“I know you do.” Mac squeezed his arm. “Our friendship means more to me than you’ll ever know. It’s one of the biggest reasons I have to do this alone.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“I know.” She smiled up at him sadly. “I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t run the risk that you’ll get hurt. Not because of me and my fucked-up past.”
Then Mac did something she’d never done with Coop. She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek. His barely-there stubble tickled the soft skin of her lips.
Ignoring his alluring, masculine scent, she pulled back to look him in the eye. “Take care of yourself, Sean. And…thank you.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“For being the best partner a girl could ever have.”
Before she did something stupid like break down in front of him, Mac pulled the keys to her Jeep Rubicon from her pocket and turned to walk down the porch steps.
Coop shouted her name, ordering her to come back. She ignored his pleas and kept going.
A minute later, she was pulling out of her boss’s driveway, leaving behind the person who mattered most to her in this world.
Tears filled her eyes, and this time, she let them fall. The pain she’d seen on Coop’s face had gutted her to the point she’d almost given in to his demands. Had comesoclose to spilling every single one of her secrets.
So she’d left.
For seven years, they’d been partners. Snipers working side-by-side on one of the country’s most elite security teams in the business.
Both former Army Rangers, she and Coop had formed an immediate bond. One she used to think was unbreakable.
Except you just broke it.
She’d left him there. Standing alone on their boss’s front porch. Believing she didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.
Trusting Coop with her life was never an issue. But what he didn’t know, what she prayed he never realized, was that he never, ever should have trusted her.
Hours later—after a good cry and a long, hot shower—Mac’s bags were packed and waiting by her apartment’s front door, including a brightly flowered sundress she’d picked specifically for the special occasion.
Tucked away next to it? Her fully loaded Glock 19.
Nowshe was ready to confront the ghosts from her past. Ready to put an end to a decades-long reign of terror brought forth by her own family.
She wasn’t, however, quite ready for bed.
Knowing she’d only toss and turn if she tried, Mac made her way into the kitchen. A cup of hot, herbal tea always helped her sleep, and tonight, she had a feeling she’d need all the help she could get.
Reaching for her favorite mug, she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone knocked loudly on her door. Her heart gave a hard thump. She glanced at the time on the microwave. It was much too late for an uninvited visitor. Plus…
No one ever comes here.
She pulled her hand away, leaving the cabinet door open to avoid making any noise. Her bare feet allowed for silent movements as she tiptoed over the cool, tiled floor.
Mac waited, opening one of her smaller drawers when a second knock came. Using the sound as a cover, she quickly removed the loaded pistol. It was one of several weapons hidden throughout the apartment.
Making her way across the open area, she stopped to the left of her door. Logically Mac knew most killers wouldn’t announce themselves. Given the circumstances, however, she wasn’t about to take any chances.
The door provided a peephole, but she didn’t use it. If whoever was on the other sidehadcome to hurt her and had knocked on the door thinking they’d catch her off guard, they might notice the tiny, circular space darkening with her shadow.
If they were carrying, whoever was on the other side would be able to blast straight through the wood, taking her down in an instant.
Screw that.
