Page 49 of A Breath of Life
I glided my hand to his nape and drew him closer, down to my level. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and dig my nails into his scalp, but mindful of the lump I’d seen the previous night, I refrained.
“Tallus,” he whispered into the kiss. “Christ, Tallus… Tallus…” My name was a painful plea. A desperate yearning. A hunger. It was agony and love, want and need. Part of me ached to drag him back to bed, make desperate love to him, and hide him from whatever threat he perceived lived beyond the apartment walls.
I wanted to dismantle the barrier he’d rebuilt around his heart and crawl inside where he could never lock me out again.
Eventually, reluctantly, I pulled back and peered deep into his overcast eyes. This sweet, tortured man I’d fallen for would be the deathof me. I wished I could fix all his broken pieces and make him whole again, but a year of dating Diem had taught me that wasn’t possible. I could support his healing, but it wasn’t in my power to vanquish his pain. Recovery was a road he walked alone.
Diem might frustrate me to no end. We might fight and make up and fight and make up, but every shattered fragment of his soul belonged to me. If I had to spend the rest of my life picking up the pieces when he fell apart, I would.
“I love you, Guns.”
He took me into his arms and tucked me close to his heart, nuzzling his face into my hair. “I don’t say it enough, but I love you too.”
“You don’t have to say it all the time. I see it in your eyes when you look at me, and it’s enough.”
“I’ll do better.”
“You’re doing fine.”
Time disappeared as he held me, and I would have been happy to stay there all day, wrapped in his love, but adult responsibilities were a bitch.
“I really have to go, D. I’m going to be late for my shift, and my boss already thinks I’m a flake.”
With a reluctant nod, he released me.
13
Tallus
Iwasn’t permitted to unlock the door or exit into the hallway first. Diem’s anxiety peaked the moment we left the apartment. In the parking garage, he scanned every nook and cranny. On the drive to headquarters, he checked the rearview mirror no fewer than seventy-five times.
Echo must have sensed his anxiety, because she whimpered, poking her face between the front seats to repeatedly lick his ear. Diem patted her and assured her he was fine.
The card remained tied to his wrist.
I tapped it, trying to shift his attention to other things. “After I finish work today, we should start on this. Finding that guy shouldn’t be too hard. We can check the hospitals. Find out where he was sent. See what we can learn about what happened to him. I can call the officer who took our statement and inquire about the man’s health. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I can get a name. From there, we can do a search for his address.”
Diem grunted noncommittally.
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll see.”
“Are you changing your mind?”
“We’ll talk about it when you’re done with work.”
I stared at the side of his face but couldn’t read the expression. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“Later, Tallus.”
I bit my tongue to refrain from arguing. The rest of the drive passed in silence.
When we arrived at the headquarters building, Diem didn’t pull up out front to drop me off. He parked and physically escorted me to the records department like I was an ornery teen being dragged by the arm to the principal’s office.
His scowl was back, and everyone we met on the way earned the Diem Death Glare.
Inside, I flicked on the lights as he made rounds, checking under the counter, behind the desk, and inside the dusty crypts as though someone might be lurking within. Again, I refrained from commenting. It was a secure building full of armed men and women, but he knew that already.
