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I know he’s asking what Cooper was like when he took me back. I bite my lip and think about how best to answer him. Greg and Cooper were close, so this is a big blow to the man. I consider lying to him. It would make the grieving process easier, but he should hear the truth.
“No. He tried to make it seem like he was, but it didn’t feel genuine. At the time, I was so confused—waking up in a hospital and being told I was crazy—that I thought I might have been imagining it. But obviously, now I know differently. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He screwed you over, not the other way around. I just don’t understand how he hid it so well. I keep looking back, racking my brain, trying to pinpoint when he turned, but I can’t find it. There’s not one single moment that I can say that’s it. That’s the moment things began to fall apart.”
I place my mug on the small table beside the sofa and turn back to him, taking his hand in mine. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but—”
“I’m looking for the good in a man who didn’t have any,” he huffs and shakes his head.
I consider my words carefully. “I think he showed you all who he needed to be for you to accept him. If he had slipped even once, you would have known, but he was good. Really good.”
“Like an undercover agent becoming his alter ego.”
“Yes, exactly. I don’t think the man you knew as Cooper ever really existed, but that doesn’t mean that he was all bad, either. He did good, too. In his twisted way, he brought me here, gave me a family, and for a while, he kept me safe. I think Kay getting sick did break him. It made keeping his cover harder. He took risks and became reckless because he knew he was about to lose the one thing he loved. The one person that stopped him from crossing the line that he couldn’t come back from, but in the end, did anyway.”
“Maybe. And that’s the kicker, because maybes and what-ifs are all I’m left with. Over twenty years with the man by my side. I considered him my brother, but to him, I was just a means to an end. And yet I’m still mourning the man.”
“How he felt is irrelevant. His deceit doesn’t erase your love for him. Trust me. I know that better than anyone.”
“How’d you get so wise?” He smiles, placing his cup on the floor near his feet.
“You have met Hawk and Creed, right? The options were get wise or go crazy.”
He laughs before pulling out his phone. “I better let Astrid, Slade, and Jagger know what’s going on.”
I sit quietly while he makes the call. When nobody answers, he sighs and sends a text instead. “They must still be in their meeting. I’m letting them know what’s going on and to head straight to the hospital once they land.”
“Salem said they would be back in a few hours, so I wouldn’t worry too much. From what I’ve heard, first babies take their time. I’m sure they’ll be back before the baby gets here.”
“You’re right, of course. I—” His words cut off when there is banging on the door. Greg stands when a brown paper bag appears in front of the window. When it disappears and James’s face takes its place, Greg chuckles. “Oh good, I’m starving.”
“We have food–“
I cut him off with a glare. “Not yummy baked goods. Why didn’t he just let himself in?”
“Door only works from the inside once it’s occupied.”
“Wow, you guys take your safe rooms seriously.”
“That we do. You never can be too sure what the enemy has planned.” He opens the door manually while I stand up.
While my thoughts are on the enemy, it never dawns on me that it might be our friends who would turn on us. It should have after talking about Cooper. It isn’t until the door opens, revealing James with an expression etched in regret, that some sixth sense has me stepping back. I open my mouth to warn Greg, but it’s too late. James has already pulled his gun. He shoots Greg in the stomach before pointing the gun at me. The bag of food in his hand now on the floor. I stare in shock as Greg drops to the ground and his blood seeps through his shirt toward a croissant that escaped the bag. Something hard slams into my head, and I collapse on top of Greg.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hawk
I check my watch and frown. “I thought Oz and Zig would be here by now,” I tell Creed as we wait for E to give us the all-clear to come back in.
“They probably got caught in rush hour. If they don’t get here soon, I’ll call them so they can talk to Salem. I can see how nervous she is.”
“Of course she’s fucking nervous. She’s going to be squeezing a watermelon out of a teeny tiny hole.”
“Yes, thank you for that,” Creed groans as the door opens.
“Okay, she’s good. You can come in now.” Ev pokes his head out before disappearing once more.
“It annoys me that the man is as cool as a cucumber when we’re… not.”
