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22
MONTY
Her expression shifted from disbelief to betrayal, oscillating between the two rapidly without settling. It seemed to take some time before what I said sunk in.
“What?” she remarked with a raised brow.
“We’re going to see your father,” I said simply.
“And why on earth would I do that?”
I sighed, thinking of how to begin explaining to her everything that had happened today. Early in the morning, I had set out to Mississippi immediately after conferring with the bodyguards Vinny had sent over. I talked to them, quickly evaluating them to see if they were trained enough to my liking. They were. I should have known Vinny would not have hired anything less, especially since his fiancée had been in trouble not too long ago.
So, after I was assured of their capabilities for the job, I set off to Mississippi, impatient to get to the bottom of this mess once and for all. It was hard to imagine anyone targeting Kayla, especially one with the skills of the man I had fought off yesterday. That man had not been an ordinary amateur, or he would not have gotten away from the hold I had on him. Even though I had beaten him, someone like that had some serious skills. The fact that they had barely left a trace when spying on us had been a red flag as well. Whoever this was, he was a professional, and as much as I hated to believe my old friend was capable of this, he was the only one who kind of fit the bill.
So, I decided to go see him personally myself to make sure. If he were the one tormenting Kayla, I would eliminate him, friendship forgotten and no questions asked.
I made the three-hour drive from Lousiana to Mississippi in far less time due to my haste, but I slowed down as I approached the compound, shocked by what I saw.
Something was very wrong.
I hadn’t been to the compound in years, and if not for my superior tracking skills, I would have been sure I had found the wrong place. In fact, I nearly doubted myself and my skills because everywhere looked vastly different from what it had been in the past. I remember the compound being almost like a military base—it was a paragon of order with concrete walkways, sprawling lawns, and cameras at every corner. There were also men frequently striding around the place holding serious weaponry, carefully concealed so as not to appear too threatening. They guarded the place without drawing too much attention to themselves, as was their task. But what I saw today was nothing like that.
From a distance away, I saw a group of children laughingly run out of the gates, chased by a little boy who caught up to one of them and yelled, “Tag! You’re it!”
“Kids!” A man who looked to be a security guard appeared at the gate and gestured them back in. “You know the rules. No leaving the compound.”
The children obediently trotted back in as the security guard looked around to make sure nothing was out of place.
I frowned as I parked my car a distance away, observing the place before I got out.
The high gates surrounding the compound still stood, but the gates were now painted an interesting shade of pink with hand-drawn unicorns on them. There was also a little signature at the bottom of one of the pillars, boldly declaring, “EZRA WZ HRE.”
As I got out of the car and approached the compound, I kept seeing more incongruous details; a swing set in the front yard, a seesaw sitting next to it, and the strangest thing—about half a dozen kids playing on it.
Finally, I got to the gates and noted that while there was still security lining the walls, there were much fewer than before.
“Can I help you?” the guard asked, frowning at me. The man had the stance and alertness of a former service member, and I could tell that just as I was analyzing him, he was analyzing me as well.
“Where is the owner?” I asked.
“Who’s asking?” he responded.
I pulled out my military ID from my pocket, flashing it in his face. “An old friend.”
The man didn’t look impressed. “He’s had a lot of old friends turn on him in recent times. Who are you?”
Just then, a ball rolled over to my feet. Instead of answering, I glanced behind him to notice the children staring at me with plain curiosity on their faces. The boy who had kicked the ball was standing a bit away, wringing his hands and seemingly struggling with the idea that he had to come to retrieve it. The boy had blonde hair like Hunter, and even though that was where the resemblance ended, I couldn’t help but think of my little one back home. I had held him for a long time this morning before I left. I knew I was living on borrowed time with him because eventually, I would have to leave them both for their safety, and the mere idea of it was enough to make me want to rage.
It wasn’t fair.The thought echoed in my head as I stared down at him.I had done what I had to do. I had served my country and given up so much of myself already. And now I had to give up two of the best things that had ever happened to me too.
It was a fucking joke.
Or you could try therapy again. It was Kayla’s voice in my mind now, and I instantly dismissed it. All it did was give me false hope that there was someone out there who could somehow fix all the shit that was wrong with my brain. If Kayla couldn’t fix it, then I doubted that there was anyone who could because I didn’t think I loved anyone half as much as I loved her.
The thought nearly sped past my head before I knew it, but I brought it back so I could analyze it. Shit. I loved Kayla.
Fuck. That had not been part of the plan, but I didn’t think I could have fought it even if I tried. Falling in love with Kayla felt like the most natural thing in the world. It simply made sense, and it had been useless trying to fight against it.
