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“Yes, but really it wasn’t much of a removal. Guy had a round graze his arm. It was more of cleaning and stitching than anything.”
“So I’m the guinea pig?” I frowned.
“An adorable and feisty one who had the opportunity to go to the hospital but opted out. Therefore you take what you get,” he answered.
I felt the sting of the needle. “Fair enough.” He was right.
After he finished stitching the wound and bandaging it up, I felt a lot better.
The commotion began to settle around us. Of course all the neighbors on both sides of the canal stood on their properties and watched everything going on around them. I was sure they’d be questioned to see what they knew. The investigation was going to be never ending. There were a lot of people in this rich neighborhood. Not only that, but there would be a shit-ton of agents to interview to determine if it was the entire field office involved or just a rotten few. Not to mention, there were going to be investigations into the local police. It was an international affair and was going to become very complicated. My face would be plastered all over this news story too, and that was really going to affect my ability to go back undercover. I’d find a way, though—I had to.
I remembered the employer and hoped now that the whole operation was shut down we’d be able to get her official statement too. I fired off a quick text to Bob to let him know about her.
The agents loaded up the last of the suspects in a van and the victims on several boats. They were going to be provided medical care at the local hospital, and then they’d be given lodging and food.
“There’s not much to do now,” Adam said as a new wave of agents came through and started taking photos of the compound.
“I guess you’re right.” There wasn’t much for them to do now that it was officially handled by my colleagues.
I never quite knew what to do when assignments were over. I had time, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.
“Let’s go back to the resort. We could all use a nice long nap, and you could use a trip to the hospital,” Adam suggested.
I nodded, finally comfortable with leaving the scene.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
adam
The day flew by in the blink of an eye. Abby agreed to go to the hospital after she spent two hours trying to nap but couldn’t sleep a wink due to the pain. The emergency room staff looked at her like she was crazy when she said she let a friend remove the bullet and clean up the area without anesthesia. The doctor who checked out the patch job actually laughed and told her she had balls. I didn’t miss the proud expression on her face. The chick was tough, and no matter what she said, she was mine. I wouldn’t stop fighting for her, just like she wouldn’t stop fighting for those she thought needed her help.
Now that we were through the scariest part of the injury, and the mission, I could see just how much pride she took in appearing tough. She seemed to bloom when other people noticed or acknowledged that. I was far from a psychologist, but it appeared like she was compensating for the vulnerability caused by a uniform that couldn’t protect her. As someone who wore a similar uniform, I learned that it wasn’t what protected me—it was brothers. Abby joined the Navy and was taught she had to protect herself. She grew a hard outer shell, and when someone recognized the bravado, it was confirmation that she was succeeding—that she was more than her assault.
Our drive back to the resort from the hospital was quiet. Abby took a painkiller, which put her at ease. I followed her upstairs to her room and locked the door behind me. I wouldn’t put it past Christine or Jasmine to barge in and check on her. It came from a place of caring, but I was a selfish bastard. I wanted alone time with her; who knew how much of it I had left? She made it abundantly clear that despite what we built between us, all we’d be was a casual fling she had while on assignment. The idea of that fucking stung.
What we found was the real deal, she was the real deal—but she was in her own head about the semantics. I was a firm believer in,“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”She clung to her career like it was her seatbelt, protecting her from the horrible things life would throw her way—like heartbreak and failure. She was more than enough for me. She was perfect. The only way we failed was if we didn’t try.
She dropped onto the bed, careful not to land on her bandaged shoulder. She was practically asleep before her head hit her pillow. I pulled her phone out of her back pocket and laid it on the nightstand.
“What am I going to do with myself when you’re gone?” I asked her quietly. Her soft snores were the only response.
The afternoon went quickly, and before I knew it, the sun was setting. Abby woke up looking like she slept for days. Drool rested in the corner of her mouth, and she wiped it away in a rush. “What time is it?”
I looked at my watch. “Eight.”
“Holy shit, I need to get packed and catch my flight.” She jumped up in a panic.
Confusion and hurt smacked me in the face. I thought I might have another couple days before she’d be okay to fly. “You’re leaving so soon?”
Why would she leave so soon? Why go through the extra discomfort? It wasn’t like she hadn’t earned a real vacation. In fact, she was probably owed several. She was instrumental in the take down of two large human trafficking rings within months of each other. That had to be some kind of record. Add to that impressive resume a successful investigation into a rogue FBI office that knowingly abetted the kidnapping and selling of women—she was unstoppable. She was going to take that momentum and roll it into an excuse. She was going to use her work to run away—to hide from me.
She stared at me as if I might break. No, not me—just my heart. “Yeah, I told Bob I’d help him with the processing back home. And I want to be there when the rogue agents are interrogated. They’ve already been flown back to the States, and questioning could start in a matter of hours.”
Bob would wait a few hours for her if she asked, but she wasn’t going to. “I knew it.” My fists clenched. I wanted to be calm and collected. Sure, she was wounded pretty badly, but that didn’t give her a free pass to sabotage her life.
“Knew what?” she asked. Her forehead creased in frustration. We both geared up for the blow that would end everything. It was going to end exactly how she wanted it to, and I’d give it to her. I’d always give her what she wanted, even if it wasn’t me.
“I knew you were going to make excuses to leave. I just didn’t expect it so soon. I thought I’d have at least another couple of days.”
