Page 144 of One Last Chance

“Did Dillon tell you anything before . . . I mean, did he say anything about the murders?”

Oh. “Just about Aven. Told me how he’d found her out of the river. How he’d sexually assaulted her—I shut that down. But—yeah, he was a real piece of work. How’s Wilson taking it?”

“I haven’t seen him. Sad to have that happen to your family, your son. I don’t know what all went down in that family, but Dillon fits the profile—broken family, angry at his stepmother. Hopefully Laramie doesn’t turn out like his father.”

“He’s got his grandfather, so . . .” He forced a smile.

Silence fell between them as she took a sip of coffee. Then she looked at him, and the boulder rolled right over his lungs. “Axel, I can’t stay.” She swallowed, and her eyes filled. She blinked hard, met his eyes. “And you’re not leaving.”

And he couldn’t stop the rush of panic rolling over him, washing out in his voice. “Flynn—c’mon. Is this because of what I said? Because . . . I mean, I know that . . . I know you have a job?—”

“Idohave a job. And it might sound dark and creepy, but it is my job and I’m good at it. And if I don’t do it, then someone else is going to have to stick their hand into the darkness and find the monster and—” he sighed. “And I have to do it alone.”

She wiped her cheek, shook her head. “Watching them trying to bring you back to life might have been the worst two minutes of my life?—”

“Sparrow—”

“No. Not anymore. It’s Flynn. And Flynn can’t wait on the helpless side of the radio, hoping you survive your next callout.” She lifted her chin. “And Axel can’t panic every time I go monster hunting. Can’t be there to rescue me. It’s not the life he wants to live.”

“You should let me decide that.”

“I think you already did. In the forest.”

“I was . . . Flynn, that’s not fair.”

“I know. But let’s not kid ourselves that it isn’t what is in your heart. You can’t help but be a hero, Axel. But that’s why this can’t work. Because I’ll always be fighting monsters, and you’ll always be trying to save me.”

He looked away, his entire body burning.

“But . . . if it weren’t for you, I’d still be stuck behind the falls, trapped. And very well might be dead. So . . .” She walked over to him and stood in his view.

He met her eyes, his mouth tight.

“I am sorry that I’m not Kennedy. That I can’t leave my life behind. Because for a while there, I really thought . . .” She drew in a breath. “Well, let’s just say that there is a part of me that belongs here with you, Axel. Just not the part that is real life.”

He closed his eyes.

Then he felt her breath against his forehead. “This is for Phoenix.” She kissed him. “Use that one life well.”

He opened his eyes, his jaw tight, unable to speak.

Then she put the oxygen mask back on him, turned, picked up her coffee, and walked out of his life.

As abruptly as she’d appeared.

He stared at the ceiling, the air cold in his lungs. Closed his eyes.

And just tried to keep breathing.

But their conversation came back to him, the one on the ham radio a week ago.

Aweekago.

So maybe he was overreacting.

Or maybe a week was just long enough to learn to trust, to be eviscerated.

“Maybe he was just the holiday-romance guy and not the real guy. You know, the guy who is lots of fun but deep down can’t make a commitment.”

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