“Evans,” I said. I knew Nate Evans on a basic level. He had a seedy past, but because Zaid had always trusted him, I did too. “I’ll contact him.” I glanced around the room, then focused back on the couple. “Are you two leaving soon?”
“The thru-hike?” Heather asked. “Soon, actually.” She reached up and squeezed Zaid’s hand. “You’ll take care of Hazel?”
“Of course,” I said.
“I’ll be by sometime to tell her that we’re going. Maybe later today,” she said, then looked up at Zaid. “It’ll be good to talk to her before we go.”
“Take all of the time you need,” Zaid said.
I said my thanks and goodbyes, then excused myself to head back to Club Hades. I didn’t know Heather well, but I had witnessed Zaid fall for her,hard, harder than he had ever fallen before. There weren’t many things that could distract him from his goals, but Heather had been one of them. And now, it seemed, he had a new goal. To make her happy. Even if that meant taking a months-long hiking trip through the mountains.
I had never had that before. Commitment. Love. I never thought it was fair to anyone. They would be risking their lives by being with me. I couldn’t let that hang on my conscience.
But now that Veil Security Services had been sold, with my position dissolved along with it, I was at the point where I could pursue a woman without guilt. A masochist of my own. But the only woman that I had on my mind was Hazel. Not because I lusted after her, but because I had to protect her. I had to help her become independent, make sure that she would never have to depend on another again, so that she wouldn’t end up in situations like she had with Eric. Or Zaid.Or me. I couldn’t let Hazel end up permanently disabled, like Mom.
Love was a chemical imbalance that made us weak. It made us depend on others. And Hazel needed stability more than anyone. With how unpredictable she was, even with her vehemence, it would be unfair to her to let her down. To not give her the independence she so fiercely deserved.
I needed a way to give her that freedom to roam, while still being able to keep an eye on her. But until she was capable and thriving, it was my duty to help and protect her.
It was my duty. My only duty. My last order.
I parked the car outside of Club Hades. After buying the club, my first task as the new owner would be to change the club’s name to The Afterglow. It was simpler that way. We were the main group that used it. We could rent it out to other clubs.
My second task would be to install a tracking chip in Hazel’s phone. It was a compromise that would allow her partial freedom.
But she would be pissed.
