Gwen
“What a fucking shitshow,” I murmured under my breath as I stared at the scene.
Dean and I were supposed to report to the field office to sign some paperwork that James forgot to mention. Technically, I had been working for the FBI ever since I signed that makeshift napkin promise in New York. Haley had signed hers, and Dean…he had been working with the FBI for the last five years.
“Fuck,” Dean scrubbed a hand down his face beside me. “I hope I don’t have to do any of that.”
The entire floor of cubicles, tables and filing cabinets was in disarray. Papers were scattered all over the floor, and agents were running around like chickens on crack.
“Mr. Connors. Ms. Davenport. Please, this way,” said a young female agent who appeared out of thin air in front of us. She turned and headed down the hallway to the left. Dean’s hand found the small of my back at the same time his lips found my ear.
“When are you going to let me give you my last name, baby girl?”
I smiled as we followed the agent. “Whenever you want.”
“Don’t tease me,” he rumbled. “I’ll take you to the courthouse right now.”
“Baby, a good chunk of the world still thinks you're dead.”
“Dead men can get married,” he teased, a smile breaking out across his handsome face.
We thanked the agent and stepped into the conference room. I was surprised to see everyone there…except for Kay. Casey was missing too. No doubt she was wrapped up in the mess outside this room.
“Garner, what’s up with the escort?” my fiancé called as we approached the table.
“Protocol, Connors,” James replied, his eyes scanning the file in front of him. Haley was sitting at his side, equally invested.
Just weeks ago, we were in this room tracking down Kay, and now she was sitting by a hospital bed with the man who kidnapped her. A shiver ran down my spine as guilt whispered in my ear like an old friend.
Go see him. Forgive him.
“Bookworm? You good?”
I looked to my right to find the big man eyeing me cautiously. “Yeah, Dom. I’m good,” I assured him, making my way over for a hug. Sullie’s hugs were bear hugs, but Dom’s hugs were on another level. He squeezed me once as he whispered. “Have you gone to the hospital yet?”
I shook my head against him, and he grunted. “Does that make me a coward?”
Everyone in this room knew about our history. The sting I used to feel when I heard his name was fading and I didn’t know how to process that.
But I wanted to try.
“Gwen, you're a lot of things, but a coward isn't one of them.”
I looked up to the monster of a man; his dreads were pulled away from his face today and he seemed more relaxed. In fact, everyone around me did.
So why was I still on edge?
“He had my dagger, Dom,” I said softly. Dom was the one who had given me that dagger, five years ago, before the art gala that changed all of our lives. We broke our embrace, and he scratched his five o’clock shadow. “Can I give you a piece of advice, bookworm?”
I nodded. “Of course, you can.”
His eyes were dark, but when they met mine, I could see the light in them. “My son, Ty, didn’t get to live his life…” A lump formed in my throat. “He was taken from me, but I'm the reason for my loneliness, G. I pushed everyone away after his death, and Sullie was the only one who stuck by me, even in my times ofdarkness and hatred. A friend like that only comes around once in your life. You have a multitude of them. Life is too short to hold on to the pain of the past. My advice is to let it go, heal, and mend broken bonds.” He looked out to the city. It was raining today, the dark skies making the Arch look haunted instead of welcoming.
“Go to him, Gwen,” he said softly.
A single tear fell down my cheek. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I rasped. He touched my cheek and turned to take his seat by Sullie, who was studying us with a soft expression.
I turned to the table, wiping my tears away. “Hi, Sullie.”
