Brennan's chest swelled. His back straightened. His chin lifted. His eyes went glassy in a way that had nothing to do with the broken nose he was still sporting from the barrier incident and everything to do with the fact that Jaxon Valerios had just called him indispensable.
Damon: Nicholas.
Nicholas: I see it.
Damon: His eyes are doing the thing.
Reed: If he cries in this war room, he's in big trouble.
Brennan did not cry. The glassiness retreated behind a hard blink and a jaw clench that cost him his dignity but saved his reputation. He gave Jaxon a nod that was short, controlled, and contained the emotional payload of a man who would be crying about this in private later and was choosing right now to be a goddamn professional about it.
