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“What are you doing? You need to leave.”
“I can stay a couple more minutes.”
He wiped her tears and kissed her again.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
Striker sighed. “I wish I could promise you that nothing will happen to me or anyone else on our team, but you know as well as I do that isn’t a promise I can make.”
“I do know that. I’m sorry I’m making this harder on you.”
“Our conversation probably isn’t much different than others taking place right now.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Do you have your compass?”
Striker smiled and pulled it from his pocket. “I never go anywhere without it.” He kissed her one last time. “I love you.”
25
Aine followed Striker out the door and stood on the front step with Zary, Quinn, Merrigan, and Saylor. When she turned to go inside, she saw that Gunner’s mother and Razor’s mother were behind them.
“It’s never easy,” said Merrigan, putting her arm around Aine’s shoulders. “If I told you it gets more so, I’d be lying.”
When she walked inside, Ava was standing behind her with Sam in her arms.
“Auntie Aine needs a big hug, Sam.” Her sister motioned her toward the sofa, and when Aine sat down, she lowered Sam onto her lap. “Is this okay?” she asked.
“It’s perfect.”
“He isn’t hurting you, right?”
Aine rested her head against the baby’s. “No, he’s taking the hurt away.”
A few minutes later, Penelope walked inside from the deck, looking at her phone.
“I swear I’m going to kill her,” she mumbled.
“Tara?” asked Ava.
Pen nodded.
“What’s going on with you two?” Aine asked.
“It isn’t us two; it’s just her.”
Penelope dropped into a chair and threw her phone on the table. “I’m getting so tired of her bullshit.”
“Talk,” said Ava, sitting down next to Aine and Sam on the sofa.
“I should’ve known something was up when she asked me not to say anything about the ticket.”
Ava leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
“It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but she told me she lost her credit card and hadn’t gotten the replacement from the bank yet, so she asked if I could buy her ticket to come here. I didn’t think much of it until she asked me not to say anything. I mean, who would care?”
Ava sat back and let out a deep breath. “I don’t think this is related, but did you know that Tara called Stuart?”
“About what?” Pen and Aine said at the same time.
