“Please don’t call me. Not for a while. I just... I need to figure things out.”
He swallowed. “If that’s what you want.”
“Christy’s waiting. I have to go. I’m sorry.”
He caught her face between his hands and very gently kissed her. For a moment, Pia kissed him back. Then she pulled away. “Take care of yourself, Michael.”
He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he couldn’t. Not when looking at him made her remember all the horror she had suffered, all the pain and fear during the days they’d been held captive. Made her remember Benito Velasquez’s sick attentions and how Michael had failed her.
“Goodbye, Pia.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned and hurried across the tarmac to her friend. Michael watched her disappear inside the terminal, a crushing pain in his chest.
The throbbing in his leg grew worse as he climbed the steps to the Garrett jet. His sister was waiting.
“You okay?” Harper asked.
“No.” He looked at her. There were shadows in her eyes, just like the ones that darkened his own. When he glanced over at Chase, he knew what had caused them. “How about you?”
She smiled at him sadly. “I’ll be okay. As long as we have each other, we’ll both be okay.”
Michael managed to come up with a smile. So did Harper. He returned to his seat, and Harper sat back down next to Chase. He didn’t know what was going on between the two, but neither of them looked happy.
He thought about talking to his sister, trying to help her figure things out, but Harper wasn’t a kid anymore. Whatever was happening between her and Chase was none of his business. He just hoped neither of them would get hurt.
Halfway through the flight, Chase came over and sat down beside him. Michael had been hoping they would have a chance to talk.
“How are you holding up?” Chase asked. “You’re bleeding a little. How bad are you hurting?”
Michael scoffed. “My leg hurts like hell. I’ll take a couple of pain pills and be okay.” He rested a hand over his heart. “I feel worse in here. I really messed things up with Pia.”
“It was a bad situation for both of you. Give her some time. Maybe things will work out.”
“I’m not giving up. I love her, Chase.”
“Yeah, I could see that every time you looked at her.”
“I’ll give her some space, let her sort things out, then I’m going after her.”
Chase smiled. “I like the new you. You’re not a quitter.”
“I learned that lesson when I got clean and sober. Even if things don’t work out with Pia, I’ll never go down that road again.”
Chase nodded his approval. “Harper tells me your company is doing really well. I’m glad for you, Michael.”
“Thanks. I’ve thought about our friendship over the years. I want you to know I regret what I did to destroy it.”
“Those days are over. You’ve changed your life, become the man you were meant to be. That’s all any of us ever wanted for you.”
Michael’s eyes misted. “Thanks for saying that.” He smiled. “I hear you’ve got your own security business, doing exactly what you always wanted.”
“That’s right. Maximum Security. We’ve got branches in Phoenix and San Diego.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
“The employees are all independent contractors. The way it’s set up, each office is pretty much self-sufficient.”
“You always did have a head for business.”
