Page 17 of GAF Factor

“I will.”

“And if you need me, call me.”

Her head jerked as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Where will you go?”

“Don’t worry about me. I have plenty of places to go.”

As she swiped at her cheeks, I took one last moment to memorize the delicate features of her face. God, I was going to fucking miss her.

“I’ll still see you.”

I nodded, but knew she would stay as far away as possible. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too.” I turned on my heel and headed down the stairs.

Bowie was sitting in his chair, shaking his head at me. “I told you not to mention IKE.”

5

IKE

I peeledthe wraps from around my hands as I sat in my car at the curb like I’d been doing so much over the past month. My body ached from the abuse I put it through as I desperately tried to free us from that shipping container. And in the end, I had failed.

I’d never forget the way she looked, her skin cold and pale, her lips colorless…her eyes barely holding any light. My chest ached every time I thought of how it all could have turned out. She wasn’t mine, but if I had lost her, I knew I’d never be the same.

Tossing the wraps on the passenger seat, I stared at the slices on my hands. Angry red cuts slashed across my skin from where the wood cut into my palms as I slammed it against the metal. The pain was more tolerable than thinking about her inside her house right now with Kavanaugh. When I told her to come to me when she was ready, I knew that meant sending her home with him.

I didn’t expect her to end things immediately—or at all. I knew she might still choose him, and I wouldn’t blame her for that. Kavanaugh was a good guy, even if he was fucking lying to her every time he opened his mouth. She deserved someone whowould give her everything, and I knew he would strive for that. Me, however…what could I really offer her? Even if I did get my shit together, I had made enemies over the years. There was no guarantee that she would ever be safe.

Unless I left it all behind, but then what would I do?

The passenger door opened, tearing me out of the melancholy of my thoughts. IRIS slid inside next to me, handing over a coffee.

“What are you doing?”

“Joining you on the stakeout,” he answered, setting his cup down. He rubbed his hands together, then blew in them. “Crap, it’s cold out this morning. How can you stand to sit in here without your car running?”

I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee. I didn’t want to admit to him that I relished the cold. It reminded me of all I had to lose. “Wear a fucking heavier coat.”

“So, what’s she up to this morning?” He pulled out a pair of binoculars and zeroed in on the house.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Checking out the situation.”

“I don’t need you to do that. How did you even know I was here?”

“Jane,” he answered, still looking through the lens. “She said you checked in with her after you were released from the hospital. Something about your new obsession. It didn’t take much from there to figure out where you’d be.”

“And you’re here because…”

He lowered the binoculars, quirking an eyebrow at me. “Isn’t it obvious? If I’m here with you, it ensures that you won’t be spying on my wife.”

I rolled my eyes. “I told you a long time ago that I wasn’t after Jane.”

He snorted at that. “Pardon me if I don’t believe you. So, this woman, isn’t she Kavanaugh’s girl?”

I grunted in response, not wanting to answer that question.

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