. The amusement disappears. The team leader returns.

"Show me everything."

My stomach drops. "What?"

"Everything you've got on Ronan Gallagher."

The words land heavily between us.

Matt's expression remains calm. Steady. Certain. Not joking. Not teasing. Serious.

"I want the accounts." He holds out a hand. "The surveillance." He ticks his fingers like he is making a list. "The reports."

My pulse starts climbing. Because suddenly this conversation isn't about me anymore.

It's about her.

Matt's gaze hardens. “If she's as isolated as you're describing, this isn't a marriage problem.”

Rachel goes still beside him.

“It's containment,” I say quietly.

Matt nods once. “And if the evidence confirms that, we start building a way to get her out.”

And for the first time since this entire mess started—the idea doesn't sound impossible.