Page 48 of Ghost Among Lies

"See!" Nyx exclaimed. "We're going to have a repeat of Anita and be forced to have Wes on standby. We promised a long time ago to stop putting ourselves in situations like that."

"Fine, then I'll go myself. This is personal anyway. Not team business."

"I'll take you," Lilith was quick to add.

I gave my teammate a chin lift. It was always the quiet ones who surprised you.

"That's not what I'm saying," Nyx huffed. "Fine, we'll all go."

"Actually, I'll stay here with Krista, but the rest of you can go," Beckett corrected. "Unless you want to stay?" He looked at Hayes.

Hayes didn't answer at first. He looked down to where his one leg was crossed over the other. I wished I could see his face. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but it was clear he was hiding from me.

Finally, he looked up and cracked his neck from side to side. "No, I'll go." He cleared his throat. "Besides, Krista doesn't know me all that well, and I think she would prefer someone she knows."

"Then it's settled. We leave within the hour." I walked past my teammates and stopped next to Hayes. "Can we talk?" I whispered.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute."

I exited the room, thinking I would know what was bothering Hayes before we left, but as it turned out, he had other plans.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

HAYES

I didn't follow Sloane back to her house. I had no intention of doing so. I needed time alone to get my head on straight before we took the short flight to Minneapolis.

"Mind if I join you?"

I continued to trace figure eights on the wooden kitchen table. "How did you find me?"

Beckett pulled the chair out across from me and took a seat. "I took an educated guess. I got the feeling this trip is hard for you."

"I told Sloane I would be there for her every step of the way, but that was before she told me his name and the life he's been living. Suddenly, I'm worried I won't be able to be the person she needs right now."

"Do you blame her for getting pregnant?"

My head snapped up. "Fuck no. The only person to blame in that situation is Toby."

"Do you think you'll hate the child because Toby's his father?"

I vehemently shook my head. "No. I could never take the sins of a father out on a child."

I had firsthand knowledge of what a shitty person some parents were. That fault should never be placed on the child's shoulders. Benjamin had no say in the man who created him, and I wouldn't treat him differently because of it.

"Okay, so why do you think you can't be the person she needs?"

I took a moment to think about it. I came here because I didn't have an answer, and I hoped some time alone would change that.

Maybe what I really needed was to talk it out with someone who had an outside perspective.

"When Sloane first told us about the baby, I was grateful she put them up for adoption. The thought of her having that reminder every day of her life was too much. Now, she's changed her mind, and I don't know how she's going to cope with the reunion."

"Not sure how she'll cope or how you will?"

And that right there was why I came to Sloane's old quarters. "Both."

"You know there's nothing wrong with admitting this will be hard for you. Sloane's life wasn't the only one ruined that night."