“I believe so. There’s too much heat in this area for the amount of drugs that’s gone missing. Weighted against the dollars, the risk is probably too high for them to keep pushing.”
She nodded, but the chief’s affirmation didn’t bring comfort. Instead, it brought clarity. That danger may be over, but Cap still lay on the operating table.
“I’m going to call Hunter and let him know the family can come here now.” The Chief said.
Cap’s family. She stood no chance with Cap now. His family would never be able to forgive her for the danger she put him in. Not to mention the danger she exposed Cici and Hunter to by using them as bait on the charter boat.
Tears swelled in her eyes. Over. It was all over.
Chief crouched down in front of her. “Did you hear me? It’s over. There’s too much heat here for such a small loss of drugs. The Colombian was caught fleeing the area. I don’t think you’ll have any problems from here on out.”
“Okay,” she muttered.
The man stood but stayed close by.
She needed to get out of the hospital before his family showed up.
“I want to go home,” she stated.
Chief looked at her. His brows knit. “Without waiting to see Cap again?”
“Yes. I just want to get away from here. But I would like to leave him a note.”
She rose on wobbly legs and asked the nurse sitting behind the counter for a piece of paper and a pen.
Her hands shook so badly she could hardly hold the pen, let alone write legibly. Her stomach twisted at the thought of what to write.
She recalled the story Cap had told her about when Hunter had been hospitalized from trying to protect Hannah. It didn’t appear that his family held a grudge against Hannah. Maybe she overreacted, and his family wouldn’t hold Cap’s injuries against her. She set the pen down and rethought her actions.
Then, she thought of Cap’s poor parents. Having to go through this type of scare again. It wasn’t fair to them. And, what if Chief Mertz was wrong? What if the cartel still pursued her to lead them to the drugs? Or, what if they wanted to kill her to tie up loose ends? She loved Cap too much to put him and his family in that kind of danger. Walking away was the right thing to do. She picked up the pen.
She closed her eyes, drew in a long breath, let it out slowly, then opened her eyes and put the pen to the paper.
Dear Cap,
I’m so sorry.
I’m struggling to find the right words, and there aren’t any to make this better. I won’t be the reason you end up in the hospital again, or worse. You got hurt, almost died, because of me, because you protected me, because you didn’t walk away when you could have, or should have. I dragged you right back into the dangerous life you left. I’m so sorry. But know that what I felt for you was real. I believe that wholeheartedly. But love shouldn’t cost you your life. I couldn’t live with that.
Your family will be here soon to take care of you. I take great comfort in knowing you’ll be in loving hands. You deserve that.
Thank you for looking out for me when my world was on fire.
Please don’t come after me. I need you safe.
I will always love you.
Emma
She folded the letter and handed it to the chief. “Please make sure he gets this.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to give it to him yourself?”
“I can’t. Would it be possible to get a ride back to the hotel for me to get my things? And can I get my phone back?”
“Yes, I’ll call for an officer to come get you. How will you get home?”
“I’ll call my friend Morgan to come get me.”
