Fine Line (Crossing Lines Book 1)

by A. D. Justice

  Tears fall from her eyes onto her cheeks, but this time, they’re tears of joy instead of pain. They’re tears of relief instead of burden. They’re tears of love instead of goodbye. She holds out her arms, and I rush into them, holding her close to me without jarring her still-recovering body too much. She squeezes me as hard as she can, burying her face in my chest and releasing all the pent-up tension she’s held on to alone.

  When she calms down, she gingerly moves over in the bed, giving me room to settle in beside her.

  “If you’re going to sleep at the hospital, the least you can do is sleep with me. You know I sleep better with you by my side.”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had in eleven whole days.”

  “One day longer than we’ve been apart, huh?”

  We both chuckle and settle back into our relationship as if nothing happened. Because it really didn’t. She had a moment of doubt and needed to let it play out naturally. When her theory lost steam, she knew there was no other option but for us to be together.

  “Thank you for not giving up on me. I was in a really dark and heavily medicated place that day. Karen had a long talk with me today while doing my hair and helped me see the error of my ways.”

  “Hmm. I guess I owe Karen the best damn baby shower ever thrown, then. We’re talking parade-sized balloons, tons of confetti, and a full jazz band. Whatever she wants.”

  “She wants us to be happy, and she convinced me of how miserable I’ve been without you and how stupid my decision was. Mostly, she helped me to realize I pushed you away before you had a chance to push me away, and that wasn’t fair to either of us since neither of us actually wants that.”

  “She’s a very smart woman. I’m glad you listened to her. This isn’t something I’m proud of, per se, but my next option was to kidnap you and keep you chained to my bed until you relented. Although, I still say that plan has merit.”

  “See, this is part of why I love you. You make me laugh even when it hurts.”

  After I give her a very thorough bed bath, her dinner arrives and I help feed her, despite her protests she can manage that task on her own. I know she can—but it feels good to be here with her again. And I know I’ll have to leave her in a few minutes for a previous engagement.

  “I’ll be back later tonight. There’s something I have to go take care of right now. Is that offer to sleep with you still good?”

  “That’s a standing offer, Nick. You’re welcome in my bed anytime.”

  With a thorough kiss goodbye, and a thousand-pound weight lifted from my chest, I reluctantly leave her side. There’s only one person who could pry me away from her, and I have a bullet with his name on it. Butch slithered out of his hiding place long enough to be spotted, so now I’m holding my own venomous snake roundup.

  There are a few lights on inside the dilapidated house in Washington Highlands when I drive by, but I keep going until I’m a couple of blocks away. The sun has already set, and the dark of night is quickly falling, giving me inherent cover when moving between the houses. Some are vacant, long ago abandoned and never claimed by new residents. The working streetlights are spotty at best. Most have been shot out or shattered by rocks. The cold has driven most people inside, huddled around open fires to try to keep warm.

  Tonight, the cold doesn’t bother me. The ice in my veins has numbed me to the chill in the air.

  I held Savannah in my arms as she lay dying in that parking lot. More of her blood soaked into the asphalt than ran in her veins. Time was not on her side, and had we not been so close to a hospital, she would’ve died in the ambulance on the way. Part of me did die that day when I thought I’d lose her. The pallor of her skin matched the coolness when I held her, begging her not to leave me. In that moment, I realized I can cross that fine line between right and wrong. For her, I will cross every line, break every rule, and annihilate every man who tries to take her from me.

  Tonight, one man still poses a direct threat, and he’ll pay for his crimes. All of them. Tonight, I’m the judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one. If his friends get in the way, it’ll be their own fault when they’re little more than collateral damage. Moving through the shadows toward the back door of the run-down shack, I listen to every sound and watch every shadow. He will not escape my wrath one more day.

  The lack of shades or curtains on the back window gives me a perfect line of sight into the house. Five men, two women, and Butch are camped out in the main room. Worn-out mattresses are scattered across the floor, and beer cans litter the walkways. A metal barrel sits in the middle of the room with an open fire still burning inside. A shed at the rear property line catches my eye, no doubt where they hid their motorcycles to avoid being spotted in this neighborhood.

  A quick look in the shed reveals all six motorcycles are stuffed inside. The red plastic gasoline can gives me an idea of how to evacuate the house in one fell swoop. Once the gas can is empty and the motorcycles are drenched, I strike a match I pilfered from the shed and toss it into the middle of the room. The fumes catch up in a roaring blaze instantly, so I retreat to the side of the house to enjoy the show. One thing a motorhead loves is his ride, and these guys have no other possessions to their names. When they hit the back steps, they’ll be frantic to reach their bikes.

  Loud, agitated shouts carry on the night air as the occupants of the house empty into the backyard. At first, they try to bat the flames away to get through the door to their bikes. Then, one of the geniuses decides to grab the water hose instead. While they’re busy fighting with the frozen-solid hose and with each other, I steal into the house and kick the barrel over, the fire and hot coals spreading across the floor and bedding. The old wooden house is basically one big pile of kindling, ready to disintegrate into ashes with a single spark. I exit out the front door, leaving it standing wide open to ensure the fire has plenty of fresh oxygen and whipping winds to feed it.

  “What the fuck is going on?” one of the men shouts when he looks over his shoulder and finds his hideout nearly fully ablaze.

  The fire in the shed heats the motorcycles’ gas tanks to the tipping point, causing one after the other to explode. Pieces of metal and rubber and unidentifiable parts land haphazardly in the yard. I smile, pleased with the devastation they feel, but I’m done with the tit for tat games. This ends tonight, and it ends on my terms.

  Stepping out of the shadows with my gun drawn, suppressor in place and arm extended, I realize what Shadow and Silas have tried to tell me over the years is true. While CIA officers work under much different rules than the rest of us, sometimes their methods are necessary. Sometimes their course of action is the best way in the long run. When Savannah no longer has to look over her shoulder, waiting for some low-life asshole to take his revenge, every move I’ve made tonight will be worth it.

  The shock of seeing me registers on Butch’s face first before morphing into anger. Then he realizes I have no intentions of arresting him. I have no plans of taking him anywhere. This is it for him. The murderous rage written on my face tells him more than words ever could. He opens his mouth to spew his vitriol at me, and I pull the trigger, hitting him square in the chest.

  He falls to the ground with raucous screams, grabbing his wound and writhing in pain. I take a step closer and fire again, hitting him in the head and silencing him forever. The other five men decide to rush me at once, thinking they can overtake me before I pick them off one by one. But they’re wrong. Dead wrong.

  The two women huddle together, crying loudly and begging for their lives.

  “Go. If you say a word to anyone, I’ll hunt you down, and no one will ever find your bodies.”

  They run off into the night. Where, I don’t know, nor do I care. By the time they sober up from all the drugs I just burned up inside the house, they probably won’t even remember where they were.

  “I’m impressed.” Silas steps out of the shadows, catching me off guard.

  “Fuck, man. I could’ve sh
ot you just now!”

  “No, you couldn’t. You didn’t even know I was standing here watching your entire show. Sloppy, Nick. That kind of shit will get you killed. But if you’re looking for a new job once the trial is over, I may know an agency that’s hiring someone with your skills and brass cojones.”

  “I’m definitely interested. Let’s talk more—somewhere away from here before we’re both caught at the scene of the crime.”

  Silas lifts his cell to his ear and smiles. “I need a cleanup and containment crew immediately.” He gives the address of our current location and a description of the two women I just let flee from the scene. My eyebrows draw down, and I tilt my head to the side, silently questioning his motives. Surely, he didn’t just order an agency-sanctioned hit on those two women.

  “What? We leave no witnesses, Nick. Ever. Better get used to change, buddy.” He claps me on the shoulder, understanding the conflict I’m fighting inside me. “Those women were running to more bikers a few blocks over. You know better than anyone, the sheep are loyal to their masters. These men are dead, and that house will be nothing but rubble in a matter of minutes. They’re already looking for new guys to replace the dead ones because they have no one else. Go back to the hospital, lie down next to Savannah, then tell me if you’d change one single thing about tonight. If not, you know you’re ready, and I’ll help you out. If your conscience still bothers you because you didn’t make the world a safer place exactly by the book, maybe you should stay with the DEA.”

  His words circle in my thoughts on the drive back to the hospital. Everything has always been black and white for me. There were no shades of gray in between. There were no alternate lines in the sand. It was this or that. Period. Now, there’s an entire rainbow of colors separating the line between right and wrong. That fine line just became a great divide, and I’m not sure how to jump across it.

  I leave Silas to direct the cleanup crew and head back to where I’m needed most. When I step into the hospital room and find Savannah sleeping soundly with the first happy expression on her face since all this bullshit started, I feel a sense of peace envelop me like never before. That’s when I know that Silas was right, and there’s no going back for me now. Once the trial is over, I’ll tender my resignation to the DEA and join him at the CIA. Though it means more international travel and visiting dangerous places, I won’t be recognized in those circles. Changing my appearance will mean more than unkempt hair and a scraggly beard to hide my face.

  She stirs when I slide into bed beside her, her eyes flittering open to make sure it’s actually me. Her eyes close again automatically, but she’s smiling, safe and secure in my embrace. We have a long road ahead of us, months until she’s fully recovered and back to her usual self. But those months will be filled with love and laughter and the discovery of a whole new world, one we’ve never known before.

  One I only want to experience and explore with her. With my head back against the pillow and my love at my side, I slip into the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in the last couple of weeks. The events of the night are not even an afterthought now—because she’s safe and because she’s mine.

  “I’m glad you came back, Nick. I was afraid you’d get busy and wouldn’t make it back tonight. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

  “Darlin’, I think I have a pretty good idea, if it’s anywhere close to how much I’ve missed you. I thought I was going to lose you forever in that parking lot. Holding you while telling you to keep fighting will always be the worst memory I have. But holding you while telling you how much I love you will always be my favorite. Never leave me again, Savannah. I’m a strong man, but losing you is one thing I can’t handle.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Nick. You’ll never get rid of me now. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for life.” Her voice is sleepy, and her words are meant partly in jest, but I’m completely serious.

  “Savannah?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Marry me,” I whisper against her head.

  “Okay,” she whispers back.

  Chapter 21

  Savannah—Three Months Later

  “Put that box down! Are you crazy?” Nick grabs the box from my hands and gives me an irritated look. It doesn’t work, but he gets an A for effort.

  “Nick, I’m completely healed now, and this is a box of scarves. It doesn’t even weigh as much as my purse does.”

  “Please go pack up your kitchen items so I can move you out of this condo before you change your mind.” He leans over and kisses me for the hundredth time. Maybe I’ll keep picking up light boxes until he becomes more distracted.

  “I can read your mind. Go pack your shit, right now.”

  Anyone listening would take that as a threat, but I know my sweetheart of a man, and that simply shows how much he wants me to move in with him. Permanently. I’m as giddy about this move as he is; we’ve just been waiting for the right time after my stint in the hospital. Now that I’m completely—and finally—healed from all my injuries, I can’t wait to start my new life with the man of my dreams.

  In our new home—a real house in the suburbs, where there’s plenty of bright sunshine, cherry trees in bloom, and spacious yards with beautiful green grass. We chose Arlington, Virginia as our new spot to put down roots. It’s just outside the craziness of DC, but it still is every bit as vibrant and upbeat as Adams Morgan.

  Nick sold his brownstone almost as soon as he put it on the market. He, Roman, and Silas talked to my superintendent about letting me out of my lease early. With all the security upgrades they made to my place, the building management isn’t losing any money by letting me out of my lease early. Plus, the super is really afraid of these three hulking men, especially when they all crowd into his office at once, so he didn’t put up much of a fight.

  As I’m in the kitchen throwing pots and pans into a moving box, doing as I’m told, my cell phone rings. One glance at the screen and a smile crosses my face. “Hey, Miranda. How are you?”

  “Hi, Savannah. I’m fine, thank you. I need to ask you for a favor, and I feel like a terrible friend for even asking.”

  “What do you need, hon?”

  “I was wondering if you could come by the center to talk with me? I have an idea I want to run by you, but it’s not the kind of thing we can talk about over the phone. It’s about a way I really think I can help you, after everything you’ve done for me. But I know this is probably the last place you want to see right now, so I feel terrible even asking. Believe me, I wouldn’t if this wasn’t important.”

  She’s right; I haven’t returned to the shelter since the ambulance carried me away that awful day, and I haven’t wanted to even one time. The sights and sounds of that day are never far from my mind. As happy as Nick makes me, the nightmares threaten to return every night. There’s one nightmare that will never return, that much I’m sure of. Though I don’t know the details of what happened, and I’m probably better off that way, Nick assured me I never have to worry about running into Butch again.

  That’s all I need to know.

  I’m learning techniques to keep the monsters at bay on my own because I can’t always rely on Nick to save the day. Or night. Whatever. Finding my own strength and standing on my own two feet are important to me, even if it takes time to overcome the demons when I close my eyes.

  But Miranda’s voice is so hopeful, while simultaneously being cautious. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up in case I decline her request. But at the same time, whatever it is she wants to discuss is important to her.

  “Do you mind if Nick comes with me?”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. Actually, that would be perfect. Please? I’m sorry to ask—I know it’s really very selfish of me, considering I have such a hard time leaving here, so I should understand why you’d have a hard time coming back.”

  “No, it’s fine. I understand why you’re concerned about leaving. You don’t know where your ex is or where you
could run into him. We’re packing right now, but we can come later this evening. Is that okay?”

  “Perfect. Thank you so much.”

  We chat for a few more minutes until Nick stands in the kitchen doorway, staring at me like I’ve grown an extra head, then Miranda and I disconnect. I smile up at him from my spot on the floor, and he simply shakes his head at me. “Do you plan on finishing this room anytime today?”

  “It’s on my to-do list.”

  “You’re definitely feeling better. Getting all sassy and feisty. I love it.”

  “Good, because you’re only going to get more and more of it.”

  “I’ll take it all, darlin’. Every bit you have to offer.”

  “Hey, I have some potentially upsetting plans for us this evening.”

  “Okay. What’s up?”

  I relay the call with Miranda and her request for us to come talk with her. A dark shadow passes over his face, the memory of that day nearly three months ago still fresh in his mind too. “She wouldn’t ask for no reason, Nick. Whatever she has to say, she really wants to talk to us about it. I’m okay with going back there as long as you’re with me. Are you okay with it?”

  “As long as you’re by my side at all times, yes.”

  “I’ll go too. You two may need backup,” Silas says as he passes by with another taped box.

  “Perfect. We’re both safe since Silas has our back. So, we’re good to go, right?” I stand and wrap my arms around Nick’s waist, push up on my toes, and press a long kiss to his lips.

  “You know, this kind of distraction works on me a little too well. How can I say no to you when you ask me like that?” His arms encircle my waist, and his mouth covers mine. The panty-melting kiss he lays on me is hot enough to make me spontaneously combust.

  And he thinks I hold the magic power over him. No way that’s an accurate assumption.

  “We’re never going to get Savannah moved out of here if you two keep taking kissing breaks.” Silas walks back by again, heading to grab another box.