Chapter 16 The Real Enemy #2
The mechanic's stomach twisted.
Six weeks.
The timeline mattered.
A lot.
Because six weeks ago Finn had still been living at the farmhouse.
Still spending every day beside him.
Still publicly connected to him.
The realization made his chest tighten painfully.
Marcus continued.
"Voss knows the connection."
The words landed hard.
Of course he did.
The entire town knew.
Willow Ridge wasn't exactly famous for privacy.
Anyone paying attention would've noticed.
The doctor.
The mechanic.
The farmhouse.
The relationship.
The pieces weren't difficult to connect.
The call ended several minutes later.
The information helped.
A little.
Not enough.
Nothing would.
Not until he saw Finn with his own eyes.
The clinic appeared ahead.
The mechanic parked badly.
Almost sideways.
He didn't care.
The front doors opened before he reached them.
A familiar nurse stepped outside.
Rebecca.
The woman immediately noticed his expression.
Concern flashed across her face.
Then alarm.
"Deck?"
The mechanic stopped.
Trying to slow down.
Trying not to look insane.
The effort probably failed.
"Where's Finn?"
The question came out rough.
Urgent.
The nurse blinked.
Clearly surprised.
"With patients."
Relief hit instantly.
Powerful.
Temporary.
The mechanic exhaled slowly.
For the first time in twenty minutes, oxygen actually reached his lungs.
The nurse studied him carefully.
"What happened?"
The question lingered.
The answer felt impossible.
How exactly did someone explain that a former enemy might be stalking the man they loved?
The mechanic settled for honesty.
Partial honesty.
"I need to see him."
Rebecca looked concerned.
Then suspicious.
Then concerned again.
The expression would've been amusing under different circumstances.
Eventually she nodded.
"He just finished."
The nurse pointed toward a hallway.
"Third door."
The mechanic moved immediately.
The clinic blurred around him.
Patients.
Staff.
Conversations.
None of it registered.
Only Finn mattered.
The office door stood partially open.
Deck stopped outside.
For one brief moment.
One precious second.
He simply watched.
The doctor sat behind his desk reviewing charts.
Focused.
Concentrated.
Alive.
Safe.
The sight nearly destroyed him.
Because suddenly the past several days felt real.
Terrifyingly real.
He could have lost this.
Could still lose this.
The realization settled heavily inside his chest.
Finn looked up.
Immediately noticing him.
The reaction happened instantly.
The doctor's expression shifted.
Surprise.
Confusion.
Concern.
Because apparently Deck looked as bad as he felt.
The younger man stood.
"What happened?"
The question emerged before hello.
Before anything else.
The mechanic stepped inside.
Closed the door.
The movement immediately raised alarms.
Finn's concern deepened.
"Deck."
The doctor moved closer.
The sight felt familiar.
Comforting.
Dangerous.
The mechanic stared at him.
Trying to memorize every detail.
The blond hair.
The blue eyes.
The stubborn kindness.
Everything.
The realization hit again.
Brutal.
This man had become the most important person in his life.
And someone knew it.
Someone planned to use it.
The thought made him sick.
"What happened?"
Finn asked again.
Softer this time.
The concern in his voice hurt.
Because he deserved better than this.
Better than fear.
Better than danger.
Better than Deck.
The old thought resurfaced automatically.
The mechanic crushed it immediately.
Not now.
Not anymore.
The problem wasn't whether Finn deserved better.
The problem was keeping him alive.
The realization clarified everything.
Deck took a slow breath.
Then another.
Trying to control the panic.
Trying to think.
The doctor watched carefully.
Waiting.
Patient.
Trusting.
The trust nearly broke him.
Because Finn still looked at him that way.
Even after everything.
Even after the argument.
Even after the lies.
The mechanic finally spoke.
"There are people from my past."
The words sounded inadequate.
Pathetic.
The truth proved far worse.
Finn frowned slightly.
The doctor already knew about the contractors.
The mission.
The guilt.
That wasn't new information.
The mechanic continued.
"They found evidence."
Another pause.
His throat suddenly felt tight.
"They found surveillance."
The doctor's expression changed.
Subtly.
Concern growing.
The realization settling.
"What kind of surveillance?"
Deck looked away briefly.
Then back.
Unable to soften the truth.
Unable to lie.
Not anymore.
"Photographs."
The room fell silent.
The younger man's face paled slightly.
The reaction hurt.
Because he understood.
Instinctively.
The doctor wasn't stupid.
Never had been.
"Of you?"
The question came carefully.
Hopeful.
Deck wished the answer were yes.
God, he wished it.
Instead, he shook his head.
Slowly.
The silence that followed felt endless.
Finn's eyes widened.
Understanding arriving piece by piece.
The mechanic saw the exact moment it happened.
The exact moment the doctor realized where this conversation was going.
"Deck..."
His voice sounded different now.
Quieter.
The mechanic forced himself to continue.
Forced himself to say the words.
The hardest words.
The most terrifying words.
"There were pictures of the clinic."
The doctor's breathing changed.
Barely noticeable.
Still there.
"There were pictures of the farmhouse."
Another pause.
The room seemed to shrink.
The walls closing in.
The air growing heavier.
The mechanic looked directly into blue eyes.
No lies.
No avoidance.
Only truth.
"They had your name."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The words settled between them like a bomb.
The doctor didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
For several seconds, neither man did.
Then reality finally landed.
Visible.
Brutal.
Finn slowly lowered himself back into his chair.
The movement looked automatic.
The reaction of someone processing something impossible.
The mechanic understood.
Because he was still processing it too.
The truth remained horrifying.
Not because someone wanted him dead.
He'd accepted that possibility days ago.
The truth was horrifying because the threat had evolved.
Changed.
Adapted.
The enemy no longer cared about revenge alone.
The enemy wanted leverage.
Pain.
Control.
And there was only one person capable of hurting Deck more than any bullet ever could.
As the silence filled the office, one realization became impossible to ignore.
Adam Voss had stopped hunting Declan Harlan.
He was hunting Finn Ashford now.
· ? ·