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“Don’t worry, I’m not going to let her near him.” And I meant it.

Chapter 34

Levi

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” I asked Indy for the third time that morning. She’d been acting weird since she came to pick me up. She barely ate the pancakes I’d made for her, and she kept bouncing around like she had to pee or something.

I figured she was still reeling from everything that had happened this weekend. I knew I was, but at the same time I’d never felt more certain of anything in my life. I’d been lost because I couldn’t find my way back to her. Now that I had, I was going to do everything in my power to keep her by my side.

“Everything’s great, Levi.” She flashed me a wide grin that was as fake as Velveeta cheese.

“Come on, I know you, Indy. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged and downed the rest of her coffee in one noisy gulp. “Shouldn’t we get going? I don’t want you to be late.”

“All right. You drive.” I tossed her the keys and followed her out to the car, then spent most of the drive studying her profile. I’m pretty sure I could sketch it blindfolded.

“Will you stop staring at me?”

“No, I like staring at you.” She smiled then—a tiny upturn of her lip that made my jaw unclench. Here I’d been sure she’d thought about my confession and did blame me after all. “Am I allowed to guess what’s bothering you?”

“Levi, stop worrying about me. Let’s focus on you today,” she insisted as she pulled up to the base. “Call me to tell me what time I should pick you up.”

I was letting her use the car today because she had errands to run and Francine was about as safe a car as you could find. She was going to pick me up and then, at midnight, the twenty-first, Francine turned into a pumpkin. And we’d turn into mice and hole up together at her place, hiding under the covers.

“Maybe sooner rather than later,” I sighed. “I don’t have a great presentiment about this. According to Gonzo, Anderson was irate that I blew him off again.”

“No projecting,” she ordered.

I bent over to kiss her, lingering to delay the inevitable. With a final good luck tweak of her nose, I climbed out of the car and headed toward HQ like a condemned man. I was nearly to through the gate when Indy called out to me. “Levi!”

I turned and waited for her to say what was on her mind, bracing myself, but instead of speaking she shook her head. “Never mind. Go get ’em.”

I dipped my baseball cap at her and watched her drive away.

Gonzo was waiting for me outside HQ. “Man, Anderson is not happy,” he said, his eyes growing wide. “Oh damn, speak of the devil.”

“Jasinski,” a deep voice bellowed behind me.

I closed my eyes and inhaled. Fuck, I felt like a naughty teenager. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face him. “Sir.”

“Where the hell did you disappear to last Friday?”

“I’m sorry, sir. There was an emergency.”

“Come with me.” With a last glance at Gonzo, I followed my CO’s broad, straight back, staring at his scalp through his gray buzz cut. In his office, a nondescript space with cheap office furniture, he was even more imposing, like the Hulk come to life.

He eased himself into his seat and then he stared at me for a full minute, making me want to squirm like a naughty kid. “Sit down.

“Gonzales has filled me in on everything.” He put the emphasis on the last word as I settled into my seat. Damn, Gonzo. The last thing I wanted was my commander’s pity.

“He shouldn’t have told you,” I said. “It happened a long time ago.”

“You ever talk to anyone about it?”

“A shrink? Nah.” I shook my head.

“Let me tell you something, son.” He leaned onto his elbows. “If you’ve never dealt with, it will come back to mess with you again and again. I’m speaking from experience.”