Chapter 6 #2
“Kinley? If none of those options sound good, I can—oh!” Gillian’s words abruptly cut off as she finally realized how upset her houseguest was.
Without a word, the other woman came over to the sofa, sat down, and pulled Kinley into her embrace.
Kinley wasn’t a cuddler. Wasn’t used to being touched. She couldn’t even remember the last time someone had given her a hug. But this stranger, a woman she’d only met a few minutes ago, was showing her more compassion and genuine affection than she’d experienced in a very long time.
It was too much for Kinley to take. Normally, she could’ve gotten herself under control and managed to stop her tears, but not now.
She held on to Gillian as if they’d been friends forever and cried.
Cried because she was scared. Cried because someone had tried to kill her.
Cried because she’d lost the job she’d had for years.
Cried because she had no idea what she was going to do next.
Cried for the poor teenager in Paris who’d been killed.
And she cried because she knew, deep down, that Gage had been upset and probably pissed when he hadn’t heard from her after she’d promised to keep in touch.
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 shook 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.