“Okay, come and eat then.” She squeezes my shoulder once before walking out of my room.
I exhale, trying to relieve some of the heartache, but it won’t go away.
There’s a pressing, crushing pain expanding in my chest, and at any minute, I feel like it’s all going to explode in my face.
THIRTY-FIVE
PARK
I glanceout my hotel window, looking down at the last-minute shoppers funneling in and out of Pike’s Place Market in downtown Seattle.
I did the right thing.
That’s what I keep telling myself.
It doesn’t matter what my heart feels. Things between Lacee and me would’ve never worked out. I can’t keep putting her in danger, protecting her when things go wrong. She deserves more than that. Besides, the longest relationship I’ve ever had is with my oceanfront condo in Kauai. I don’t do long-term things. That’s not the type of life I live.
So I walked away because I…
Geez.
I’m not finishing that sentence.
I’m not saying something that dumb. I’m not the guy that develops feelings for a woman. I’m the guy that’s too busy working a job to even know that women exist.
But don’t worry. Whatever the heck is going on with me is just a feeling. It will fade away like the pain from a gunshot wound. I’m not stupid enough to think that Lacee and I could actually have a future. I kill people for a living—that’s a deal breaker for most women. With my job, I’d never be able to give her a normal life. I jet-set around the world, in a new place every year. That’s not what Lacee wants.
I let out a deep breath and grab my laptop. It’s time to forget about her—that ship has sailed. My focus now is on the computer chips. Normally, I’d turn them into the Director of the CIA, but I’m hesitating because Todd doesn’t know I’m working on this case. And for some reason, Sienna didn’t turn the information into him herself.
I take the microchips out of my pocket, piece them together, and put them in the computer. While I wait for the files to load, I call Derek.
“You know it’s Christmas Eve, right?” Derek snaps.
“Merry Christmas!” I infuse my voice with as much cheer as possible because I know it will bug him. “I hope you’re drinking a lot of eggnog.”
“Most people don’t work on this holiday.”
“If you’re not working today, why did you answer your phone?”
“What do you want, Park?”
I start with the easy stuff that Derek won’t say no to. “I need you to run some face IDs on a few photos. And,” this is where he’s going to get upset, “to find out what case Sienna Prime is working on, who her team lead is, and her location.”
Derek spits out a humorless laugh. “You know I can’t give you that information.”
“You have to.” My eyes drift to the computer screen and the now-loaded picture of the chemical weapon. “I think Sienna might be in trouble.”
“Even if she were in trouble, what does that have to do with you?”
“Remember when I said I was helping a friend?” I rub my fingers over my brows. “Well, Sienna Prime is that friend.”
“Sienna has been working undercover for two years. She’s not in trouble.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do.”
“But how?” I press.
