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Eyes squeezed shut, Kyle whispered, “I could use your help here, bro. If this is what you want, if me and Nat being together is okay with you, then give me a sign. Any sign.”
The door to the small conference room burst open, and in walked Gage and Scotty.
“You just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you, man?” Gage said, scowling.
“What, dude?” Scotty scrunched his nose. “The lady asked me a direct question. What the hell was I supposed to do? Perjure myself?”
They sank into two chairs across the table from Kyle and stared at him with twin expressions of exasperation.
“God, this place is filthy!” Spencer joined them, frowning at a cobweb in the corner of the room. “You’d think the CIA could afford decent housekeeping staff with all its tax money.”
“I can probably get you a frilly apron and a feather duster if you want to have at it,” Scotty teased.
“Such sparkling conversation.” Spencer took the chair next to Kyle’s and shook his head. “Any sign of Natalie yet?”
“Nope.” Kyle glanced at the clock. “She’s still at the hospital. From what I gathered from the agent who debriefed me, Arrieta’s in a coma. The odds of him coming out of it any time soon are iffy. So I’m guessing Nat’s got some explaining to do.” Guilt twisted in his gut. They’d done the right thing in neutralizing Arrieta. In the moment, there hadn’t been any other option. He just wished Natalie didn’t have to take the heat for his decision. “We should probably go. Even apart from any blowback, she’ll be tied up for a while with implementing the Agency’s plan to stop that virus. No time for visitors.”
“Meaning us or you?” Spencer asked.
“Both.”
“Damn,” Spencer said. “Maybe after all this is over, you guys can—”
Kyle held up his hand. “I’m pretty sure whatever might’ve happened between Natalie and me is over. I’m going to head back to my family’s farm and figure out my future from there.” He pushed to his feet. “What about you guys?”
“I’m flying back to DC tonight to see Anna.” Gage stood and headed for the door. “Anybody who wants to come along is welcome.”
“I’ll go,” Scotty said, apparently over his disagreement with Gage. “Thanks, dude. I’ll call Hayley and let her know.”
“Sure thing.” Gage glanced over at Spencer. “What about you, man?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
The guys filed out of the room one by one. Gage and Kyle trailed behind. “You going to be okay?” Gage asked, his expression concerned.
“Always,” Kyle said. And he would. Eventually. The day he stopped thinking about Natalie and the fantastic life they could’ve had together. “See you guys around.”
“Yep,” Scotty called from the exit at the end of the corridor. “Next week, in fact.”
“Right.” Next week was their monthly commemoration of Nick’s death—and this time, they actually had something to celebrate. He’d need to start planning the party, send out invitations, get a good venue. “Next week, then. I’ll let you guys know when and where.”
“Kyle, wait up a sec,” Spencer said, then jogged back to him. “Hey, I really am sorry about things not working out between you and Natalie. I always figured they would after what Nick said to me.”
Kyle stopped in his tracks. “What did he say to you?”
Spencer chuckled and shrugged. “He said that if anything happened to him, he wanted you to move on. ‘Find your own bliss,’ I think were his exact words, if you can believe that.”
Give me a sign, any sign…
Taken aback, Kyle leaned against the wall, eyes wide. “You okay?” Spencer asked, frowning.
“Um, yeah. Yeah. I’m good.” For the first time in a long time, he meant it. His slow, shocked smile spread. He’d asked Nick for a sign, for permission to be with Natalie, and that’s exactly what he’d gotten. Sure, some might call it coincidence, but Kyle knew better.
The tight knot of guilt and regret that had weighed so heavily on his shoulders since Nick’s murder lifted. It wasn’t just that Arrieta had been caught. It wasn’t just that he and his team had finally fulfilled their mission. It was that justice had been served, that Nick’s memory had been put to rest with the honor it deserved. He wasn’t over his grief, not by any stretch, but he was moving forward. At last. “Thanks. See you next week.”
“Yep.” Spencer backed away to join the other guys waiting at the exit. “See you later.”
Thoughts swirling and heart full, Kyle walked outside and around to the front of the building to hail a cab. His emotions demanded he go straight to the hospital, find Natalie and confess his love to her right then and there. But his instincts told him to wait until they’d both had time to process everything that had happened over the past few days.
