Page 45 of Final Exit

He closed his eyes, swallowed. When he looked at her again, the sympathy in his eyes made her want to punch him. “You can’t blame yourself. There was nothing you could do.”

“I know that, Kade,” she snapped. “I came to terms with that night a long time ago. Really. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”

“I’m glad you did. I’m honored that you shared your story with me. And I’m sorry that I let you down, with Hawke. I really do wish it could have been different. I know it hurts to lose a good friend. Mine didn’t die, but he might as well have. Other than anything work-related between our two agencies, we haven’treallyspoken in about five years.”

“Five years? He couldn’t have been that good a friend then.”

“We grew up together, more or less. Middle school, high school, college. Even joined the bureau together.”

“What was his name?”

“Robert Gannon. I always thought we’d be friends forever. But I suppose we were just too competitive. We ended up working for the same boss, Faegan. Whenever I’d get a promotion, instead of congratulating me, Gannon wouldn’t speak to me for days, or at least until his own promotion got approved.

“I suppose because we were both on the same career track and he just figured he deserved it more than I did. Same thing as far as assignments. Seems like every time he’d get an assignment he was proud of, I’d end up with something better—at least in his mind. Things just sort of, soured, between us over the years. I guess the last straw was a few years ago. We were both dating the same woman.”

She stared at him. “You two-timed your best friend?”

“Hell no, not intentionally. Neither of us knew she was dating both of us. She was a co-worker. I guess she was having fun at both of our expenses until she decided which of us she wanted to keep. Her game ended at a charity event that I took her to. Gannon—”

“You always call your best friend by his last name?”

“Always have, and he calls me Quinn. Started so long ago I don’t even remember why we do it.”

“Go on,” she urged.

“Gannon was supposed to be out of the country on assignment, training law-enforcement officers on investigative techniques. But the assignment ended earlier than expected and he popped into the same event. When he saw the two of us there, together, he just... exploded. Sucker punched me when I wasn’t expecting it. Called me a bastard and stormed out. A month later, when our boss’s boss, Kendall, left for a job at Homeland Security, Gannon asked to go with him. I guess it was a great move for him. He and Kendall both racked up the promotions once they got there. Gannon’s a hotshot now.”

He shrugged. “Not that I know about it firsthand. That’s what I’ve heard through the grapevine. Other than a grudging recommendation to my immediate boss—Faegan—to help me get my current assignment after the... accident, that was about the last time Gannon and I have spoken. There are the occasional work-related events we can’t avoid when our two agencies get together. But he’s pretty much written me out of his life. We’re definitely not friends anymore.”

“What a jerk.”

“Me or him?”

She smiled. “I might have to think about that. What happened to the woman?”

“She was mortified over the whole thing. Ended up transferring to the Atlanta field office. Haven’t heard from or seen her since.” He shifted his stance and winced.

Whatever she’d been about to say was forgotten as she studied his drawn features. “You don’t look so good. In fact, you look terrible. You’re as white as virgin snow. Is it your leg?”

Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed a bottle of over-the-counter pain medicine from a cabinet and set it on the counter. She opened the refrigerator and took out a cold bottle of water for him. When she turned around, he was already tossing back four pills.

“Whoa, easy on your liver. Or kidneys. Or whatever body part you’re abusing right now.”

“This is nothing. I used to eat Vicodin like candy.” He thanked her and chased the pills down with some water.

“What exactly’s wrong with your leg? How did you hurt it in the first place?”

“I need to splash some water on my face, wash my hands. Does this place have a bathroom?”

He’d neatly avoided her question. Normally she’d call him on it. But he seemed even paler than he had a minute ago and she was really starting to worry.

She shouldn’t care. He was still her enemy, after all. But they’d been through so much together in such a short time that he didn’t seem like the enemy. And it was hard not to care, at least a little bit, about a man who’d risked his life for her at every turn.

“Kade, maybe we should go back to the hospital. Have a doctor take a look at your leg.”

“After what we went through to get away? Not a chance. I’ll be fine, really. The pain pills are already making me feel better.”

His grimace said otherwise but she was tired of arguing. She waved toward the hall visible through an opening on the other side of the family room-kitchen combo. “The bathroom is the middle door. I’ll whip us up some grilled cheese sandwiches to inhale when you get back. Then we can both pass out for a few hours, or a week. Not sure about you, but I am one tired puppy.”

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