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He squeezed my hand gently before letting it go. “Stop worrying. No matter what it is, it’s all good.”
I nodded but didn’t feel that way. I knew what this project meant to him. He’d put his heart into it. He was always telling me that he worried about how it will affect me, but I could see how it was affecting him. The broken families weren’t just numbers to him. The missing girls weren’t just another photo. He didn’t lose his job in New York and needed to start fresh. He closed his business and moved here to make a difference.
I don’t care who hears it. You are definitely one of the most loving and compassionate men I’ve ever met. Tabiq is lucky to have you, and so am I.
If Reesa was about to send him packing, then she better be ready because I wasn’t going to let that happen. Tabiq needed Draven, and I was going to make sure she knew it.
“You look like you’re ready for a fight,” Draven said.
“All depends on what she says,” I replied.
Draven cocked a brow. “Look who’s badass now,” he teased.
I glared at him. “I wasn’t a girl scout, Draven. I was with the FBI,” I reminded him.
He raised his hands and pretended to be scared. “You win.”
With my chin in the air, I said, “Always do. And don’t forget it. Now let’s get this over with.”
“In a rush?” he asked.
“Yes. For ice cream,” I reminded him.
He smiled and then opened the door. Moments later we were sitting across from Reesa. But she wasn’t alone. Finn was there too. That eased my mind that we weren’t about to be fired.
“I’m glad the two of you could meet with us today. Finn and I wanted to talk to you about your work here. How do you feel it’s going?” she asked.
I let Draven answer. He’s the boss.
“I’d say that we are making progress but not at the pace I would like to. You understand what we are up against.”
Reesa nodded. “More than I wish I did. I’m not going to say what you’re trying to do is impossible because you have made some headway. But…I needed to tell you both something and I’m afraid of how you’ll take it.”
Now I was worried. “What is it?” I asked.
“I know you’ve met with Lita about her missing daughter,” Reesa said. I nodded. “We…I wanted to tell you both that she passed away last night.”
It felt like a punch in the gut. “How?” I asked, feeling ill. “Was it something I said or did?”
Finn shook his head and said, “She was very sick. Cancer had spread throughout her. She refused any treatment. Without her husband and her daughter, she was alone. Her will to live wasn’t there.”
How did I miss seeing that when I met with her? Normally I could pick up on such a thing. I knew she was filled with such pain and sadness. Had that clouded my ability to read her clearly?
“She never said anything to us,” I stated.
“She didn’t want anyone to know. But she gave this to Finn when she was brought to the hospital last night.” Reesa handed me an envelope. “She told him to give it to you.”
It was sealed.
“I wish I had known,” I said softly.
Finn said, “There was nothing you could’ve done even if you did.”
I looked at Draven. “Should I open it now?” I asked.
“It’s not to me. So, it’s up to you if you want us to know or not,” he replied.
I tapped my foot a few times as I debated what to do. Then I realized that whatever she said, if those were her final words, then all of us should hear them.
