Mercer looked at her then, and the disappointment sharpened into something colder. “Miss Vance.” He used the civilian title on purpose. “You understand the seriousness of assaulting enlisted personnel on this installation.”

Aria held his gaze. “I understand the seriousness of a staged provocation, Admiral.”

A few heads turned. Mercer’s jaw flexed once.

“Careful,” he said.

That word told her everything. Not angry. Not surprised. Careful. He wasn’t warning her because she’d crossed a line. He was warning her because she was close to one he’d drawn in secret.

Aria lowered her hand slightly, keeping the towel secure, and nodded toward the bench beside the lockers.