Page 46 of Isla by Any Other Name

No one could take away their memories. She was his forever and he was hers. She would let him walk away without tears being shed. She would stay strong for him and she would make him proud by doing the right thing. So many lives depended on her doing the right thing and she wouldn’t let him down. He slid out from under her and pulled on his sweats and his tee.

Then he took her in his arms for one last kiss. It would have to last them the rest of their lives. They pulled apart and he turned and opened the door quietly. He left the room while she stood there with tears in her eyes.

She dressed and went down to make one more meal for the people who had become so important to her.

Isla did the only thing she could think to do—she cooked breakfast. Eggs, meats, rolls. Everything in the fridge. She made a feast for the people she cared about.

Lara came into the kitchen first. “It smells wonderful in here. You’ve outdone yourself. I’m going to miss your delicious meals.” She looked at her with a gentle smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll find my happy again once this is all over.”

“I worry about you,” said Lara. “But I also want you to know that it’s okay to not be happy all the time. People will still love you.

Isla pressed her lips into a tight line. She looked down at her feet.

“And Molly,” Lara said, her hand on Isla’s arm. “I know you think you need to earn your keep by cooking for us. Self-preservation, I know. But all you ever had to be was yourself. I want you to remember that wherever you go next.”

Lara made up a plate, handed it to Isla, and pointed her to the table to sit down. The rest of the team soon followed. The reserves had taken over their duties so they could all join her on her final journey with them. They all sat around the table and enjoyed their last meal together. Mitch sat at her side, his hand on her thigh under the table. Its warmth gave her the courage to make it through. They all cleaned the kitchen together.

Then it was time to go.

The trip to Richmond was quiet. Mitch drove with one hand and their fingers entwined the whole trip. They pulled into the private airport two hours later. The private jet that would take them the rest of the way sat idling on the runway.

Mitch led her up the stairs. The rest of the team followed quietly behind. Four hours later, they landed in New Mexico. A new place for a new chapter in her new life. The ride to the US Marshals’ office was uneventful. Her heart pounded in her chest and her body trembled as Mitch led her by the hand into the elevator that would take her away from him forever.

They walked into the office of Chief Wade Kosta. Stocky and graying, Wade rose from his desk and introduced them to Inspectors Ciara Knight and Steven Grant. Ciara, blond and willowy, shook Isla’s hand with surprising strength. Steven, with his dark hair on pale skin, just nodded in her direction, seriously. They would officially become her handlers.

Mitch handed over his files and asked if there was someplace private where he and his team could say their goodbyes. After many hugs and tears in an empty conference room, her team left. Everyone but Mitch.

Isla threw herself into his arms. “Mitch, know that I will never stop loving you.”

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him gently on the lips. Then she turned away and walked out the door and into Chief Kosta’s office.

She was on her own again.

Chapter twenty-four

For eight weeks, Isla held her breath. She kept to herself. She learned the logistics of her new life. She stayed numb and slept often. Her living space was minimalist and too gray. Food had no taste, and she didn’t paint anything. She didn’t even see color anymore. Ciara and Steve were always around, but she didn’t start conversations. They were fine people, but she didn’t dare get close to them.

And now the day had finally arrived. Isla was set to testify against Marcus Hernandez. Hopefully her testimony would send him away for the rest of his life. Tomorrow she would start her new life as Siobhan O’Grady and she would be moving to Hardin, Montana. She would be working on the Crow Indian Reservation as a nurse practitioner, part-time at the Green Lake Clinic and part-time at the St. Vincent Healthcare ER in Billings. At least she would be able to use her degree.

Her parents had been relocated to Billings the week before. She had been told they had settled nicely in their new home with their new identities as William and Sadie Murphy. She could visit them twice a week after her shift at the hospital. It was close to an hour away, but she had been told that wasn’t unusual in Montana.

She would leave her old life behind to start a new one. She cried herself to sleep most nights dreaming about what would have been if she could have started a life with Mitch. She was anxious to start her new life. If she could just immerse herself in her work, she could survive the loneliness that haunted her.

The team that had been assigned to her had been good to her, but she missed Mitch and his team. She knew they had a special bond. The kind that only happened once in a lifetime. She missed the playful banter back and forth between Lara and Colt. And the quiet thoughtfulness that Max had always shown her. And the constant jokes that Dirk insisted on telling even though they were foolish and silly.

It killed her to know she’d never see them again. But it made her feel relief to know that they could no longer get hurt protecting her.

Ciara knocked on Isla’s bedroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to touch base with you about this afternoon,” she said. “Do you have any questions?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just ready for this whole day to be behind me.”

“Well, you know the routine. You’re due to testify at one and afterward we’ll be leaving for Billings. How did your appointment with the DA go?”