Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“Nothing. I’m freaking out over nothing.”
“You? Mr. Guy Kitchener, the most put-together man I know, is freaking out? It has to be something.”
“Nah, I’m overreacting to a gut feeling. I expected Prescott to be back already, but he even said himself he didn’t know how long he’d be gone.” Though he did say it was supposed to be a short one, and it’s already been two weeks. Colonel Parker was being sketchy about details, and— Nope, nope, nope. Stop reading into everything, Kit.
“What’s your gut saying? Do you think he could’ve been deployed instead or …”
I don’t want Brady to worry, so I try to sound confident when I say, “Yeah, it’s probably something like that.” It can’t be that, though, because back-to-back deployments don’t happen unless there’s some kind of all-out catastrophe. World war, global incident, alien invasion. Prescott’s team won’t be due to ship out again for at least eighteen months.
“How are things between you two?” Brady asks. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk without him present for a while. Did moving to Virginia help you to get over him?”
“I can hear your smirk, you little shit.”
“That’s because I know it didn’t work.”
He’s right. It didn’t. And having shared Brady so often with Prescott, all three of us being together, Brady’s in my head as much as Prescott is. I thought it might have been because without Brady, Prescott and I wouldn’t have the excuse to continue hooking up now we live apart, but in this moment, the one where I was worried about Prescott, there was only one person I wanted to call.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Brady asks.
“I’m fine. Just tired from the new office job. Overthinking everything. But I’m good.”
“Is it weird that you were a SEAL, but it’s the office job that’s killing you?”
“What can I say, using my brain instead of my brawn is tiring me out.”
“As long as that’s all it is.”
I smile. “Aren’t I the one who usually looks after you, not the other way around?”
“No, you’re my escape from having to look after everyone else in my life, but we all need help sometimes, Kit. I’m only a phone call away if you ever need anything.”
My heart fills with warmth that I’m not expecting, and my nose prickles as tears spring to my eyes.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“I’m fine,” I reassure him, even though I’m not. “But I have to go. I have a lot of work to do.” And a lot of waiting around for Colonel Parker to update me.
“Talk soon?” Brady asks.
“You bet.”
We end the call, and while talking to Brady helped, I’m still worried. I’m worried enough to stay at work well past my set hours, just hoping that Colonel Parker or Prescott himself will knock on my door.
When it gets to nine at night and it doesn’t happen, I resign myself to the knowledge I’m not going to get answers tonight and head home. Not before checking if Colonel Parker is still on-site. Which he isn’t.
No matter how many times I tell myself to shake off the unease, to not worry, that anxiety doesn’t go away.
I drive home to my apartment in a blur, moving on autopilot to the point I don’t remember getting here, but as I stare up at my building, I’m sure I’m seeing things.
There’s no way Brady Talon could be sitting on my stoop. One, he doesn’t know where I live, and two, I spoke to him only, what, two hours ago? I look at the clock on my car stereo. Oh, it was more like five hours ago now. He either drives really fast or hopped on a plane, but why?
He stands when I get out of the car. “Thought you’d never get here.”
“I worked later than usual. What …” I glance around the almost full parking lot. It’s a large apartment complex, with five four-story buildings. “How did you know where my apartment was?”
He starts to approach me, and I meet him on the sidewalk. “Prescott.”
“You heard from him?”
He puts his hands in his pockets and looks adorably bashful. “No. When we agreed back in Florida to see each other outside of the three of us, he sent me your address and told me to come see you. I didn’t want to impose until now.”
“And why now?”
“Because it’s obvious something’s wrong.” He looks up at me, his brown eyes a shade lighter than Prescott’s seeing right through me. I don’t think I’ve ever taken notice of him doing that before.
I didn’t know he had the ability to reach my soul with just one look.
“You came here because of that?”
“No. I came here because I know the type of man you are, and I know that even though something’s wrong, you’re not going to ask for help. So I’m here offering it, because like I said on the phone, everyone needs help sometimes.”