by Susan Stoker
She had no idea how long she clung to Gillian, but eventually, she realized that she was bawling in the arms of a woman who was probably seriously regretting inviting her into her home right about now.
“Feel better?” Gillian asked, not shying away from looking Kinley in the eyes.
Kinley shook her head. She didn’t, not really. Her face felt swollen, and she knew she needed a shower. She’d been wearing the same clothes for days, and she was still scared out of her mind. She had no idea what kind of reception she’d get from Gage, but she literally had nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. She wouldn’t be surprised if he refused to get involved in her problem at all.
“Come on,” Gillian said gently, pulling at Kinley’s hand.
She allowed the other woman to pull her to her feet.
“A shower will make you feel a hundred percent better. Then when you’re done, we’ll put your clothes in the washer. I’m taller than you, but I’ve got a T-shirt and some fat pants you can wear if you want.”
Once again, Kinley was struck by how generous this woman was. “Are you always this accommodating to random strange women you meet?” she asked.
Gillian chuckled. “No,” she said firmly. She stopped walking and dropped Kinley’s hand and turned to face her. She eyed her for a long moment before she said, “Here’s the thing. You know Lefty. You know Walker…er, Trigger. That means you probably know the rest of the guys on the team as well. And knowing the guys means you probably met them while they were in their official capacity…if you know what I mean. And you showing up here knocking on Lefty’s door, in a car with a Washington, DC, license plate, tells me that you need his help.
“And I’ve been in your shoes. Boy, have I. If I turned a blind eye to you, that would make me no better than the people who my boyfriend and his team spend their lives trying to eradicate.”
Kinley was well aware that Gage and his friends were Delta Force. And obviously this woman was too. “I know who and what they are,” she told Gillian.
“Right. So you have a good reason to be here wanting to talk to Lefty. He and the others left on a mission about a week ago. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”
Kinley sighed. She really should leave. Being here put Gillian in danger. Hell, it would put Gage in danger too. But she’d already decided to talk to Gage—she literally had no one else to turn to—and Gillian’s generosity was a gift she couldn’t pass up. “I’d love a shower,” she said quietly.
Gillian smiled. “Come on. I’ll find you something to wear for afterward and we’ll get your laundry done.”
“Thanks.”
Gillian waved her hand. “Of course.”
Fifteen minutes later, Kinley was enjoying what had to be the best shower of her life. The water was hot, the water pressure was perfect…and, yet she wasn’t relaxed.
Would she ever feel safe again?
Closing her eyes, she remembered with perfect clarity how that hand had felt on her back. For less than a second, she’d simply thought someone was being rude and was trying to push past her. But when she’d started to fall, she knew immediately that it wasn’t an accident.
She also couldn’t keep the shoes of that teenager out of her mind. She’d been so enamored of those damn sparkly heels. At the time, she’d wished she knew where the woman had bought them so she could see if they had them in flats. Kinley didn’t wear heels, ever, but she sure wished she could.
To see them still on the girl’s feet, still sparkling while the rest of her body was covered in a tarp, was still extremely jarring.
Kinley knew she should just call the FBI and talk to someone, but she was paranoid now. If Drake Stryker was a serial killer, and her ex-boss was most likely somehow involved in the whole sordid affair, who knew who else in the upper echelons of government was involved? Did the president himself know the man he’d appointed as the ambassador to France was a killer? Know that he was consorting with minors? If he did, maybe the FBI knew too?
Kinley had too many questions; there were too many unknowns to just blindly call someone who worked for the FBI to let them know what she’d witnessed. She was still terrified that Walter was right, that no one would believe her.
Gage will.
The thought popped into her head immediately. And that was the reason Kinley was in Texas. She knew Gage wouldn’t doubt her. They hadn’t known each other very long, but she knew that much about him.
Kinley had no idea where she was going to sleep that night, or how long it might take for Gage to return from whatever mission he was on, but she’d stay in Texas until she had a chance to talk to him. He’d help her figure out what to do next.
She climbed out of the shower, not exactly feeling great about her situation but definitely feeling cleaner, which went a long way toward clearing her head. She put on the elastic-waist pants—which were too long, but Kinley didn’t really care at the moment—and the T-shirt and brushed her hair. Then, taking a deep breath, she headed out of the bathroom.
The air in the apartment smelled amazing. Like freshly baked bread and eggs. Kinley’s stomach growled.
“The washer and dryer are next to the bathroom in the hall,” Gillian said when she saw Kinley standing at the edge of the room. “Help yourself.”
Kinley nodded and headed to where her new friend had pointed. She filled the washer with her dirty clothes and started it up. It was amazing how a shower and the prospect of clean clothes could make her feel so much better.
Breakfast was as good as it smelled. The biscuits were a bit too brown on the bottom, but Kinley figured that was her fault for distracting Gillian. The eggs were perfectly cooked and even the honeydew melon tasted absolutely perfect.
After breakfast, Kinley had cleaned their dishes, and now she and Gillian were sitting on the couch once again as they waited for her clothes to dry.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Gillian asked.
Kinley shook her head. “No.”
The other woman didn’t get upset, she simply nodded. “If Lefty doesn’t get back today, where will you stay?”
“I’ll find a place. Do you think they’ll be gone for much longer?”
The look of sympathy on Gillian’s face almost did Kinley in. “I honestly don’t know. It’s the worst thing about dating a Delta. They could be gone for three days, or three months. Walker can’t tell me where he’s going or anything about what happened when he gets home. I admit, it’s hard. Really hard. But not because I can’t live on my own. I managed just fine as a single woman for over ten years after high school. It’s more that I worry about him and just miss being with him.”
Kinley understood. She worried about Gage, and they really didn’t even know each other.
Gillian went on. “But I trust that Lefty and the others will have Walker’s back. Those guys would die for each other, and that gives me comfort.”
For the millionth time, Kinley thought about the fact if she confided in Gage, she’d be putting him in danger. And not only him, his entire team too.
The room suddenly began to feel extremely small and closed in.
Kinley stood abruptly. “I need to go.”
“Stay,” Gillian countered, standing as well. “When Lefty gets back, he’ll help you figure out whatever’s wrong.”
“It’s not that easy,” Kinley said.
“It never is. Did Lefty tell you how he and the rest of the guys met me?”
Kinley wanted to leave. Wanted to take her clothes, whether or not they were dry yet, and get the hell out of Texas. But she stood rooted to the spot. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was curious as hell about Gillian. She shook her head.
“Come on, sit. This is too long a story to be told standing.”
Kinley sat on the very edge of the couch, ready to hop up and go as soon as the dryer buzzed, letting her know her clothes were dry.
“I was on a plane that was hijacked and flown to Venezuela.”
Gillian’s words sho
ok Kinley out of her own head. “What?”
“I was on a plane that was hijacked and flown to Venezuela,” Gillian repeated.
“Shit,” Kinley breathed. Suddenly her own issues didn’t seem quite so big and scary anymore.
“Yup. They made me talk to the negotiators, and lucky me, Walker eventually arrived on the scene and started talking to me.”
For the next twenty minutes, Kinley sat quietly, enthralled with the story Gillian was telling. It was full of drug dealers, kidnappings, and even a shooting. It was crazy, but the other woman was recounting the story calmly, as if it had been no big deal.
“I think you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met,” Kinley told Gillian honestly when she was finally done telling her story.
Gillian shook her head. “I’m really not. I mean, I’m an event planner, for God’s sake. I spend my life planning parties and celebrations. I’m no hero; I’ve never even held a gun. I like people, but I also like sitting at home reading a book. Though…it’s my belief that everyone is stronger than they think. We never know how strong we can be until it’s our only option. If you had told me that I would someday be in the middle of a hostage situation, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you’d told me I would’ve been able to stand in front of a woman holding a gun on me, refusing to get into her car, I would’ve laughed in your face. I’m a people pleaser. I do what I’m told. But at that moment, I knew if I got in that car, I would’ve ended up dead.”
“I wish I was stronger,” Kinley admitted.
“I don’t know you, but I have a feeling you’re a hell of a lot stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for. Again, no one asks for shit to happen to them in life. No one wants to have a chronic disease. Or to have their child die. Or have their lover killed in battle. No one asks to grow up in poverty or to be homeless. No one wants to be born with a disability that makes them struggle every day of their life. We learn how to be strong because we have no other choice.
“And when we’re put in situations where we have to be strong, we downplay what we did and how awesome we were. You might not feel as if you’re brave or strong, but I have a feeling you’re probably on the top of the heap when it comes to strength.”
Kinley was speechless. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. First, it was the best compliment she’d ever received. She thought about her life, about how hard it had been, and realized that Gillian might be right. It wasn’t easy growing up without parents or affection, but somehow she’d managed. It hadn’t been easy working in Washington, DC, but she’d done that too.
She had no idea if she’d make it out of the mess she’d somehow found herself in just because she’d looked out her hotel window at the wrong time (or was it the right time?), but she had to have faith that she would. “Thank you,” she said after a long moment.
“You’re welcome,” Gillian said easily. “I know you said you have to go, but maybe you wouldn’t mind sticking around for a while? It’s been lonely with Walker gone. I have to make some calls this morning still, I’m planning a two-year-cancer-free celebration for an Army spouse, and I’d love some company.”
Kinley knew she should say no, that she had to get going, but she found herself nodding instead.
“Great!” Gillian said with enthusiasm.
Three hours later, Kinley looked up from the book she’d been reading and blinked in surprise. Gillian had told her to help herself to whatever she wanted to read from her bookshelves, and after finding a romance that looked interesting, Kinley had settled onto the couch to start it.
She’d only gotten up once—to fold her laundry and change back into clothes of her own—and then she’d dived back into the book.
Looking to her left, Kinley saw Gillian sitting on the other end of the sofa, reading her own book.
Kinley couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.
“What?” Gillian asked after looking up and seeing it.
“I…we’re just sitting here next to each other, reading. Not talking.”
“Oh. Sorry, are you bored?” Gillian asked, closing her book.
“No!” Kinley exclaimed. “It’s not that at all. I just…this is perfect. All my life I’ve been made fun of for being able to tune everything out around me while I’m reading. The foster parents I had made it seem like I was being rude, and when I did have friends and we hung out, I always felt as if I had to talk.”
“Oh my God, me too,” Gillian said with a smile. “I mean, I admit that I like to talk, but I’m also happy to sit and just be. Besides, I’ve been binging this one author’s books. I forced myself to get some work done first, but I’m happy to get the chance to just sit here and read. It’s nice to have you here, even if we don’t talk.”
Kinley smiled at the other woman. She looked at her watch and realized that it was past time for her to go. She put the book down and stood.
“You’re going?” Gillian asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. But you’ll come back tomorrow, right?”
Kinley blinked in surprise.
“I mean, I don’t know when Walker and the others will be back, so you need to come back and see if Lefty’s here, right? I’d love to hang out again.”
“I…I’d like that,” Kinley told her.
“Great. It’s a plan. Do you have a phone? I can call you if I hear from Walker.”
Kinley shook her head. “No. I had one, but I lost it.” That wasn’t exactly true, but it was as close to the truth as she was willing to admit to Gillian at this point. She had a throwaway phone, but she still didn’t want to have an electronic tie to anyone Stryker and Brown could use against her.
“That’s okay. Feel free to take the book you were reading with you,” Gillian offered.
Once again, Kinley felt like she was going to cry. She’d known this woman for only a few hours, and she’d treated her better than any of her so-called friends had over the years. “Thanks,” she said. “I promise not to mess it up.”
Gillian waved her hand. “You can’t mess it up,” she said breezily. “I mean, it’s a book. The pages might get dirty and the cover torn, but it doesn’t change what’s inside.”
And that right there seemed to be a metaphor for Kinley’s own life. From the outside looking in, she was a hot mess. Small, odd, standoffish…but inside, she was a good person, longing to show the world she could be the best partner and friend if she was just given a chance.
“Be safe out there, okay?” Gillian said as Kinley picked up her duffle bag and headed for the door.
“I will,” Kinley said. She had no problem with Gillian not asking her to stay. She was a stranger, after all. It wouldn’t be smart or safe to ask her to spend the night. It was crazy enough that she’d invited her inside her apartment in the first place. But Kinley would never forget Gillian’s kindness.
Before she left the apartment complex, Kinley knocked on Gage’s door, not expecting him to answer. When he didn’t, she walked to her car and put her bag in the backseat. She had nowhere to go, but at least she was clean and wasn’t hungry anymore.
She just had to bide her time. Gage would eventually return, and she would talk to him and get his advice.
Things might not work out the way she wanted, he might say he couldn’t help her and she’d be on her own again, but for now, she felt good. She’d made a new friend, and she’d do whatever she could to keep Gillian safe from the danger she felt was right on her heels.
Eventually, whoever had tried to kill her would find her, and the last thing Kinley wanted was to put anyone else in danger.
Chapter Seven
Lefty ran a hand over his face. He was dirty, tired, and feeling off kilter by the intense mission he and the team had just completed. They’d been sent to Iran to try to rescue an American citizen, a Federal judge’s son, who thought it would be fun to climb Mount Damavand. It was over eighteen thousand feet high and apparently on the man’s bucket list. But he’d ignored the fact that Iran didn’t take
kindly to people, especially Americans, crossing their borders illegally. The man hadn’t been able to get permission for the climb, and had decided to do it anyway.
Much of their time had been spent planning for the rescue mission. They’d had to go deep undercover, and when diplomatic avenues had failed to get the man released, the Deltas had been given permission to break him out of the Iranian jail by force if necessary.
In the end, unfortunately, that hadn’t been necessary. The man had decided he was done waiting to be freed and had tried to break out on his own. That choice had ended in his death.
All the Deltas’ planning and subterfuge had been in vain. It had taken four days for the team to sneak back out of Iran after their failed rescue attempt, and Lefty was exhausted.
He was upset at the man for thinking climbing a mountain was more important than staying at home with his wife and young daughter. He was pissed at the Iranian government for not deciding the man was just young and dumb and releasing him with a fine and a stern warning.
Not helping Lefty’s mood was the fact that as soon as they’d landed in Europe to catch their plane home, he’d checked his messages…and hadn’t had even one from Kinley.
She’d promised to keep in touch with him, and Lefty had believed her. One week he could make excuses for why she hadn’t texted or called him. But two weeks with no contact was less likely to be an accident or oversight. He felt like an idiot. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. He should’ve learned his lesson the first time. Kinley seemed like a good person. Someone he wanted to get to know better. But long-distance relationships were hard enough. If she wasn’t willing to even meet him halfway, Lefty knew there couldn’t be anything between them. It sucked. Bad.
The trip back to the States was long, but Lefty couldn’t sleep. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Kinley and why she might’ve decided to ghost him a second time. It made no sense, and he had to wonder if maybe something was wrong.
After they landed, the team waited to be dismissed before heading to their respective homes. Lefty planned to go back to his apartment and sleep for twenty-four hours straight. When he was rested, he’d be in a better place to put things with Kinley in perspective. He needed to put her out of his mind once and for all, which he knew would be easier said than done.