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“Idon’t think you understand how important this case is,” I was trying to remain calm as I spoke through clenched teeth into my phone. “There are multiple agencies waiting for these results. You need to move this autopsy to the top of the list.”
“As I have said already, Mr. Mullins,” an irritated French woman replied, her accent growing thicker as she fought to stick to English. I’d already heard her grumbling in French earlier, and honestly, I couldn’t fucking care less. “The pathologist is currently out of the country. He will be back in two days, when we will start immediately on the examination. The autopsy is alreadyatthe top of the list.”
“Thanks,” Cabot said quickly, grabbing the phone from my hand and disconnecting the call before I could start the same conversation over again. I knew I was spiraling out, but we were stuck here until the autopsy was complete. I just wanted to get back to Lake, especially after the text from Fitz saying she’d had another dissociative episode and wasn’t coming out of it.
I felt helpless, yet again, when it came to protecting her. I couldn’t be there to hold her and bring her out of her own mind, to reassure her that I was there. Because I fucking wasn’t. I shouldn’t have come here at all. I should have sent Fitz or Kasey. Well, maybe not Kasey, but definitely Fitz; he would have kept his cool much better. I knew I was the face of our company and people usually worked well with me out of professional courtesy, but the four of us owned the company equally and I wasn’t special.
“This is bullshit!” I yelled at no one in particular.
“Two days, man, then we’re back home.” Cabot had been trying to keep me focused all day, but I could only focus on the fact that it was keeping me from a job that felt more like a life mission. Protect Lake. Keep Lake.
“The second that autopsy is over, I don’t care if you have to pay off a military transport, I’m getting back to her.” He simply nodded his understanding and agreement.
After an eternity of silence while I paced and Cabot watched me, hands folded over his chest, he finally spoke. “Let’s go find the gym in this hotel. We can spar.”
“My control is about to snap, Aiden,” I said, using his first name to emphasize the seriousness. “I might kill you.”
Cabot blinked at me before a slow, cocky smile pulled up the side of his mouth. “Oh, I really hope you try.”
__
LAKE
There was light in front of my closed eyes as I slowly rose from the depths of sleep. I didn’t want to open them to the brightness, and I wondered if someone had left the lights on. I’d passed out on the couch by later afternoon and Kasey had carried me to bed, something I would have protested if I’d cared enough. So I just let him move me, eyes staying closed so I wouldn’t have to talk anymore.
The vibrating growl in my stomach actually hurt, and I couldn’t remember eating anything yesterday. I would have to deal with an apartment full of people just to get to the kitchen. Already exhausted by being awake, I cracked an eye open before they both flew open in surprise. It wasn’t a light left on; it was the sun shining through the window.
Turning to grab my phone from the nightstand, my hand smacked onto the empty wood. No phone. It must have still been in the living room. Looking around, I wished for some sort of clock to tell me the time before I had to face everyone. Sitting up slowly, I still felt disconnected from myself. Not completely severed, but distant from my emotions.
Shuffling into the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair up and out of my face. The bags under my eyes were more pronounced than ever, and as I stared at my reflection, I had to work to recognize myself. Pale, face thinner than ever before, raccoon circles of exhaustion. I could stay in this building and just die from the stress.
“Lake?” Evan’s voice was coming from the doorway of the bedroom, and when I left the bathroom to meet him, he looked me over with a critical eye. “You good?”
“I’m tired,” I said, voice less hollow, but still holding an emptiness that spoke for itself.
“You’ve almost been out for 24 hours. Kasey made some jokes about sleeping beauty and kissing you, but Avery threatened his balls.”
His words had the effect he’d been going for, and I felt my lips curl as I snickered, picturing the interaction. But just as quickly, I widened my eyes in surprise at him. “I slept an entire day?”
“You’ve been through a lot; it's no wonder your body decided to hibernate.”
“Is Decker-” I’d been about to say “home”, but it seemed awkward to speak about him coming back to me as home. “Back?” I questioned instead. Evan pursed his mouth for a moment before shaking his head and looking at the ground.
“They’re waiting on the autopsy tomorrow before they can catch a flight back, but Deck’s pissed about it. He’s trying to get back to you, I promise.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“Yeah you did,” He cut me off with a smile. “But it’s good that you want someone around to help you, even if it’s just comfort. I’d be more worried if you were trying to deal with this alone.”
“Like your sister?” I asked, thinking back to our conversation that seemed like a lifetime ago. Had it only been weeks?
“Exactly like my sister,” he replied with an overexaggerated eye roll.
I heard my phone chiming from the living room and couldn’t even waste time on an apology as I pushed past him to get to my phone. The room was blessedly empty as I snatched my phone up to see who had messaged. My hope plummeted when I saw that I had missed message after message from my father.
Robert:Lake, please call me with information on the case.
Robert:I have been ignored for days by your men. I expect you to call immediately.
