Page 98 of Hold Me Before You Go

A muscle ticked in his cheek before he gave me a simple nod. Then, he turned around, ready to walk out of the office. I pushed my laptop off my lap and shot to my feet as I blurted, “I’m sorry.”

With his back to me, he froze, and I watched his shoulders move for a few beats before continuing. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry. I know—I know that all of this—me—might screw everything up for Red Snake,” I explained, my voice thick. “I never wanted any of this to happen.” I pressed my hands against my stomach. “I’m so sorry.”

The man looked at me over his shoulder, and for a fleeting second, I saw his face soften. He opened his mouth to say something, but then Grayson walked through the door. His dark eyes landed on me, taking me in before sliding over to Hayes. He jerked his chin. “You heading out?”

Hayes gave him a single nod as he said, “I’ll update you when I get there.” His voice was smooth, nothing like I expected it to be. More apologetic words were on the tip of my tongue, ready to be out in the world, but I bit down. There was no use, not now. I didn’t want to screw up anything else for him.

Then, he was gone, and Grayson was coming to me. “You alright?”

I looked up at him, the lump in my throat forming once more, and then to the spot where Hayes once stood. “Does he hate me?”

My bounty hunter’s brows came together. “Sunshine, what the hell are you talking about?”

Lifting my arm to the opened door of his office, I said, “You told me Hayes was nice.”

The second the words were out in the open, I realized my mistake.

Oh, shit.

Grayson’s eyes darkened, a shadow falling over his scarred face as the air around us shifted. Suddenly, my chin was in his tight grip, forcing me to hold his intense gaze. “You trying to tell me Hayes wasn’t nice to you?” he pressed, his voice dark. “Answer me.”

I gulped, my eyes going wide at the underlying fury in his voice. It wasn’t towards me—it was towards Hayes. Gently, I placed my hands on his forearm, covering the white snake tattoo. “That’s not what I’m saying. Please don’t kill your friend over me,” I whispered.

His nostrils flared, not letting it go. “Did he say something to you?”

I shook my head. “No, he just…He just seems…angry. He hasn’t spoken to me—at all.”

Grayson’s brows softened as the darkness in his eyes faded, my words hitting him. “Hayes is an angry guy, baby. You aren’t the reason for that, I promise,” he explained.

“What do you mean?”

His hand shifted, snaking over my jaw to cup the back of my neck. “When Hayes was in the Air Force, he lost a lot of people,” he told me softly. “His entire squadron, actually.

My heart ached as my eyes widened. “What?” I breathed.

Grayson’s lips thinned. “That’s all I can tell you, Carrie. That’s all he’ll tell us. We don’t pry and he doesn’t show that side of himself. He can’t, but he lives with that guilt every single day.”

I looked back over to the doorway, tears stinging my eyes. For once, I wasn’t crying about me or Grayson. No, these tears were for the broken man who’d just left. “My god,” I muttered, closing my eyes as a few tears slid down my cheeks.

“He’s going to be okay. Eventually,” Grayson murmured when I looked back to him. Then, he gave me something else about his right-hand man that rocked me. “Also, the woman he was set to propose to was cheating on him with her ex. Hayes came back from a hunt and found them inhisbed last year.”

My hand snapped up my mouth, my jaw dropping. “Oh my god.”

Grayson gave me a small, pained smile before pressing his lips to my forehead. “It isn’t you. He’s just got a fuck ton of shit going on, and this might send him over the edge.”

I pulled back from him, my hands going to his chest. “I don’t want any of you going to jail for me,” I whispered thickly. There. I’d finally said the words that had been swirling in my mind all last night and this morning.

“You and that fucking heart of yours,” he murmured, studying me.

“I’m serious, Grayson. Everything you guys did, you did to save me.” I stepped back, shaking my head. “I can’t—I won’t let you go to jail for that. None of you.”

Pain etched across his features, his hands remaining at his eyes as his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I know, Sunshine.”

There was nothing else to say. There was nothing else I could do.

Looking away from him, I focused on the dull winter sky hovering over Denver. I was quiet for a moment, mentally preparing myself for what was coming next.

When I finally looked back at the love of my life, I gave it to him. “Take me to them.”

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