He was aware.
The man had come undone the second he’d told him it was over. He’d told him that he never wanted to see him again, and Riley was doing everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen.
He had a stalker.
“I can’t go back to that moment in my life where he broke my heart.”
Callen was to the point.
“Then don’t. That’s your choice. If you don’t want to see the man you say you loved…”
He stopped him.
That pissed him off.
“I loved him more than anything. I tattooed his initial on my goddamn thigh! Every single time I get undressed, I see it. I’m reminded that he was mine and I thought he loved me.”
Callen was to the point.
“He made a mistake. We all do it, Michael. Like you calling Elizabeth and screaming at her. That was a mistake. You accused her, and she wasn’t behind this. The universe was. It just put everything into play. What makes us human is our ability to make mistakes and learn from them. Graham isn’t just learning, he’s paying with his soul each and every day away from you.”
He said nothing.
At first.
“I need to think about this,” he said. “I’m going to find a place to stay in the village.”
Callen understood.
At least they had one person talked down. Callen was going to try to call Graham next, and talk him down from the ledge. There was no doubt he was on it.
The question was how close was he to the edge?
“Sometimes, Michael, we’re given a second chance, and we have to decide if we’re going to take it. We can’t force you to do anything, nor would we. You have to decide what the next step is, but keep in mind that he asked Gryphen to find you so that he could know you were okay. That was his last wish—to know that life had been kind to you when he hadn’t been, says a lot about the man.”
Tears filled Michael’s eyes.
It did.
He was still struggling with the part that he’d never moved on. Graham had been thinking about him. Had he tried to find him after he’d left?
Did he try to get to him?
Callen was to the point.
“We’re losing Graham. Gryphen is fighting for his life, trying to keep him here until his wedding. Tony has given him afamily in hopes of saving a soldier that is on the cusp. He doesn’t want to live anymore, Michael. Finding out that you were okay was the last thing he needed before he could say goodbye.”
A tear dripped down his cheek.
The idea of finding out that Graham had died…
That hurt too.
“What happens from here on out is on you. We didn’t mean to hurt you. If you think we did, then, you’re right—you shouldn’t work for us. If after the years we’ve been together seem like a lie to you, we should end our connection. If that’s the case, I’ll accept your resignation for Ivan.”
Michael said nothing.
Why?
