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A hand rests on my shoulder, startling me. I turn, and my fist slams into a face with the green eyes as the woman I live for.
“Fuck you, Adam! You are such a dick!” Kevin falls back to the ground. He kicks my gut, causing me to bend over and gasp for breath.
“I hate you!” I grunt.
We are both rolling on the ground in pain. I finally just lie back and look up at the sky. A heavy overcast with the sun barely showing its face is matched with a misty rain. The weather seems to be stuck between the sun shining or allowing the storm to take over. Mother Nature is just as confused as I am now.
“Well, that’s productive,” a woman says. I’d like to…
“Shut it, Bailey!” Kevin tells her. Cutting her off before she can finish her sentence. He almost sounds annoyed with her.
I sit up and look at them both properly. She runs her fingers over her lips and flicks her fingers to the side. He nods and drops his head in his hands.
“Thanks for locking it up and throwing away the key,” he says.
The woman helps him up and starts grabbing his face to look at the damage.
“Good left hook, my man,” she says over her shoulder.
I thought she was going to be quiet. I roll my eyes and stand stretching my body out. My stomach aches in pain, but it can’t compare to the stabbing sensation in my chest.
“I am not your man,” I correct her.
My tone is dark and firm. No way in hell would any woman come before Reese. No woman can compare to the level she has set. I don’t want this girl to think she can come into my life in any form.
“It’s a joke, Adam. Bailey has an awkward sense of humor.” Kevin pushes her hands away.
She holds her hands up in surrender and backs away. She is looking between us and I hope she can keep her trap shut. I take in Kevin’s appearance and notice his now swollen cheek, bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair, and his bruised and bloody fist. He looks at me with the look I know all too well and I know what he needs.
Do I want to do this? No. Fuck no. I don’t want anyone to touch me in any sense, but he needs it. For her, I’ll cave. I open my arms to him for a hug. He hesitates before happily accepting this gesture. There is a small sigh of relief before he slaps my back as he leans away, wiping stray tears away. He knows me well enough to keep the time short.
“Come on.” Kevin pushes my shoulder. “Last stop.”
We walk shoulder to shoulder down the hill of the cemetery to her last resting place.
“How was the ceremony?” I ask.
He shuffles his feet as we walk. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him struggling. It couldn’t have been easy walking into a ceremony celebrating the woman we both treasure, knowing full well a load of lies is being told. Kevin shows admirable restraint in life, something that I envy.
“Tacky. I mean… they didn’t even know Reese. They gave me the folded-up flag. Sorry for your loss. She was a valuable asset to our agency. Bullshit conversations. I watched them put that stupid star on the wall and it took all of me not to lose my shit,” he explains.
“It’s all for the show,” I say.
“I get it—I do—but how the hell can you give condolences to a family member of a coworker who isn’t to know that you are an agent?” His hands push through his disheveled hair. “I am at a complete loss in my life. Not sure what to do.”
“You did well keeping your mouth shut and your head down. I don’t have the same level of restraint you do,” I say.
He nods along with me. Okay, I am a little thankful that he is here. He understands when to push and when to leave me the hell alone.
Then, the stacked blonde talks.
“At least they did something,” Bailey interjects.
I had forgotten about this woman. Not in the mood to be optimistic. I don’t need a positive spin to look at the positive side.
“Who the fuck are you?” I ask. Harshly, but I don’t give a shit.
“I’m Bailey. Nice to meet you. I’m Kevin’s boss.” Her hand reaches out, waiting for me to reciprocate.
