Page 38 of Operator
A sick feeling grows in my stomach. “But what?”
“Well, you were invincible to him. His older brother. According to him, you couldn’t be hurt. He seemed sure of it. So it makes sense he’d be rattled to have that change. But he never said anything to you about it?”
“No, nothing.” I wish like hell he had. Maybe I could have saved him.
“Don’t do that,” Gwen says sharply, and the baby makes a sound of protest.
“Do what?”
“Blame yourself. If he’d wanted to tell you, he would have. That’s what you’d say to me, right? It’s not your fault either, Cal.”
Ignoring that, I ask, “Did they make him see a head doctor when he came back? If they did, maybe he knows something. Didn’t you say you knew him? The guy that came into the diner, right? What about anyone else? A friend he was deployed with, or maybe grew close to after he came back?”
“Yes, William. He’s a good man. There was another guy he talks to a lot, I think they met at a 5k or something. He’s former Army, though. Lives in Florida now. Alec Dorran.”
I make a mental note to look both of them up. “Did his therapist or Alec ever say anything about Ian that seemed off to you?”
“No, not that I can think of. They’re both good men. William is a lifer Marine. He’s almost up for retirement and has stellar recommendations. And Alec was devastated when Ian died. They were close.”
I don’t say it to Gwen because I don’t want to upset her, but if Ian was killed and his death made to look like a suicide, then odds are someone close to him killed him. Likely someone she knows. If they’re aware that she doesn’t think he killed himself and that she may be onto them, then Gwen is in danger. As evidenced by the person who planted the suicide note. If they’re desperate or crazy enough to kill once, then they’re probably desperate or crazy enough to do it again to make certain they aren’t found out.
My palms go sweaty at the thought. I’ve been around death more than I’d like to admit. So much that I’ve grown comfortable with it. In fact, when Gwen had called me to tell me Ian was dead, I reacted more to the sound of her voice over the line than I did to the news my brother was gone. Doing what I do, it becomes a simple fact of life to lose people you care about, men you’ve come to love as close as family. After Tate died, something inside me broke off.
I dial back into the conversation as Gwen says, “You don’t really think they had something to do with it, do you?”
Scrubbing a hand through my hair, I say, “I’m not going to lie to you. I wouldn’t trust anyone outside of this room at this point. Not until we figure out what’s going on.”
“You’re scaring me,” Gwen says with wide eyes and pulls Violet closer.
“I don’t want to scare you, angel. I just want to keep you safe. Let me look through these for a while. See if I can find anything. Don’t go anywhere without letting me know, yeah?”
Her eyes narrow. “Are you going to keep tabs on me now?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I’m a grown woman, Cal. I know how to take care of myself. I have my license to carry.”
“That’s hot as hell, babe, but I’d feel better if I knew where you were. Do it for my sake, okay? My blood pressure can’t handle worrying about you.”
The struggle shows briefly on her face, and I smile inwardly. The woman can’t help her concern for others. She may hate my guts sometimes, but she’d never want to hurt me. Fuck if I don’t love that about her.
“Fine. But only for Violet’s sake.Shehappens to like you,” she says grudgingly.
“I’ll wear her mama down eventually,” I say over my shoulder as I take the laptop and computer out to the living room. It’s about time for Violet’s longest nap of the day, and I know Gwen likes her space when she’s trying to nurse her for long periods of time. Not that I don’t like staring at her boobs on display, but I need all my brain cells to focus.
A snort follows me out.
She’s cooking again.
Woman is always cooking.
It’s damn distracting.
When I’d known her before, she’d been a little wild. A whole helluvalot tempting. She’d been full of energy, fire. A girl like her had been hard to resist. Now? A woman like her is just plain irresistible.
I try to focus on the screen in front of me, but the scents of the gumbo she’s cooking up tease me. My stomach growls. Her voice filters from the kitchen as she sings along with the radio to Violet, who’s propped in a bouncer seat contraption watching her cook.
It’s homey as hell and exactly the type of image that used to horrify me.
