Chapter Twenty-Three #2
"You don't understand," I said. I didn't know how to explain it to him. How could he not see?
"No, I understand. I do. You've got to figure this shit out for yourself. I don't have any words of wisdom. Except to say—you need to get your fucking head on straight. Do you know why she was so pissed at Aiden when he fired her? If you do, then you know you did the same goddamned thing."
"I'm done talking about this with you," I said, ready to hang up.
"Fine with me. I'm not a relationship counselor. But if you make her cry again, I'll beat the shit out of you."
"I'm scared," I said flatly. I'm sure Evers was trained and a good fighter, but I outweighed him by at least 50 pounds and had a few inches on him. Plus, whoever had trained Evers, I doubted he knew how to fight dirty. Not the way I did.
Evers laughed.
"You should be scared. I'm not stupid enough to take you on by myself. But I have brothers, and so does Charlie. Trust me, you don't want us coming after you."
"Fine. That it?"
"No. I was going to call you later today, but now that I've got you on the phone, we can just talk now," he said, all business.
"What's up?"
"I know you've been freelance since your thing with the Raptors ended.
But we're looking to expand in your area.
We don't have anyone with your kind of experience.
We've got some hackers on the team, and we've got people who can go out in the field.
We need someone to lead the new division who can do both. We want you."
That was the last thing I expected Evers Sinclair to say. Did he just offer me a job? And not just a job, but the chance to lead a whole department?
He stayed silent on the other end while I ran through the implications. I wouldn't have the same flexibility I did now if I worked for Sinclair. And they'd have to fork over a hefty salary to match what I could make on my own. But the challenge was intriguing.
I could already see the possibilities in my head, the way I could meld the two sides of my talents into a team. Sinclair Security did good work. The best. If I were going to join a company, theirs would be at the top of the list.
When the silence had stretched out for too long, I said, "That's an interesting offer."
"If it's something you'd be willing to consider, I'll email you a formal proposal. We can talk when you're back in Atlanta."
"That sounds good," I said slowly, still trying to catch up. "I'll text you my email. I should be back the day after tomorrow. This job is about done."
"Works for me."
Evers hung up.
Now I just had to make one more call. This one, I was dreading. I'd almost asked Evers to pass on the news, but I wasn't a coward.
I pulled up Aiden's number and hit SEND. He was considerably chillier than Evers when he answered.
"Jackson. Can I help you with something?"
"Yeah. Look, I'm probably the last person you want to hear from right now. This isn't about Charlie."
"Then why are you calling me?"
It was a good thing we had a few hundred miles between us. If the cold rage in his voice was any indication, Aiden's first move if he saw me in person would involve a swinging fist. Or a bullet.
"I told you I'd do some digging. It took a while, but I managed to get in touch with a guy I know. I don't have any proof to show you, but they're ninety percent sure Gage is still out there."
"They think he's alive?" The relief in Aiden's voice was so sharp it hurt to hear. It killed me to pull him back.
"They intercepted some communications that indicated he was being held. That's all they know. But they haven't heard anything that suggests he isn't still alive. That's no guarantee he's coming home. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," Aiden said, his voice husky. "But for now, they're pretty sure he's alive?"
"For now," I agreed. "Based on what I could find out, if anyone can get free and make his way home, it's your brother."
"Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate your looking into this."
I wanted to ask how Charlie was. Why, I don't know. It would be pouring salt in an open wound, and Aiden would cut me to pieces for daring to say her name.
I couldn't help myself.
"Is Charlie—"
Aiden cut me off. "Stay away from Charlie," he said in a hard voice.
"I can guess why you walked, Jackson. I'm even a little sympathetic, considering that I was the last man to fuck up her life because I was sure I knew better than she did about what she needed.
She deserves more than a guy she can't depend on.
She's had enough of those. You can stop worrying about her. Her family will watch her back."
He hung up. I sat on the edge of the hotel bed, staring at the screen of my phone with blind eyes.
That's what Evers was getting at. Aiden had fired her because he thought he knew what was best. And in that case, he had.
It didn't make his actions right. He'd taken her choice away. He'd treated her like a child.
Then I'd turned around and done the same thing.
I loved her for her intelligence, her strength of spirit. Her courage.
I was the one who was lacking.
She knew who I was, where I came from. I'd told her. When she was challenged at the benefit, she hadn't hesitated for a second. She could've made an excuse or pretended Elizabeth's insults were a joke.
Instead, Charlie had looked Elizabeth right in the eye and said she was proud to be by my side.
Who was I to tell a woman like her that she couldn't choose who she wanted? If I loved her, really loved her, I'd trust her to make her own decisions.
I fell back on the bed, my head bouncing on the firm mattress, and let out a groan.
I was a fucking idiot.
A stupid fucking idiot. I'd walked away from the only woman I'd ever loved. I'd treated her like a fool.
I'd hurt her. Hurt Charlie. A memory of her shattered eyes when I left flashed through my mind.
Fuck. Of all the challenges I'd overcome in my life, all the battles I'd fought, none had ever been as important as the one that was coming.
I had to get Charlie back. No matter what, I had to convince her to give me another chance.