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“What is it?” she asked Griffin, her tone so soft it could break.
“If you only get one soulmate in life, then Rebecca wasn’t his,” Griffin shared somberly, his voice growing closer.
I needed to back up and do my best to appear as if I was only now arriving. But when he stepped into the hall, he immediately grimaced, clearly reading the look in my eyes. He knew I’d heard him, despite my efforts to play off I’d just shown up.
Spying a folded sheet of paper in his hand, I pointed to it, hoping I could pivot in a different direction. “You think you can get everything from the list?”
Diana peeked into the hallway, setting her hand to the interior frame while meeting my eyes.
“It’s not like uranium is on there, right?” God help me, I was joking now. I was butter. Melted, and a fucking mess.
“No, but it’ll take a lot of your money to keep people silent and not ask why we need what’s on here.” Griffin waved the paper between us, and my attention skated from it to the woman I was obsessed with.
Obsessed. I’d only ever understood that word relating to my mission for revenge. It’d taken on new meaning when it came to her.
“We need to talk before I head out, though. Alone,” Griffin said, not asked.
The lecture. Right. “Stay put,” I told her, not sure where she’d go, but I didn’t need her wandering around the place alone. Or following us and eavesdropping on whatever Griffin was about to drop on me.
“Sure,” she answered, and I followed him into the neighboring bedroom.
Once inside, he pushed the door closed and pocketed the list.
“What’s up?” I set my shoulder against the wall, exhaustion quickly setting back in.
“I can’t believe I’m asking you this, but did you two have a thing in the past? You said you knew her then, but . . .” He shook his head. “I’m not suggesting you hooked up while you were married, because I know you’re not a cheating piece of shit, but I’ve never seen you like this before. Not even with Rebecca. And no way all that came about since we rescued her.”
Way to lay it on me. Of course, I knew Griffin’s brutal honesty was because he gave a damn. He and Camila were also the only ones capable of laying the hammer on me like this without fear I’d strike back.
I straightened to stand tall so we were at eye level and swiped a hand through my wet hair. Sometimes it was like looking in a damn mirror with this man. Not just because we had the same dark hair and eyes. Or because we both had Brazilian ancestry on one parent’s side, not to mention similar tattoos (which Delta used to give us shit about). More so because he understood pain and tragedy, and he’d been at my side every step of the way during my hard times.
“You going to talk or just keep staring at me like you’re seeing an apparition or something?” he pressed.
Playing dad now, huh? “I never cheated, no. Nothing happened with Diana before this week, either.”
“So, something happened on the jet? I swear that bedroom needs a cigarette after all it’s witnessed in the last two years.” Griffin managed a smile that time, and I was tired enough to smile back.
Relenting, I finally shared, “After I saw Diana at the office in New York in June, I lost my head.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t been able to fuck anyone,” I cut to it, channeling his bluntness as my voice dug a bit deeper at the confession.
“Well, that explains why you’ve been a serious asshole for months, even more than normal. So, the rumors about you and Gwen hooking up this summer are just that? Gray and Wyatt don’t need to fight you? That’s a relief. I thought that was why she stopped working with us.”
Rumors? For fuck’s sake. “God no, but Gwen may have developed feelings for me that I didn’t return.” And that’s on me. “Why are we talking about this right now?”
“Because I’ve never seen you operate at anything less than a hundred and ten percent, not even when searching for Rebeca’s killers. And from what I can tell, you’re working below fifty now. Fifty makes it a coin toss whether you live or die.” He reached for my shoulder. “I don’t want to lose you, brother. Especially not when I’ve also never seen you look at a woman like you look at Diana. Not ever.”
Not ever? Not even with Rebecca?
“Jesse told me what Jack said to you downstairs earlier. That you need to be the man you once were if we’re going to be successful.”
The devil. Yeah, I remember.
“Well, I disagree. That man had nothing to lose.” He pulled his hand back and folded his arms. “I’d rather a man with everything to lose have my six.”
Something was getting lost in translation. “Spit it out. What are you saying?”
