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“Tell me. Now.” I snarled as I held my gun to her temple. She was lying on her side, choking on her blood. I could make a solid bet that she had internal bleeding from the crash. When she didn’t answer immediately, I yelled again, “Now!” My restraint to pull the trigger coming to an end.
“He’s fled the country. Probably with a new identity by now. Your chances of revenge are gone. He is never coming back.” She laughed once more, and I smiled down at her.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can still get my revenge. Maybe not with him anymore, but you are a great second option.” I raked the slide of the handgun, loading it, and gave her a smug smirk as I placed it back against her head and, without hesitation, pulled the fucking trigger.
Walking back to where Derek had stopped the Explorer, I noticed both of the women were restrained with cuffs. How was I going to get Chyler out of this? I rubbed the back of my neck as I approached the group. I looked at Derek and gestured for us to step aside and speak privately. After five years of friendship, I knew I could trust him and hoped he would still be loyal to our friendship.
“I need to tell you about Chyler, about this entire fucked up situation, and I need you to listen to me before cutting me off and making any rash decisions. Deal?” I would lay all my cards out on the table with him. In the worst-case scenario, he was going to take Chyler to the CIA and let them deal with her. Best case, the two of us were getting the fuck out of here together. Derek stood up straight and crossed his arms, giving me a nod of approval.
“Let’s hear it, AJ. I’m all ears.” He said with a smile. I knew he would always be there for me. He knew the story of my brother and what had happened eleven years ago. He understood exactly where I was coming from. So I started from the beginning. From the night at The Landing.
The entire time I spoke, Derek just stood there and nodded. He didn’t speak or attempt to cut me off at any of the parts where I was reckless and stupid—mainly the night that I threw Chyler out of the warehouse after I had caught her. I knew my actions that night were wrong and that I shouldn’t have let her get away and then covered up her tracks. But I was in love with her, and I had no intention of letting her go. If that meant betraying the CIA, then so be it. She was mine, and she always would be.
“Wow… Just… Wow, man.” Derek blew out a long breath and scratched the back of his neck as he began pacing in front of me. I needed him to be on my side, to let me get Chyler out of here and protect her. I bit into my cheek, waiting for him to decide what he was going to do. I would beg him if I had to; I’d do anything. I was desperate.
“Derek, look… This is what we’ve always been searching for. That one woman that would be the end for us. Chyler is that for me. She is my beginning to my end. I can’t—” I paused and rubbed my hands down my face. “I can’t let you take her from me,” I said, knowing that it came off closer to a threat than anything. It would become a threat if need be. I wasn’t going to let them take her without a fight.
“You do realize the complications here? What am I supposed to tell Conrad? ‘Sorry, we only managed to get two of the three; here you go’?” He threw his arms up and then dropped them by his sides.
“Yes, exactly that. You tell them she got away and leave it at that. Two out of three is better than nothing, not to mention you have their leader, Charlotte, over there with a bullet in her head.” I pointed to the flipped SUV, not taking my eyes off him. “Everything here is better than nothing. Let me get her out of here. I’ve never asked you for a favor in all our years, but now I am. My first and last.” I ground out. I was shaking from fear, from adrenaline… Derek sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t need to ask me for favors, AJ. We’re best friends. I’ll always cover for you—even if you sound completely insane, like right now.” He chuckled and looked over my shoulder to where Dean and Marcus were talking, holding onto the handcuffs of the two women.
“How are we going to explain this to Marcus and Dean?” I asked, turning to look at them.
“You let me handle that. Get into the Explorer and get the hell out of here. I’ll call for additional agents to help us out.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t. Just don’t forget to call me when you are settled.” He smiled and placed the keys to the vehicle in my hand as he pulled me in for a guy hug, patting me on the back of my shoulder. “You take care of yourself.” He murmured before letting me go and heading back to the others, pulling out his phone to call for additional agents.
I looked down at the keys in my hand, gripped them tightly, and ran to the SUV. I jumped into the driver’s seat and took off with Chyler still in the back.
I may not have gotten my revenge on Roman Atwater as I had hoped after all of these years, but I did manage to meet the one woman—my soulmate—with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life with—and saved her.
EPILOGUE
Chyler
I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and running water. I blinked open my eyes and found myself staring up at a woodgrain ceiling. It reminded me of an old cabin I used to visit when I was a child. I tried to sit up, but my body refused when a sharp pain shot up from my arm. I hissed out in pain and looked to see that there was a bandage around my bicep, and there was a small pink patch where blood had soaked through.
I sighed and fell back onto the pillow. I was lying on an old dusty couch covered by a red buffalo plaid flannel blanket. Where was I? How long had I been out? The last thing I remembered was the doors being blown off their hinges at the warehouse, a bright flash of light followed by a loud ringing noise, and Atlas. Atlas. I was trying to save Atlas.
This time, I shot up, forgetting the sharp pain in my arm, and looked around the room, my adrenaline racing through me. I was in what looked like an old cabin—or at least, a living room styled to look like one. The interior was all wood, and most of the furniture matched the style. There was a small kitchenette in the corner, and the living room had just a coffee table and the couch that I was lying on. There was a hallway, which I assumed led to either one or two bedrooms, and the main door to the cabin was on the opposite wall of the kitchenette.
“Atlas…” I spoke, my voice rough. Was he even here with me? How did I get here?
I struggled to pull myself off the couch to stand, and once I was upright, I heard the sound of a screen door slamming behind me. I startled and turned around to see a man standing in the entryway—not just any man, Atlas. My lips parted as my eyes met his, and before I could even think to say anything more, I ran.
I ran around the side of the couch and across the room, jumping into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. I didn’t even care that I was in pain. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and breathed him in deeply. His cedar and spice scent, with hints of pine from being outside—my Atlas.
He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly. He stood there for minutes, holding me close without uttering a word. Just the two of us embracing in this moment, soaking each other in. I felt him nuzzle his face against the side of my neck.
“You’re awake…” He murmured, and his voice was the sweetest of sounds. He was safe, and he was here with me. The questions kept flowing into my mind. How did we get here? What happened after I blacked out? I pulled back to look him in the eyes, to dive into his beautiful, captivating, heterochromatic eyes.
“How long was I out?” I breathed.
“Almost a full day…” He answered with a light sigh.
