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"Missed you," he murmurs.
"Me, too." I lower my head and brush my lips over his. He doesn’t pull back. I whisper my nose up the side of his cheek, drawing in the scent of sea breeze tinged with the musky notes of his sweat. "You always smell so good," I murmur.
He chuckles. "I’m all sweated out."
"I like that." I press a kiss to his temple, then straighten. "Where’s Adam?"
"He left."
"So, who were you talking to?"
He blinks. "What do you mean?"
"I saw you turn and say something as I was walking up."
He swallows. "You did?"
"But there was no one here; guess you were talking to Tiny."
He releases his hold on my hips, then slowly shakes his head. "It wasn’t Tiny."
"Eh?" I tilt my head.
"I was talking to Adam."
70
Knight
She chuckles. "You told me he left."
"He left a long time ago."
"He did?"
I force myself to speak through the knives’ edges that seem to line my throat. "He was never here."
She frowns. "I’m not sure I follow."
My heart begins to pump so hard, I can feel the blood slam against my temples, my wrists, my ankles. Every pulse point in my body speeds up.This is it. You’re going to tell her the truth. No more holding back. You’re going to share with her the one thing you’ve never said aloud to yourself.I curl my fingers into fists and take a deep breath. "Adam never made it back to London."
"Eh?" Her frown deepens. "So, he was taken captive with you… But he didn’t return with you?"
I swallow around the lump in my throat. "He was hacked to pieces in front of me."
She gasps.
"My best friend. My brother in every way, the one who had my back in every one of my missions, was murdered in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t do anything." I dig my fingernails into the palms of my hands and break through the skin.
"Oh, my god, that must have been so traumatic for you, Knight." She throws herself at me, straddles my lap, and wraps her arms and legs around me. Tiny walks over to plant his butt on the ground next to me. He whines, and goddamn, but the sound is as forlorn as I feel.
"He was the last to die. The bastards took out the other three in our team, one by one. Adam and I kept each other going. We promised each other that we’d make it out alive. But as the days wore on, he began to sink first. It got to him, I guess. They realized his weak spot was his wife and his daughter. They used it to break down his mind. I, of course, had no such blood ties. Not even Abby, as I knew she was safe with her husband. I was the emotionless one. The strong one. The unbreakable one. They kept at it, though. They tried everything, and when it was clear Adam was sinking, they used him against me. And when they realized our friendship was my weakness, they killed him. Slowly. His cries, his begging for mercy, his voice as he screamed for his life haunts me at night. Before he died, he made me promise I’d take care of his wife and child."
"Oh, Knight." Her tears bathe my throat as she tucks her face under my chin and weeps.
"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, Penny. There were so many times when I wanted to, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud. I knew if I did, I’d never see Adam again. But I also knew I had to tell you. It was the only way to show you how much you mean to me. It was the only way to move on."
She sits up, and moisture clings to her cheeks. "Is that why you came out today, to bid him goodbye?"
