I buried my face in her tiny neck, taking in the smell and feel of her one last time. I wouldn’t see her again after this. I wouldn’t know what she became when she grew up, and I would never meet all her boyfriends. I wouldn’t walk her down the aisle when she got married. All my dreams were going up in smoke.
I felt little arms wrap around my legs. I glanced down to see Griffin hugging me and laughing. I bent down, setting Raven on her feet as I pulled Griffin, my son, the kid that looked exactly like me, into my arms.
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” he babbled with excitement.
I pulled him into my arms and squeezed him tight. I couldn’t keep this up. I was barely holding it together. I pulled back and held him at arm’s length. “Hey, bud. I need to talk to you and your sister for a minute. Okay?”
He nodded happily, not getting at all that I was about to crush his heart. Raven, however, seemed to know that something bad was coming.
“I’m going away, so I need you guys to be really good for your momma, okay?”
“But you were just gone,” Raven said sadly.
“I know, but I have to leave again.”
“When are you coming back?”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat and shook my head. “I’m not, baby girl.”
Tears filled her eyes and her lip quivered. “Why aren’t you coming back? Did I do something wrong?”
“No-”
“I promise I’ll be good for Mommy,” she cried. “I’ll be a good girl. I promise, Daddy. I promise!”
She threw her arms around my neck and held me tight. A sob caught in my throat, so I pushed her away and stood, grabbing my bag. “Be good for your momma,” I repeated, walking over to Cade, who was in Kate’s arms. I ran my knuckles across his cheek before swiping at the tears that leaked from my eyes. I barely got to see him grow up. All I would have were a few memories. I leaned in and kissed his little cheek. My eyes caught with Kate’s. She was staring at me with tears in her eyes and hate. I wanted to kiss her one last time, but I didn’t think she would like that. With nothing else to say, I took a step back and headed for the door.
My heart ached as I walked out the door and left my family behind. It wasn’t fair, but I had made my choices in life and now I had to live with them. I had known a long time ago, when I chose to take the lives of my superiors, that my life was forfeit. Now I was paying the price for my choices. My life would never be the same again. My life wasn’t worth living. Without them, I was nothing. Without them, I didn’t want to go on.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Hunter stormed up to me as I tossed my bag into my pickup truck. I had been hoping to slip out of here without anyone else noticing, but that wasn’t going to happen now. Not only was Hunter stalking toward me, but Cap and Lola were right on his heels.
“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice now cold and unfeeling. I had managed to pull myself together after I walked out of my house, but just barely. Luckily, no one had followed me outside. Part of me hoped that Kate would chase me, beg me not to leave, but she hadn’t. She knew I was serious about leaving, and she didn’t want to see me anymore.
“I don’t get it. You have your wife and your family. You’ve been given a gift, and you’re just walking away?” he shouted.
“I have to. They’re not safe as long as I’m here.”
“Knight, we’ll keep them safe,” Cap said pleadingly. “We’ll put in more security at her clinic. We’ll make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
I knew he would and I was counting on that, but I also had a chance to hit him where it hurt. It would be the only way Cap would accept me walking away. And I hated myself for doing it.
“Like you did every other time something has happened?” Shame filled his face, but I kept going. “So, when we were attacked by gangs and my wife was taken, you were doing your best then? We put in additional security and then we were still attacked by the cartels. Men almost died, and you have the nerve to say that you’ll keep them safe? After all we’ve already been through? Go ahead and put in your additional security. It’ll never be enough, because there’ll always be something you didn’t think of. This is the only way that I can keep her safe. I have to leave my family behind because of your incompetence.”
“That’s taking things too far, Knight. You helped put in those security measures,” Lola snapped. “You know this isn’t his fault, anymore than Kate getting taken is your fault. Bad shit happens sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you run away from your problems. You taught me that.”
“I didn’t teach you shit,” I spat.
“Really? So, all those days that I sat in my truck, refusing to come inside and face my issues, that wasn’t you helping? You were the one that pushed me to get past my fear, yet here you are, running away because you’re scared.”
“You’re damn right I’m scared,” I snapped. “That’s my family in there, and they’re constantly in danger because I’m around. But as long as I’m gone, no one’s chasing them. I’ll do everything I can, lead my enemies as far away from here as possible, to make sure that nothing ever hurts them again. If there are any threats, I’ll take them out before they even get close.” I sighed, shaking my head slightly. It felt like I was a broken record, constantly repeating myself to them. “You may not like how I choose to protect my family, but I know this is right for them. I’d rather walk away and know they’re safe than stick around and always wonder who’s coming for them.”
No one argued with me anymore. It was like they all knew the truth of my words, even if they didn’t want to admit it. It was hard to stand here with the friends I once made and walk away like they meant nothing. This whole damn situation was hard, but this was the way it had to be. My time was up. I opened the door and got in, just about to close the door when I heard Cap’s voice.
“Knight, wait!”
I sighed, but kept the door open. “What?”
“The FBI is here.” My head snapped up to meet his gaze. “Dennick’s back and he wants to see Kate.”
Dennick, that fucker stepped out of his truck like he had a right to be here. Whatever the fuck he wanted, he could fuck off. He wasn’t getting anywhere near my family, especially after all the shit he pulled with Parker and Blake. I clenched my hands into fists. I had to hold back. I couldn’t do anything to make Dennick come after me or my family. That was the reason I was in this position to begin with.
“Knight, right?” He smirked at me as he approached with his army of FBI agents. There were seven of them here, and for what? Why did they want to see Kate?
“Cap, any chance you’ll let Sinner out to have some fun?” Hunter asked from beside me.
“He’s on a job, and it’s not one I can pull him off of.”
Dennick walked up to me, getting in my face. I felt like punching him, but I had to wait him out and see what he wanted. “There’s an open investigation of your wife’s disappearance,” he said, a slimy grin on his face. “I just need to speak with her, make sure that she’s okay.”
“I’m perfectly capable of making sure my wife is okay.”
“Just not making sure that she stays safe, am I right?”
I felt Hunter’s hand clench around my arm, holding me back from beating the shit out of him. “She’s fine, and that’s all you need to know.”
“Well, if I don’t talk to her, I can’t close out the investigation. And if I can’t close it, that means I have to keep digging. And not just into her life, but everyone that you come into contact with. I’ll be coming back here with a warrant to shut down this whole fucking place until I’m satisfied that she’s safe.”
“Why are you even involved, Dennick?” Cap asked. “Don’t you have someone else to go harass? Maybe some kids that need to be kicked.”
“I’m involved because she was taken across state lines. That makes this a federal investigation. And since you failed to inform the police that she was safely returned, and didn’t offer us any kind of in
terview, that leaves me coming here to speak with her.”
“How did you even know she was back?” I asked. “We only brought her home a few hours ago.”
“I have my ways.”
“You mean you’ve been spying on Reed Security,” Cap corrected. “I wasn’t aware that we were worth the money being spent on surveillance. You could have asked. I would have given you access to my security.”
Lola laughed beside Cap. He would never give up access to anyone, especially to someone like Dennick.
“I’m not asking for much, Knight. I just need a word with your wife. Then I’ll be on my way and you’ll never see me again. But the longer you put me off, the longer I’ll be around.”
I hated that I had to do this, but it was better for everyone here if the feds disappeared from their lives for good. There couldn’t be any connection to the senators I had murdered and Reed Security. It would cause a huge headache for them and in the end, people would get hurt. Twenty minutes later, Kate was standing beside me. I didn’t like it, but I could deal with this one last thing before I left.
“Mrs. Knight, I have a few questions for you about your kidnapping. It would be best if you could join us down at the bureau.”
“It would be best for me if I stayed exactly where I’m at. You know, after the trauma of being kidnapped,” Kate retorted.
Dennick smirked, but his eyes were calculating. What was he up to? What was he hoping to accomplish?
“I’m only asking for a few hours of your time.”
“You can have a half hour of my time, but it’ll happen here, where I feel safe,” Kate said with some bite in her tone.
“What’s going on here?” I glanced over my shoulder to see Blake and Parker approaching. Parker was glaring at Dennick. He had his own beef with him.
“Parker, I could have sworn that you were supposed to be in jail right now.”
“I could have sworn that too, but it’s funny, I ended up at an illegal holding facility, and last I checked, you were naked.”
Dennick’s eyes smoldered with fury. “I should take you in.”
“That won’t be happening,” Cap said. “I’ve already got a friend of mine investigating you. One wrong move and I’ll have your ass thrown in jail for abuse of power. Ask your questions and get the fuck out of here.”
Dennick nodded to his men and they started advancing on us. I pulled Kate protectively to my side, ready to pull my gun if they tried anything. The lines were blurred right now. I couldn’t just shoot the man. He was technically still FBI, even if he was being investigated. But he had powerful friends, otherwise he would already be pulled from the field. And if I shot him now, there would be witnesses and I would end up in prison.
“Ma’am, I need you to come with me so we can talk about what happened,” one of the agents said, reaching for Kate. I grabbed his arm, yanking it behind his back.
“Get your fucking hands away from her,” I growled. A scuffle broke out behind me. All of the agents were engaging with Reed Security. Except for Dennick. He just stood there with a grin on his face. The atmosphere grew heated and then a gun was pulled. I wasn’t sure who started it, but I knew this was rapidly getting out of control. I threw the agent to the ground, spinning to pull Kate out of this mess, but Dennick had advanced on her. The next thing I saw was him holding a syringe to her neck. I didn’t hesitate to draw my weapon, but I didn’t have a clean shot. He was hiding behind her like a fucking coward, pulling her further away from me as he grinned at me. He was trying to get closer to his vehicle.
“Dennick, stop right the fuck now.”
“Do you know what this is?” he smiled at me. “Guess what, she’s patient zero.”
“Stop!” I shouted as he plunged the syringe into her neck. I forgot all about Dennick in that moment. He didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was Kate and getting her someplace safe. Dennick shoved her into me and turned to run for his vehicle. He didn’t even wait for the other agents. I grabbed Kate as she stumbled into my arms. My heart beat wildly out of control as I stared at her scared face. Then her whole body started to seize. Her eyes rolled back into her head as I lowered her to the ground.
“Fuck, fuck!” I cradled her head in my arms as terror ripped through me. “Cap! I need help. I need…” I brushed the hair back from her face as foam filled her mouth and spilled out. I had no fucking clue what was happening. I didn’t know how to stop this.
“Move over,” Hunter said, shoving me away as he knelt down beside her. I didn’t know what Hunter was doing. I couldn’t process what was happening. All I knew was that she was going to die if we didn’t get the vaccine for her.
“Cap,” I said, stumbling to my feet. Lola and Cap were standing over her, staring down at Kate in horror. This was really fucking bad. If she really was infected with the virus, then all of us were exposed. It would spread to our kids and be out of control in no time. “You have to call someone. We have to be quarantined. We can’t let this spread.”
He nodded slightly, pulling out his phone.
I watched in horror as Hunter struggled to help Kate. We were outside with no fucking medical equipment around us. We couldn’t risk going inside right now. All of us were too close to Kate to risk going around anyone else. And we didn’t have any idea how this spread. I vaguely heard the sound of an SUV tearing out of the parking lot, and caught sight of Parker and Blake racing down the road after Dennick.
“We need to get her to a hospital,” Hunter said, his finger on her pulse.
We needed so much more than that. No doctors would be able to help her in time. She would be dead before they figured out what was wrong with her. “Cap, I need that vaccine.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
I moved back to Kate, staring down at her beautiful eyes that were now clouded over and staring sightlessly at nothing. Her skin was pale and her breathing was shallow. I knelt down beside her and took her hand in mine.
“Knight, you can’t touch her. She’s infectious,” Hunter said, trying to get between us.
“I don’t give a shit,” I said, pushing his hand away. “Kate,” I murmured, hoping she would magically wake up, but she didn’t. “I thought you said that the symptoms didn’t show for two hours.”
“I don’t know, man. She could have a mutated virus. The shit they were making was dangerous. Who knows what they created in that lab.”
“She has to be okay,” I said, pulling her hand to my chest. “She has to be okay.”
I rested my forehead against hers. Fuck the virus and risk of infection. I felt like my heart was being torn out all over again. I just got her back and I was already losing her again. Tears leaked out of my eyes as I pulled her body to mine. I couldn’t lose her. God, I couldn’t go through this again. Just the feel of Hunter squeezing my shoulder sent me over the edge. My whole body shook as sobs ripped through me. I couldn’t watch her die, especially not in this horrible way. This was all my fault. I had done this to her again. She was here because I allowed her to come out of our house where it was safe. They were here because of me, and now she would die because of me.
Chapter Forty
Sinner
“Are the charges set?” Cazzo asked over coms.
“They are live and ready to blow,” I said, grinning as I looked at my handiwork. The building was clear after we took out the night guards. They were currently passed out on the front lawn, along with the woman that made this virus possible, Helen Taylor. I really wanted to infect her with the virus. Call it poetic justice. But Cap insisted that we don’t just take out anyone in our path. It was ridiculous. At this point, they all deserved to die for what they had done.
“Chance, do you copy?”
“Yeah,” his gruff voice came over the phone. “Charges are ready on our end.”
“Ice?”
“Roger that. We’re ready for fireworks.”
“How are we looking, Craig?”
“The road is clear without a soul in sigh
t.”
“Alright, let’s start the countdown and get the fuck out of here,” Cazzo told us. “On my mark. Three, two, one, mark.”
On his mark, I started the countdown timer and hauled ass out of there. Others were scattered around the property, either having set the charges with us, or keeping watch for anyone that would sneak up on us. We had ten minutes to haul ass out of here before the lab blew, and I didn’t plan on becoming a s’more tonight.
I was just about to the vehicle when an explosion ripped through the sky. The force of the blast could be felt even where I was. “Holy shit. Who blew the charge early?” Cazzo shouted.
“Is everyone okay?” Ice asked. “Everyone check in.”
There was a round of answers, everyone checking in. The building was only blown in one section, but it wouldn’t be long before the whole fucking thing went up.
“Sinner, come in.”
“Yeah?”
“I just got a call from Cap. We need the vaccination.”
I stopped in my tracks, afraid to ask what this was about. “Why?”
“Dennick showed up. He injected Kate with the virus. I need you to get back in there and get the vaccination, if they have one.”
I spun on my heel and ran for the lab. The section with the lab was close to the fire. I needed to get in and get out, but I had no fucking clue what the vaccine would be labeled or where to search. “Sure, I can totally do that. I know exactly where it is. I talked with one of the guards and he pointed it out to me, said to grab some if I thought I would need it.”
GoodKnight: A Reed Security Romance Page 22