tell him on that day, “You’re the perfect storm. Everything we look for in an agent.”
It happened fast after that. He didn’t finish college. Not formally, anyway. His family thought he dropped out of school because he’d gotten the photography job of a lifetime, his big break. And that was partially true.
So he’d built his life from there on out on partial truths.
“If this hadn’t happened, when were you going to tell me?” Emme finally asked.
“Never, if I could help it.”
She went to walk away and he said, “I know you’re pissed, but I never wanted you to have to live the life I did.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make. You made it for all of us.”
“Because my job dictates that.”
There wasn’t going to be a day that went by where Em wouldn’t be looking over her shoulder. That built-in superstition would haunt her. Would affect the rest of her life.
“When will we know if we’re out of danger?”
He didn’t tell her that he’d been given the option to relocate them, that if it were solely up to him, he’d pack his family up and get them the hell out of there.
But they’d never leave. And he wouldn’t force that. He would, however, hire guards that would double as bouncers, put in extra security and the like, in addition to the CIA team that would be guarding his family until this Lucky-slash-Josh situation was figured out.
And then he’d head to Virginia and figure out what the hell Josh was up to.
“You slept with him,” Emme said now. “Was that part of the job?”
How could he tell her the answer to that was both yes and no? The most honest answer tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it. “I like him.”
Emme leaned against the door. “Like as in, want a relationship? Are those allowed in your job?”
He snorted. “They’re not encouraged, and he’s the first guy I’ve liked in a long time.”
“And he might be here to hurt us.”
He shrugged.
“You consider yourself a good judge of character, right, Dash? Do you think you could fall for someone who might hurt us?”
“They say love’s blind, right?”
“Ah, Dash.” She went and hugged him. “He’s perfect for you.”
“That’s why you let him stay?”
“We let him stay because we think he’s a good person. You won’t get me to believe otherwise. I mean, he’s had a million chances to hurt us. It’s not like he asked questions about you. He never went in your room in the apartment. He refused. He was the one who saved Dad’s life when he had the heart attack two years ago. He came to us broken, needing family, and he found it. We love him.” She sighed. “This is going to crush Mom and Dad.”
And it did. When his parents heard what happened—from Emme, of course—they were furious. At Dash. Probably because Emme added in the fact that he’d slept with Lucky, when he hadn’t actually confirmed that, and now they were like the morality police.
The disappointment on his father’s face was the hardest to bear, and it had nothing to do with what Dash had done to Lucky.
Everyone was upset that Dash hadn’t trusted them. What Dash didn’t bother to tell them was that this time he didn’t even trust himself.
Chapter Seven
Sawyer couldn’t sit still. A long run down the beach did shit to tamp down the tension that continued to rattle his body with every pounding step in the wet sand.
He ran until he couldn’t any longer, and since he’d had to run for his life on several occasions, that was a hell of a long time. But even though his body shut off, his mind refused to.
He imagined that’s what it must’ve been like for Rex in that prison, when he’d been captured. Imagined what it would be like to see someone you thought had died step in front of you.
Imagined how much things in his future could change because of this.
When he got back, he took a long, hot shower. His body had turned to mush but his mind would never let him sleep. He planned on settling in with
It happened fast after that. He didn’t finish college. Not formally, anyway. His family thought he dropped out of school because he’d gotten the photography job of a lifetime, his big break. And that was partially true.
So he’d built his life from there on out on partial truths.
“If this hadn’t happened, when were you going to tell me?” Emme finally asked.
“Never, if I could help it.”
She went to walk away and he said, “I know you’re pissed, but I never wanted you to have to live the life I did.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make. You made it for all of us.”
“Because my job dictates that.”
There wasn’t going to be a day that went by where Em wouldn’t be looking over her shoulder. That built-in superstition would haunt her. Would affect the rest of her life.
“When will we know if we’re out of danger?”
He didn’t tell her that he’d been given the option to relocate them, that if it were solely up to him, he’d pack his family up and get them the hell out of there.
But they’d never leave. And he wouldn’t force that. He would, however, hire guards that would double as bouncers, put in extra security and the like, in addition to the CIA team that would be guarding his family until this Lucky-slash-Josh situation was figured out.
And then he’d head to Virginia and figure out what the hell Josh was up to.
“You slept with him,” Emme said now. “Was that part of the job?”
How could he tell her the answer to that was both yes and no? The most honest answer tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it. “I like him.”
Emme leaned against the door. “Like as in, want a relationship? Are those allowed in your job?”
He snorted. “They’re not encouraged, and he’s the first guy I’ve liked in a long time.”
“And he might be here to hurt us.”
He shrugged.
“You consider yourself a good judge of character, right, Dash? Do you think you could fall for someone who might hurt us?”
“They say love’s blind, right?”
“Ah, Dash.” She went and hugged him. “He’s perfect for you.”
“That’s why you let him stay?”
“We let him stay because we think he’s a good person. You won’t get me to believe otherwise. I mean, he’s had a million chances to hurt us. It’s not like he asked questions about you. He never went in your room in the apartment. He refused. He was the one who saved Dad’s life when he had the heart attack two years ago. He came to us broken, needing family, and he found it. We love him.” She sighed. “This is going to crush Mom and Dad.”
And it did. When his parents heard what happened—from Emme, of course—they were furious. At Dash. Probably because Emme added in the fact that he’d slept with Lucky, when he hadn’t actually confirmed that, and now they were like the morality police.
The disappointment on his father’s face was the hardest to bear, and it had nothing to do with what Dash had done to Lucky.
Everyone was upset that Dash hadn’t trusted them. What Dash didn’t bother to tell them was that this time he didn’t even trust himself.
Chapter Seven
Sawyer couldn’t sit still. A long run down the beach did shit to tamp down the tension that continued to rattle his body with every pounding step in the wet sand.
He ran until he couldn’t any longer, and since he’d had to run for his life on several occasions, that was a hell of a long time. But even though his body shut off, his mind refused to.
He imagined that’s what it must’ve been like for Rex in that prison, when he’d been captured. Imagined what it would be like to see someone you thought had died step in front of you.
Imagined how much things in his future could change because of this.
When he got back, he took a long, hot shower. His body had turned to mush but his mind would never let him sleep. He planned on settling in with
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