AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where, though? And will she be dead by then?” Clare shrugged, tears sliding down her cheeks now. “I’m supposed to protect her. She’s my responsibility.”
“Why is that?” He figured she just cared a lot because of the connection with Selena’s mother.
“Because I promised Kara I would look after her.” She sniffed. “I failed. The same way I failed Kara. It’s all my fault.”
“You couldn’t have known Selena would be his target.”
“But if she’s killed, it’ll be on me. The way Kara’s death is.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
Clare swiped roughly at the tears on her face.
“You are allowed to cry, you know.”
Of course he would say that. She shook her head.
Her phone rang in her pocket, but she ignored it for now. The thing had been ringing off the hook, and she needed a minute of space.
Gage dragged her against him in a hug, something they’d done many times in the past. Long ago now. Creating between them a weird mix of old and new. She’d actually admitted to someone what she knew to be true about Kara’s death—that Clare’s actions, her decisions, meant she was responsible.
She tucked her head against Gage’s shoulder and hung on tighter than she should need to. “I haven’t told Selena.”
“Good. Don’t.”
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
He said, “Do you need to get that?”
“No.” She pulled back. “Why shouldn’t I tell Selena the truth?”
“Because it’s done. It’s past, and she doesn’t need to lose you as well as her mother.”
“Shouldn’t she know the truth?”
“You say it like it’s a dirty secret, but if you tell her that as the team lead, it was your call. Your choice to stay or go, or whatever happened, and ultimately the people under you are your responsibility as the team leader. You think she won’t already understand that on some level?”
Clare had talked a lot about the team as a whole with Selena. She’d told Kara’s daughter everything about that last mission, even though maybe she shouldn’t have. But she hadn’t revealed the target’s identity or where they were. Just how Kara had died and the circumstances.
“What if I never see her again?” Until Clare voiced it aloud, she hadn’t realized how worried she was. “I can’t lose someone else. Not like this.”
Gage said nothing, but she read his expression anyway.
She wouldn’t be responsible for this, either.
“Did your mom say anything else, other than to confirm who he is?” he finally asked.
Actionable intel? “Not much.” However, shehadsaid a whole lot about Selena. “Except that I shouldn’t be so worked up about a girl who isn’t my daughter. It isn’t healthy. Like losing our baby made me so broken I latch onto anyone under my care.” Clare winced. “Only, she’s not wrong, is she?”
It sucked, but it was turning out that her mother really did know everything. Or most things, anyway.
Clare blew out a frustrated breath.
“You care about her. That’s a good thing.” Gage shrugged. “If it becomes unhealthy, you can deal with it. But Selena might need the strength of your attachment to her to keep her alive—emotionally and physically—because you’re not going to stop until she’s found. Right?”
Clare nodded.
He might be just saying it to make her feel better, but he was also right. How much she wanted Selena in her life might be what made the difference between success and failure.
