“Glad to hear it,” his boss commented sincerely. “Any sign of Walker?”
“Not yet.” Gabe ground his teeth together. “Should’ve taken him down when I had the chance. I know I could’ve gotten him to talk.”
“Told you before, Dawson. Beating yourself up isn’t going to do you or her any good.”
“Yeah, well, that’s easy for you to say. You wouldn’t have let him walk away.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. No one knows how they’ll react to a given situation until they’re actually in it, including me. Hell, your time with the SEALs should’ve taught you that.”
His boss was right. Kicking his own ass wasn’t going to get him any closer to finding the threat against Ellena. Using his free hand, Gabe dug his fingertips into the tense muscles at the back of his neck.
Jake spoke up again. “I’ve got your guys doing what they can to figure this shit out as quickly as possible.”
Though he was grateful Jake had taken Walker’s ominous warning as seriously as he had, the acid in Gabe’s gut began to churn.
He fucking hated the thought of his teammates knowing what a fraud he was. That he’d spent his entire adult life protecting complete strangers but had failed to keep those closest to him safe.
Of course, Jake already knew everything there was to know about his past. The guy never offered a job to anyone without running the deepest background check available.
But having dealt with demons of his own past—ones that nearly cost Jake the woman he loved—the man had also understood Gabe’s need for privacy.
Hope he still does.
“I can practically hear those fuckin’ wheels of yours spinning.” Jake’s deep voice broke through his thoughts. “And no, I haven’t told the team anything about what happened with you and Ellena. They know you two got married five years ago and separated after two. Figured the rest was yours to tell.”
Well hell.“Thanks, Jake. Appreciate it.”
“We all have things we’d rather keep buried, Dawson. The only problem with that is our pasts always seem to have a way of coming back to bite us in the ass. Best thing you can do is be honest with the team and Ellena. But most importantly, you need to be honest with yourself.”
That all sounded good in theory, but if hewerecompletely honest with himself, he’d have to accept the fact that he’d fucked up beyond all redemption.
That I’d give anything for a second chance with her.
Not feeling up to a touchy-feely moment with his boss, Gabe pushed everything else aside and changed the subject.
“It’s probably a waste of time but have Nate access the security footage at my apartment complex. I’m sure Walker’s too slick to be caught on camera, but he might catch something we can use.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time Walker’s shown his face.”
His boss had a point. During a botched attempt to abduct Gracie—R.I.S.C.’s office manager who was now married to one of Gabe’s teammates—the security cameras outside the company’s office building had caught a glimpse of Adrian Walker’s face.
Since then, the son of a bitch seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.
Gabe wasn’t sure why the guy had such a hard-on for Bravo. He did know he was damn tired of always being one step behind the bastard.
Another reason he was still pissed at himself for letting the man stroll right out of his fucking apartment.
But damn. When Walker said Ellena’s name…that she was indanger…all thoughts of ending the guy’s life vanished. From that moment on, all Gabe could think about, all hecaredabout, was getting to her and keeping her safe.
He’d pretty much guessed how she’d react to seeing him again, but the one thing Gabe hadn’t stopped to think about was how their reunion would affecthim.
Seeing her in that damn hospital bed had brought an eerie feeling of Deja vu. As if time had stood still, allowing his soul-crushing memories to come rushing at him, all at once.
For three years, Gabe had worked damn hard to put it all behind him and move on. Lately, however, he’d begun to realize it was an impossible feat. The day his former teammate tried to kill Ellena, his entire world was changed forever.
It was the day he’d lost everything.
Despite his efforts against it, Gabe often found himself thinking about what his life would’ve been like had he stayed in bed with her that morning instead of going for his morning run. Questions that would never be answered still occupied his mind at the most random of times.
