Chapter 36 Luke
LUKE
“How could he have killed him, Luke? How could Garrison have shot one of you? He’s not a traitor!” Fallon’s eyes are red from her sobs.
“I watched him do it! He killed Reid. He’s with Tycos.” My harsh voice calms slightly. “It happens. Sometimes, the enemy gets to them. We knew there was a mole. I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. Garrison didn’t expect to get caught.”
She continues to cry, her shoulders shaking.
I soften my tone as I pat her back. “You need to move out. You’re not safe with him. Come stay with me. I have enough bedrooms.”
She scoffs, drying her tears with the back of her hand. “Really, Luke? I know you were afraid to tell me for my safety, but this isn’t exactly easy to hear. I’m not safe with him? How many vulnerable positions do you think he’s had me in?”
My face twists in disgust. “I’d prefer not to know actually. You need to get away from him to clear your head and decide on what to do. I’m going to prove it was him to the government, Fal. I’ve already got a plan in motion to get them proof. I’m done waiting on justice from the FBI.”
The tears flow harder. My heart crumbles inside my chest as I watch my sister’s world break in half. My arms wrap her in a tight hug, and I hold her close while she sobs.
Should I not have told her? Should I have let them be together until I could prove Garrison’s guilt?
No. They came after Kate for being involved with me.
Who knows what they might do to Fallon?
She pulls back, and I immediately see the change on her face—from powerlessness to resilience.
“I’m not moving out. I want to hear it from him. I want to hear his explanation. There’s got to be a reason.”
“And if there’s not? If he’s guilty?”
She lifts her chin, wiping the tears away. “I’ll make his life a living hell. I want his last moments before he’s dragged to a dark prison cell to be the epitome of pain and misery.”
My throat constricts. “Fallon . . . no. You don’t need revenge. He’s a killer, and if he knows you know, then you will be in incredible danger.”
Her eyes spark with the fiery spirit she’s had since we were kids. “You’ve always protected me. I love you for it—I do. But he’s my husband, and if I want to make his life a living hell for what he’s done, that’s my choice. If he did it.”
I clench my jaw, searching her face. Once Fal makes up her mind, there’s no arguing with her.
“Is that what Reid would’ve wanted? For you to be in danger for the sake of some twisted version of justice?”
I hate to use her love for Reid against her this way, but she needs to see reason. Reid and Fallon dated for a year. Neither mentioned marriage until two nights before his death when Reid came to me and asked for my blessing. I gladly granted it, thrilled to welcome him as my brother.
Fallon isn’t looking at me now, her eyes growing distant. “You know, Luke, I was going to break up with Reid.”
My breathing halts at her words. “What?”
“I’d been debating it for a while. He was .
. . I don’t know . . . so obsessive about the missions.
I knew what y’all were doing was serious, but he never let it rest. Even when he was home, it was all he thought about.
At least you, Garrison, and Henrik could relax and pretend to be civilians.
Reid was . . . he was meant to be a single man.
I loved him, Luke, but it wasn’t going to work. ”
Telling her now what he was planning that night would only bring on guilt. I can’t blame her for wanting to leave him. Reid was the most dedicated to the mission out of all of us.
Which is exactly why Garrison killed him. He knew something, something that was valuable. Garrison is convinced it can’t be proven, that it’s my word against his. He thinks he got away with it and that he got Fallon too. He knows I value her life too much to put her in danger.
I don’t want to tell her that, but I think that’s why he married her too. To keep her close, as a way to blackmail me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about being with Garrison sooner. I knew how much you hated him, and since Reid was your best friend, I didn’t . . . think you would understand.”
She’s right about that. I would’ve done anything I could to tear them apart—with good reason.
“He’s a cold-blooded killer, Fallon. He’s a traitor. I’m going to see Henrik now to start working on a plan to avenge Reid. Garrison will pay for his part in it—whatever the extent of it was.”
She lifts her chin up, tears dripping down.
“If he really killed Reid, I will make him pay, brother. He won’t have a moment’s peace until you’re ready. I just can’t believe he would do that. I have to talk to him about it.”
This isn’t how it should be, but how do I convince her?
He deceived her gravely, betrayed us all. No one can stand in the way of my justice, so who am I to stand in front of hers?
I have to prove he did it, once and for all, to free her from him.
After checking in with Kate, I have to wonder if she knew the extent of the danger she could be in by being affiliated with me, would it change things? If they knew how much she meant to me, she’d be infinitely more vulnerable.
I wish I could tell her that starting a relationship with me right now would be like signing up for human target practice.
Does she want to start something official or end what’s going on?
I’m pissed I can’t talk to her now and get clarification.
There’s a reason Navy SEALs are usually single.
All the information concerning our missions is classified, and secrets don’t do well in serious relationships.
I’ve been under investigation by the FBI for Reid’s death even though I know exactly who did it.
The Russian Mafia boss, Tycos, hasn’t stopped watching me, waiting for me to screw up.
When I told Kate about Reid, he must’ve decided I was getting too chatty.
Garrison has been laying low ever since he pulled the trigger on my best friend, but I’ve had enough of living life in the shadows.
I want my sister’s husband to pay for what he did.
I want Fallon to be safe. Once that’s settled, I can live my life without the black cloud of Steelhart hanging over me.
And then there’s Kate . . . sweet, innocent, beautiful Kate.
A smile involuntarily tugs at my lips as a montage of our short time together plays in my mind.
Her drawing cartoons with Tommy is my favorite memory so far, but there are so many to choose from.
The picture of her wearing that crimson lace in my office isn’t one I can easily dismiss.
After what she’s been through on my account, she’s stronger than I would’ve ever guessed. She’s nearly been killed twice because of me and my failure to protect her, and now, she wants to talk about “this”? Surely, it’s to say she’s done with me.
What other direction could this possibly lead?
She’d be better off without me.
I’m guiding my small jet down on a private airstrip outside of Beverly Hills, California. I force my attention to the task at hand despite the churning in my gut.
Kate deserves a man who can keep her safe, not one who brings endless harm to her. Even now, I’m texting her and Jackson constantly to check in.
Being away from her feels unnatural. The cameras recently installed in my penthouse can be accessed from my smartphone, and I’ve shamelessly been watching her wander around the house all day with her friend.
They’re both asleep now in her bed in the guest room. I crave to hold her close while she dreams, but the fact that she’s safe for the moment is enough to get me through until I can see her again.
Will you be strong enough to break it off then?
I have to stop thinking about her. If I don’t focus on landing this plane, there won’t be much of me left to see Kate at all. I finally touch the wheels down safely.
After I exit the aircraft and turn my phone on, I place a call to the man I’m here to see.
He picks up after a few rings.
“Bradshaw, haven’t seen you since the wedding. Your face still purple?”
“I’m as pretty as ever.”
He chuckles as I dip into the waiting limousine. I hate the way rich California pricks insist on driving around.
This shit had better be bulletproof.
“I’m here. Let’s get drinks somewhere loud.”
“Shit, you’re in Cali? Yeah, let’s go out. I have a club promotion to go to tonight actually.”
“Of course you do.”
He laughs again, rattling off the details and telling me my name will be on the list. It’s already getting late, so I direct the driver straight there. I’m not here to waste time.
Henrik Cavalry is America’s playboy. He was my brother in arms as a Navy SEAL, but after the mission ended, he went into acting and modeling, skyrocketing into fame in a very short time.
In the last two years, his ex-military status and roguish good looks have done nothing but promote his status with females all over the world.
Honestly, it terrifies me. Give me an AK-47 and a band of rebels to shoot down, and I’ll barely break a sweat. When it comes to women, there’s really only one who can drive me wild. I don’t need all the attention from the pack that worships Henrik.
He revels in it. He’s currently the cover boy for a breakout fitness brand and starring as a guest actor in a hit TV show. I’m sure he’ll be on the big screen in no time.
The driver eventually pulls up to the club, an eternal line extending out the front. Scantily clad young women with enormous breasts are clamoring to get in. This must be the place to congregate on the West Coast.
I give my name to the bouncer stationed out front, thankful I thought to wear a crimson button-down shirt and dress pants. A few of the girls in line are screaming at me with very generous offers, but I ignore them and continue up the steps.
Henrik had better be here. I don’t have time for this shit.