AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Give me your watch,” Kenton said.
Journey’s gaze jerked to his. He was turned in his seat with his hand out.
“No,” she said, her breathing coming in short spurts as the meaning of what it meant to give the watch back slapped her in the face. All of the wives who were married to the men of Supreme Security received jewelry with GPS trackers.
If he was asking for it back, that meant that Laz was done with her. That he had given up on her.
She shook her head and folded her arms, covering the watch as if protecting it from Kenton’s sight. Childish? Maybe, but she didn’t give a damn. She was never giving the watch back.
Most women would’ve scoffed at the thought of their husbands being able to track them.
Not Journey. After almost dying at the hands of a kidnapper, she welcomed the fact that her husband could find her anytime and anywhere as long as she was wearing the watch. But it meant more than that to her. It was a token of Laz’s love.
She never left home without it.
Back then, Laz had promised her that he would never track her unless it was an emergency, and he had exhausted all other ways to reach her. In turn, she had agreed to check in with him either via text or a phone call, especially if she was working late or not coming straight home.
Kenton’s expression softened, and he huffed out a breath. “Wiz wants it. He’s concerned that we couldn’t track you this afternoon, and he’s getting it updated with some new tech equipment.”
Journey bit her bottom lip, then lowered her gaze. Her heart was breaking. The watch was a symbol of so much more to her.If she gave it back….It felt like she was giving up on her marriage or that Laz was giving up on her.
“I can’t,” she murmured, barely loud enough for them to hear her. “I can’t lose him, Kenton.”
“Babe, you won’t. I know something is going on with you guys, but Laz isn’t going anywhere. That I know for a fact,” Kenton said with authority.
Journey stared at him through her tears. She wanted more than anything to believe him, but she knew her husband. He wasn’t the forgiving type. She was sure that her being unreachable was probably the last straw.
He will never forgive me.
* * *
Minutes later, Myles pulled in front of the emergency room entrance, and Kenton escorted Journey inside. Her heart was beating so fast and hard that it felt like it would leap right out of her chest as they bypassed the emergency waiting room. They took the stairs to a third-floor waiting area, and like Laz, his team hated elevators. They only used them when necessary, claiming it wasn’t always safe to be trapped in a floating metal box.
When they arrived on the third floor, Journey willed herself to calm down, to dig deep for the strength she used in court. Her usual breathing technique wasn’t working against the anxiousness charging through her body.
At least the tears had stopped. Right now, she considered that a win because the guilt plaguing her was stifling, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever forgive herself for not being available when her family needed her.
“Mase is here somewhere, and he made arrangements for us to use this waiting room for as long as we need,” Kenton said, referring to the owner of Supreme Security, Mason Bennett. The man had contacts all over the state and occasionally called in favors. Journey assumed that he had requested a private space until they figured out who was after Laz.
“I’ll have to thank him,” she said.
When they arrived, the door was closed, and Kenton placed his hand on the doorknob, but he didn’t open it. Journey’s pulse picked up, thinking he was getting ready to deliver some bad news. She had noticed the small earpieces that he and Myles wore. Had one of the guys given them an update?
“Kenton,” she said slowly, bracing herself for the worse.
He removed his shades and stared into her eyes. “Listen, I owe you an apology. I waswayout of line on the ride here. You didn’t deserve the way I spoke to you, and I’m sorry about that. I guess I was just—”
“Worried about Laz,” Journey finished. A sliver of relief flowed through her that he wasn’t delivering more bad news. “You had every right to be angry. I know how close you and Laz are, and I shouldn’t have been MIA. That’s…unforgivable.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Laz knows how important your job is.”
“Yeah, but he thinks it’s more important than he and Ari, and for a minute there, he might’ve been right. It’s not my intention to put my cases first, but sometimes—”
“Sometimes you can’t help it. We all get like that about our jobs, Jay, but you just have to remember that family always comes first.Always.”
She knew that better than anyone, especially now.
“And for the record, we were worried about you, too. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet. This hit could’ve had something to do with Laz’s past, someone gunning for him. Or it could be retaliation for…hell, I don’t know…a recent assignment. But we’re taking every precaution, and that includes making sure you and Ari are safe. So, when you were unreachable, we feared the worse. Which only freaked Laz out more. He was already being a jerk with the medical staff, but when we couldn’t find you, he lost it. They threatened to sedate him.”
