A black German Shepherd lies at his feet, ears twitching, but otherwise holding still.
Another operator walks into the room, looks between us, his expression serious. “Thane radioed in. They’re on the way back with one of the hunters.”
“Thank fuck,” I exhale hard. But it only relieves a fraction of the intense pressure behind my sternum.
The man pivots and returns to the meeting room where a mix of Team Falcon and OG Agile members are pouring over information.
“How long has it been?” I ask Scout, a catch in my voice.
He glances at the tactical watch on his wrist. “Thirty four minutes. Going to be more than an hour.”
“Fuck,” I scrub my hands over my face. “I know that. I just can’t…”
“I get it.” He motions toward the chair across the table from him.
When I sit down, he doesn’t speak. He just looks at me, scans my face.
“I’m ready to talk,” I admit, wrapping my hand around a cooling cup of coffee he made for me when Jade first went into the back bedroom with the counselor.
“I’m here for it,” he quietly replies.
“What if…”
A choking sound cuts off the rest of my words.
“Then you support her. Whatever it takes.”
Gritting my teeth, I stare at the table. “I want to kill him.”
“I’m sure you will.” He snaps his fingers and the dog moves to my side, she’s got big soulful eyes and a cold nose that she presses against my arm.
Before I think about it, my hand is in her scruff, feeling that thick soft fur.
She leans against my hip, letting me pet her, and an ounce of tension releases from my constricted throat.
“What did you do for your girl?”
He clears his throat, rests both of his elbows on the table. “I let her cry, and held her through every single time. I stood by her side when she confronted every fucking demon.”
Fuck. I feel ill. I drop my head, trying to get my emotions under control.
“I’m sick with this. Fucking sick. I let that accident happen, let them grab her.”
He doesn’t move, but when I look at him, his eyes are the kind of hard that is what a man like me needs.
“Did you do your best?”
I nod, my hand buried in that comforting black fur, with no words forming.
“Then you did your job.”
I blow out another breath, fire burning at the back of my eyes. “She’s so fucking fragile and so fucking strong.”
“Just like Aria. They will meet soon.”
There’s heavy silence for a while that neither of us has to fill.
“Where are you taking her when this is all done?” he asks, lifting his own coffee for a drink.
