“Walk away?” Danny let out a short, humorless laugh. “What, you’re joking, right?”

Jack’s face answered the question. The man had been known to joke candidly with his agents from time to time.

This was not one of those times.

“So, what? I stop answering her calls.”

“You refrain from returning contact outside of the convent, yes.”

Danny blinked. “Don’t you think that’s overreacting a little?”

Jack thought about it for a moment. “No, I don’t.”

Though caught off guard by his answer, Danny regained his momentum with a sharpness bred from practice. “Look, Jack, I care about what’s going on with this girl,” he asserted. “And despite how simple it may sound, I am not going to just walk out of her life.”

“Nobody’s asking you to. What I am asking you to do is take a step back and look at the big picture. Objectively.”

Frustration pursed Danny’s lips as he sat back in his chair.

Jack lowered his voice, studying the agent before him. “Or are you unable to do that?”

Danny let out breath, trying to level with him. “Jack, this kid is obviously in some sort of trouble. The last thing she needs is someone second-guessing her when instead they could provide some stability in her life. Something she can trust.” Another thought quickly struck him, and he addressed it. “Now, if you think I’m trying to cover for her-”

“I don’t think you’re trying to cover for her,” Jack said calmly. “I just wonder how seriously you’re taking the possible repercussions of your actions.”

It was enough to give him pause. Danny’s eyes squinted. “What are you talking about?”

Jack lowered his gaze and shared a knowing glance with Danny. “The age gap. The phone call at midnight. Picking her up in your car…”

As the vulgar meaning behind his words connected, Danny’s entire demeanor changed. “Look, if you’re trying to suggest that I’m even capable of thinking something like that-”

“If I did, we would be having this conversation somewhere else,” he returned. “I know you don’t operate that way, and so does everyone on this team. But anyone else…” Jack gave a distinct pause. “If something ever happens to Jordan outside of our jurisdiction, you’ve given them every reason to investigate you.”

“Who?” he shot back angrily.

“The cops, the courts, children’s welfare. Whoever is involved should something happen.”

Danny’s eyebrows scrunched together, and he dispelled a breath of disbelief.

But despite the look on Danny’s face, Jack never faltered. “You took a chance, going to get her that night. I’m not saying it wasn’t commendable. But, in taking that chance, you’ve opened yourself up to risk, in ways I don’t think you were fully conscious of.”

Danny stared straight at Jack, strain tracing a line down his cheekbone. “So I stop helping her because of what other people might think?”

Jack – cool as ever – continued. “What other people will think. You’ve seen what can happen in this business. What happens when a person is suspected of being involved with a child.” He gave a pause to let Danny remember all the numerous mortifying and dangerous instances other possible suspects had encountered in the past, sometimes from Danny himself.

“All it takes is one implication…one false suspicion…to ruin a career. I suggest you talk with her. Let her know where you stand.”

“And that’s what you would do?” he challenged.

“That’s my advice to you.”

“No, you didn’t answer my question.”

Jack’s pause seemed longer than it actually was. “It’s your call, not mine. It doesn’t matter what I would do.” Dismissing the conversation, he cast a stare to the work on his desk. “There’s a girl in her early teens named Belinda Price. Lives in Cedar Brook. She left to catch the bus this morning and never got on. I want you and Viv to go down to the development and talk to her parents. Viv has the address.”

Though upset by what Jack had said, Danny sorted through his personal business. He visibly calmed and nodded at the given instructions. “We’ll talk to them. See if we can figure out what kind of friends or enemies they might have in the area.”

Jack nodded. “Good.”

With his assignment in front of him, Danny got up from his chair to leave.

“Danny,” Jack said before he left the room.

The agent turned around in the doorway.

Jack caught him in his gaze. “I know how much she means to you…the history you have. But if you truly care about Jordan, you’ll set boundaries. It’s the only way to protect the both of you.”

Jaw set, Danny gave another nod. For a moment, he looked ragged, a man torn between the opposition of his mind and his heart.

But the torn look on his face did not stay long. Reverting back to the task at hand, he gathered his confidence and walked firmly out of the room.

Sitting at his desk, Jack blinked and let him go. He looked down at his paperwork and began filling out descriptions, multitasking as his mind stayed on the fresh words he shared with his agent.

Though it was obvious that Danny had not been happy with his response, Jack regretted nothing he had said. His agent had come to him for advice, and he had given it to him, along with the reality of his situation. It wasn’t easy, putting yourself at risk to help others, Jack knew that best of all. But there was a time for action and a time to refrain from taking that action. He wasn’t sure what Danny would do, but he had given him all he could. For now, he would sit back and allow him to make that decision for himself.

* * * * *

As Danny stalked from the room and into the open workstation, he breathed a heavy sigh against his closed lips. Though part of him couldn’t believe what he had just heard, he knew he had no reason to be surprised.

What had he expected Jack to do? Wave a flag and shout ‘Go get ‘em, Tiger!’

The image almost made him laugh.

No, he had gone to Jack for the truth, and it had been handed to him, along with a healthy dose of some paranoid instincts. Though he hadn’t liked hearing it, what he was doing was dangerous, and it was only encouraging Jordan to continue with her lifestyle.

Danny knew it would be impossible to take all of Jack’s advice. He wasn’t built that way. But through all the warnings, Jack had made one thing clear.

A talk with Jordan could not be put off any longer.

As Danny stared forward in the midst of his uncertainty, the familiar bulletin board in the office came into focus with a new, smiling photograph in place.

But for now, Jordan would be put aside. There was a new face in front of him. She needed him to find her, and as sure as his name was Danny Taylor, he would give her all he had to offer.

Within moments, Vivian was beside him, suited up in her dark green winter jacket. “You ready to go?”

Grabbing his own coat, Danny managed a smile. “Always. To Cedar Brook?”

Vivian nodded, following him out of the office. “To Cedar Brook.”