Chapter 19
The next morning, Gage walked down the hallway toward Kinley’s room with a smile. She was getting better quickly, and soon the doctors would let her go home.
He’d started to make plans for when she got back to his apartment.
An alarm system had already been installed, which was a bit overkill for an apartment, but he wasn’t going to take any chances with her safety.
He’d ordered a tracker for her to wear, so he and his team would always know where she was.
He wouldn’t be able to do anything about his job…but when he got back to the base, he’d talk with his commander about the possibility of transitioning off the team.
He hated to do it, as he loved being a Delta Force operative, but he loved Kinley more. And he couldn’t keep her safe if he was thousands of miles away in another country. He’d talk to Ghost and see what he thought about Lefty joining his team in a training capacity on the base and go from there.
He was immediately concerned when he noticed Cruz wasn’t standing outside Kinley’s room. His calm thoughts veered toward fear, and he practically jogged the rest of the way down the hall.
Lefty opened the door—and his heart about stopped in his chest when he saw the room was empty. The bed was freshly made, the bathroom door was open, and Kinley was nowhere to be seen.
He spun on his heels and almost ran into both Brain and Cruz. They’d obviously entered the room behind him. He hadn’t even heard them.
“Where’s Kinley?” Lefty barked.
“She’s gone,” Cruz said.
All the blood drained from Lefty’s face. “But…but she was fine last night.”
Swearing, Cruz shook his head. “Sorry, man, I don’t mean gone. I mean she left. She’s in WITSEC.”
It took a moment for the FBI agent’s words to penetrate—and when they did, Lefty was angrier than he’d ever been in his life. He lunged toward Cruz and had his arm cocked back when Brain caught it.
“It was her decision!” his teammate told him.
The focus of Lefty’s anger switched from Cruz to his teammate. He jerked out of his hold. “What do you know about it?” he bit out.
“I didn’t know anything about anything until I came back from a walk around midnight to find her room like this.
Scared the shit out of me too, and I was ready to call in the troops when Cruz sat me down and explained what was going on.
I was going to call you right after he told me what the fuck was happening, but his superiors pulled rank.
Took my phone and refused to let me leave the hospital. ”
“That’s bullshit!” Lefty raged. He couldn’t believe this was happening.
Then he turned to Cruz. “What the fuck is going on? We decided no on witness protection. She’s not healed enough to leave anyway!
Someone needs to start talking. Now!” Lefty shouted desperately.
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
Kinley was gone? Had she been forced into WITSEC?
If so, he wouldn’t stop until he’d found her and she was back in his arms.
Cruz held out a piece of paper to him, and childishly, Lefty wanted to smack it out of his hands.
“It’s a letter. From Kinley to you,” Cruz said.
Lefty stared at it and didn’t want to touch it. He didn’t want to know why she’d left. Had he done something wrong? Had she thought he couldn’t protect her? He felt sick.
“Read it, Lefty,” Cruz ordered.
Slowly, knowing her words would gut him, Lefty reached for the paper.
He unfolded it and wanted to cry at seeing her handwriting. It was messy, a mixture of cursive and print, and he’d recognize it anywhere.
Gage,
Don’t be mad at Cruz, this was my decision, and my decision alone.
We talked about what Simon did to me, but what I didn’t tell you was that he told me if he hadn’t been able to get his hands on me, he would’ve gone after you. Or Gillian. Or the other guys on the team.
When I made the decision not to ignore what I saw, I had no idea what the ramifications would be, but even if I did…I still would’ve spoken up.
But it was my decision. And there’s no way I’m going to risk the only people in my entire life who have made me feel loved. When you’ve never had that, you’ll do whatever it takes to keep it. And that means making sure none of you are in danger because of me.
Simon’s still out there. He’s not going to stop until I’m dead. So in order to protect Gillian, and you…I have to go.
Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’ve spent my entire life alone, this isn’t a big deal.
But you should know, I’ll think about you every day.
Every time I hear a cicada, I’ll think about you.
Every time I hug the teddy bear you gave me, I’ll think of you.
And every time I watch the news, I’ll wonder if you’re all right.
Please be careful. I can do this because I know you’re out there somewhere. Alive and well. If you weren’t, I’m not sure what I’d do.
I love you. I didn’t say it before because I was afraid if I did, it would make it impossible to leave. But it’s only fair that you know.
I want to tell you to wait for me. To not give up on me coming back. But it could be years before it’s safe…if at all. So, don’t wait for me, Gage. Live your life. Be happy.
I’ll never forget you.
Love, Kins
Lefty could see where the ink was smeared at the end, as if she’d been crying. He wanted to crumple the paper in his hands and throw it against the wall. He’d never regretted his decision to leave for the night more than he did right that second.
Carefully folding the note, Lefty put it in his pocket and took a deep breath. After a few minutes, he turned to Cruz and Brain. “So that’s that,” he said emotionlessly.
“I promised her that I was going to do whatever I could to find Simon King and make sure he wasn’t a danger to her anymore,” Cruz told him.
Lefty nodded. “Thank you.”
The men looked at each other for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Lefty,” Cruz said.
Lefty had nothing to say to that. He simply nodded again.
“If you need a few more days, I can talk to the commander,” Brain told him.
“I’m good. I have a feeling getting back to work is the best thing I can do,” Lefty said.
Brain just eyed him.
“If you both will excuse me, I need to call my mother and let her know what’s going on, and see if I can’t get her a flight home.
Cruz, I appreciate you being here, and while I’m pissed you didn’t at least warn me she was thinking about this, I’m sure I’ll come to terms with it eventually.
” Then he gave both men a chin lift and walked out of the room.
He didn’t remember walking through the hospital and going back to his truck, but he found himself sitting behind his wheel before he realized it.
Pulling out the note, Lefty read it once more.
Kinley loved him.
He wanted to scream out his rage at how unfair this situation was. She’d spent her entire life looking for love, and it had been ripped out from under her.
Then he cried. Huge, hulking sobs that shook his frame.
He cried for what she’d been through, and because he was so damn proud of her. He hated that she’d made this decision without him, but he couldn’t be mad at her.
When he finally got himself under control, Lefty took a deep breath. He wiped his face with the back of his arm and reached for his new phone. He couldn’t be by her side right now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do everything in his power to look out for her.
He dialed a number that he’d memorized a long time ago. He never thought he’d have any reason to use it, but he couldn’t think of a better reason than Kinley.
“Hello?” the man on the other end answered.
“This is Gage Haskins, you might know me as Lefty. I need your help.”
“Of course I know who you are, Lefty. What can I do for you?”
It was almost unreal that he was talking to the infamous Tex. The former SEAL who’d been medically retired after losing part of his leg, and who’d become a computer genius who went out of his way to help military personnel all over the country.
“My woman’s just entered WITSEC. I need you to keep an eye on her.
I’m not asking you to tell me where she is or anything about what she’s doing.
In fact, I’d prefer it if you didn’t. I have a feeling if I knew anything about what she’s going through, it would make it impossible for me to do my job and get through each day. ”
Lefty went on to explain to Tex why she was in witness protection, and a little about her background.
“I love her,” he concluded. “I always thought love would be this easy, gentle feeling that would make me content. But it’s not.
It’s made me fierce, and anxious, and I know I’d use everything I’ve learned over the years to kill for her if necessary.
I just need to know that someone other than the government is watching out for her.
Making sure she has what she needs to be safe. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” Tex said promptly. “I can definitely do that for you. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she’s safe until you can be reunited.”
“I don’t know if that’ll be possible,” Lefty said honestly. “But knowing she’s not completely on her own will make me feel better.”
“She won’t be alone,” Tex swore.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” the other man said gruffly. “I know if it was my wife or children, you’d do the same.”
“I owe you.”
“If you don’t stop, I’m gonna get pissed,” Tex said.
Lefty would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so sad. Tex’s hatred for any kind of thanks was legendary.
“You said the hitman’s name is Simon King?” Tex asked.
“Yeah.” Just hearing the man’s name made him angry. “That’s what he told her, at least. It’s probably an alias.”
“Hmmm. I’ve got some work to do and some markers to call in. I know some people who will be more than happy to take care of wiping another evil human being off the planet. You have my word that your woman will be looked after. I’ll talk to you later.” Then Tex hung up.