They all chuckled, then said their goodbyes. It probably wouldn’t be the last time I saw them, since I still had to return to give my statement, but we were no longer teammates. A part of me felt the loss as they left the room, but as I looked at the men who surrounded me, I knew I’d found something so much better.
Chapter 34
Parker
Two days later, I was ready to leave. My back was killing me, not from any injury, but because hospital beds sucked ass. I’d hardly had more than two hours of sleep at a time. I was too light of a sleeper to be able to rest comfortably inside a hospital with all the constant commotion. Even in the middle of the night, when things became quieter, I was still woken up every single time a nurse came in to check on me.
To say I was in a piss poor mood would be putting it lightly.
The guys had left, either to keep themselves from being snapped at again or to bring me more shit in an attempt to soothe my fraying nerves; I wasn’t quite sure. I was supposed to be discharged soon, so I was sitting up in bed, eager for someone to bring in the paperwork.
There was a knock on the door, and I glanced up, hoping for once that it was actually a nurse. Instead, a beautiful woman who looked to be in her late forties stepped inside. She had long, dark blonde hair, similar in shade to mine. She had delicatefeatures with subtle lines next to her eyes that spoke of the life she lived, filled with laughter and joy.
A man stepped in behind her, and I sucked in a breath. It was as if I were looking at an older version of Gage. Even in his fifties, the man was fit. His muscles may not have been as pronounced as Gage’s were now, but there was no denying he was hot.
I knew without looking who the next man would be as his steps followed shortly after. Chief Hardgrove walked in. Without hesitating, he came to my bedside. “SA Parker, how are you feeling?”
“Please, just call me Parker,” I smiled. “I’m technically no longer a Special Agent.” He nodded knowingly. “I’m doing well,” I answered his question. “Just eager to get out of here.”
“Parker,” the woman called out, “I’m Casey, Gage’s mom. He asked if I could bring you a change of clothes to wear home.” She held out a bag she’d been holding. “There’s a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, but there’s also a dress, if you’d prefer. I wanted to give you the option.”
“Hi, Casey,” I said with a grateful smile. “Thank you so much. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“Of course, honey. Is there anything you need?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I’ll be perfect once I can take a hot shower and get a full eight hours of sleep.”
They all chuckled at my words. The man I knew as Brent Mason stepped next to his wife. I studied him, knowing that this man had killed far more people than either of the murderers who had died the other day. I had wondered what I’d feel when I saw him face to face, whether I’d be scared or disgusted. I felt neither of those.
As I looked at him, I saw the same thing that I did when I looked at Gage —relief. Relieved that there was someone with enough darkness in them to stop the truly evil men in this world. They did the things that the rest of us couldn’t. Things the lawwas incapable of with all the red tape and rules, and instead allowed rapists and abusers to walk free to continue destroying lives.
I smiled at him. “Thank you for sending Gage to save me.”
Brent shook his head and looked at his wife, taking her hand, and I knew he was thinking back to the day he, himself, savedherfrom the hands of a serial killer. “I should burn that cabin to the ground,” he muttered.
“Don’t.” They all looked at me, a mix of confusion and other emotions I didn’t care to read on their faces. “It’s still needed,” I said softly.
Casey’s face grew soft as she smiled at me, then looked up at Brent with a grin. “She gets it.”
My nose stung as tears pricked my eyes. For so long, I had seen the world as black and white. But there were many shades of gray. I would never be so naive again. I inhaled and blinked back the tears before they could fall. I nodded while looking at each of them. The door opened, and my men walked in, led by Gage. As my eyes met his, he looked at me with so much love he didn’t even try to hide it. A tear managed to escape and trail down my cheek as his love threatened to overwhelm me.
“I get it,” I said, my eyes not leaving his.
I allowedCasey to join me in the bathroom. She fussed over me as I did my best to get dressed on my own until I finally gave up and let her help. “Thank you,” I whispered, as she tugged the shirt down over my head and fixed the hair that had fallen over my face.
“You’re welcome, honey. I’ve been in your shoes, you know.”
I nodded. “I know.”
She placed a gentle hand on my cheek as we stood there alone in the bathroom, a room full of men just outside the door waiting for us. “Let them love you, okay? They have so much to give. Let your heart soak it in. I promise you’ll never regret it.”
“I will, I promise.”
She nodded. “Good. Now,” she said as she closed the bag, slung it over her shoulders, then opened the bathroom door. “I expect all of you to have dinner at our house every Sunday.” She eyed Dante. “That includes you, big guy.”
Dante took my hand and guided me over to the waiting wheelchair. “Yes, ma’am. I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
Casey beamed at him, a brilliant smile, as the lines crinkled around her eyes. “Good. Now, get your girl home. I heard she wants a shower and uninterrupted sleep.”
