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“Yes, you are. It’s cool. I get it. You have this great guy, Pete, who absolutely adores you. It’s clear as mud. But he’s not really the one for you.”
“He’s not?”
“Nope. He’s devoted to his job. He’s got family here, and as much as he wants to believe he could drop it all to be with you, he’s just not that guy.”
“How do you know?”
She rolled her eyes, grabbing a mug from the cabinet. “Because I work with guys who drop everything for jobs, women, and…throwing knives. It’s a thing.”
“Throwing knives is a thing?”
“No, dropping everything,” she clarified, grabbing the coffee pot. “It’s not always easy to spot them. They’re sort of like chameleons, appearing to be average until one day you see them pull out a gun and chase down a baddie, grinning the whole time.”
My face twisted in confusion. I wasn’t sure what this had to do with anything, and my mind was so muddled from lack of sleep that I wasn’t sure I would understand her anyway. “Um…I’m gonna check on Parker.”
“Of course, it’s clear that Jack isthatguy.”
I sighed, turning back to her. “What guy?”
“The guy who drops everything to be with you. Hello, he’s got a bullet wound and is fucked up out of his mind, all in an effort to get to your son after being tortured.”
“I didn’t ask him to do that,” I said defensively.
“Of course, you didn’t,” she laughed. “That wasn’t the point.”
“Then what was the point?” I asked, getting a little frustrated.
“The point is that you’re getting all twisted around in your head over two very amazing men. One appears to be everything you want. He’s got a good job, he’s normal, sane, doesn’t do drugs,” he said pointedly. “He’s even very clear on where he stands—or where he’d like to stand—which is beside you. But he’s too attached to his own life, and while he’d go the distance, you’d always wonder if he was happy with you.”
I already knew she was talking about Pete. The question was, why did she think she had to explain this to me? I already knew Pete couldn’t leave this all behind.
“Well, thanks for the advice,” I said, turning to leave once again. I just wanted to see my son.
“And then you have tortured soul number two,” she continued, taking a drink of her coffee with a grin on her face. “Devastatingly handsome—well, when he’s not strung out on drugs. Which he’s normally not. He’s dangerous, a protector at heart, and is already half in love with you, though he won’t admit it.”
“And why won’t he admit it?”
“Because of Hannah.”
That piqued my interest. “He told you about her?”
She snorted, shaking her head at me. “Nope. I did some digging. I’m not exactly known for letting people have their secrets.”
“Good to know.”
“Which is why I know that he blames himself for what happened to Hannah. If I had to guess, I’d say that he took all these jobs as some sort of punishment for what happened to her. Or retribution. Maybe he’s trying to do something good in her eyes, even though she’s dead and can’t judge him one way or another. But it’s part of his hero complex. Trust me, I’m married to a man with a serious hero complex. It doesn’t get easier as time goes on. Anyway, a guy like Jack, he’s not going to easily give in to those feelings for you. He can’t because that would somehow interfere with his mission to save the world and get rid of evil.”
“So, he’ll never commit. That’s what you’re trying to tell me.”
“On the contrary. After being drugged out of his mind, tortured, and basically lost all reason to stay and finish the job, he still went back for your son, a kid he barely knows. There’s no doubt in my mind that even if he chose to walk away from you, he would still find a way to check on you and make sure you were okay. Probably through tagging you and putting cameras in all your stuff. He’d want to be able to see you regularly, which he would because that’s what these guys do.”
“Great, so you’re saying he’d become a stalker.”
“No,” she said thoughtfully. “Is that what you heard? Stalking is…dangerous. This would be a form of protection. I don’t see how that can be stalking.” She set her cup down on the counter and grinned at me. “Anyway, I’m gonna get some shuteye.”
“Wait,” I said, stopping her as she started to leave. “What was the point of all that?”
She cocked her head at me. “I thought that was obvious,” she said, grabbing her mug and leaving.
