Updated Feb 18, 2026 • ~6 min read
WILLA
Three days after Malcolm’s arrest.
I’m back in my apartment.
Cleaned. Repaired. Safe.
Archer is next door in 3B.
But he’s here most of the time.
We’re in that weird limbo space.
The danger is over.
But nothing is resolved.
“Tell me about Nadia,” I say one night.
We’re on my couch. Wine. Comfortable silence.
Until now.
Archer tenses.
“Why?”
“Because she’s part of your past. And I want to know all of you.”
He’s quiet for a long moment.
“We met at the FBI academy. She was smart. Driven. Beautiful. We started dating. Got engaged after a year. Seemed perfect.”
“What happened?”
“The Domenico case. We went undercover together. Lorenzo Domenico was suspicious of me. But he trusted Nadia. She was
that good. And then… I don’t know when it happened. But somewhere along the way, she switched sides.”
“She fell for Lorenzo?”
“No. She fell for the money. The power. Lorenzo offered her everything the FBI couldn’t. So she started feeding him intel. Compromising operations. Getting agents killed.”
I take his hand.
“Marcus figured it out first. Confronted her. She shot him. Left him for dead in that warehouse. Then she came for me. Told me everything. Laughed about how easy it was to fool me.”
“God, Archer—”
“She said she never loved me. That it was all part of the game. And then she tried to kill me too. FBI snipers took her out before she could.”
His voice is flat.
Emotionless.
But I can hear the pain underneath.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. She made her choice. And it got her killed.”
“But it hurt you.”
“Yeah. It did. Made me question everything. My judgment. My ability to trust. Whether I was good enough at this job.”
“You’re more than good enough.”
“I let a traitor share my bed for two years. Didn’t see it coming.”
I turn his face toward me.
“That’s not on you. That’s on her. She lied. She manipulated. She betrayed. You loved her honestly. There’s no shame in that.”
He looks at me.
Really looks.
“I’m scared I’ll miss the signs with you too.”
“What signs? I’m not Nadia.”
“I know. But what if I’m wrong again? What if I’m missing something?”
I get it.
The fear.
The mistrust.
“Ask me anything. Right now. Anything you want to know. I’ll tell you the truth.”
He considers.
“Why me? You could have any man you want. Why fall for your mysterious savior?”
“Because you risked everything to save me. And you didn’t have to. You could have called it in. Let other agents handle it. But you didn’t. You saved me yourself. And then you thought about me for three years. The same way I thought about you.”
“That’s not rational.”
“Love isn’t rational.”
He almost smiles.
“What else?”
“What else what?”
“What else do you want to know about me?”
He thinks.
“What’s your biggest fear? Not the obvious stuff. The deep stuff.”
“That I’ll wake up one day and you’ll be gone. Disappeared like three years ago. And I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering if you were real.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You might have to. Witness protection. You said it yourself.”
“Then I’ll take you with me.”
“What if I can’t go? What if I have family or work or—”
“Willa. Listen to me. I’m not leaving you. Ever. If I have to quit the FBI and start over under my real name, I will. If I have to disappear and take you with me, I will. If I have to stay in Silvercrest as Aaron Stone for the rest of my life, I will. Whatever it takes to be with you.”
My heart flips.
“You mean that.”
“Every word.”
I kiss him.
Deep. Desperate. Believing.
We make love that night.
Slow. Tender. Real.
No danger. No adrenaline. No fear.
Just us.
And it’s perfect.
The next morning, Tobias calls.
“We need to talk. My office. Both of you.”
This is it.
The moment we find out what happens next.
We drive to FBI headquarters in silence.
Nervous. Hopeful. Scared.
Tobias’s office is exactly what I expected.
Sterile. Professional. American flag in the corner.
“Sit.”
We sit.
“Malcolm Domenico is cooperating. Full testimony against his father’s organization. In exchange, we’re reducing his sentence.”
Archer tenses.
“How much?”
“Twenty years instead of life.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“That’s the deal. We get the whole network. He gets to live.”
Archer looks ready to explode.
I take his hand.
“What does this mean for us?” I ask.
Tobias looks at me.
“It means the threat is over. Malcolm’s organization is dismantled. You’re safe.”
“And Archer?”
“Archer’s cover is blown. Half the criminal underworld knows he’s alive. He can’t go back into witness protection.”
My stomach drops.
“So what happens to him?”
Tobias looks at Archer.
“You have two options. One: stay with the FBI. New assignment. New city. New identity. Fresh start.”
“And two?”
“Two: You retire. Take your pension. Walk away. Live your life.”
Silence.
Heavy.
“If I retire, do I keep the Aaron Stone identity?”
“No. You’d go back to being Archer Saint. Your family would know you’re alive. Your old life would resume.”
“And Willa?”
“She’s free to make her own choices.”
Archer looks at me.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to be happy. Whatever that looks like.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll follow you anywhere. But I need you to choose what’s right for you. Not what you think I want.”
He turns back to Tobias.
“I need time to think.”
“You have forty-eight hours. Then I need an answer.”
We leave.
In the car, Archer is quiet.
“Talk to me.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do. You’re just scared to admit it.”
“What do you think I want?”
I look at him.
“I think you want to retire. Go back to being Archer Saint. See your family again. Live a normal life. But you’re scared of being selfish.”
Direct hit.
“I’ve spent ten years being FBI. It’s all I know.”
“It’s not. You were a teacher before. You could be again.”
“And just… walk away? Leave the job unfinished?”
“Malcolm’s in custody. The organization is dismantled. The job IS finished.”
He doesn’t respond.
But I can see him thinking.
Considering.
Maybe, just maybe, letting himself want something more.
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