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He adjusted himself and patted down his pockets, looking for the keys.
“You left them in the ignition.”
“Oh, right.” He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Everything feels different.”
I nodded because it did. For almost two years, I’d held on to the secret that Jack was my fated mate. I never thought I’d tell him. But now that the secret was out and I knew Jack was mine as much as I was his, I felt lighter.
We climbed back into the car, and Jack put it in gear, then reached out for my hand. There was still a lot we had to talkabout, but for that moment, I was happy to have his hand in mine, to revel in the feel of his thumb tracing over the fake gold band he’d put on my finger.
Only it wasn’t so fake now.
While we drove, I replayed the events of the evening, my fingers tightening around Jack’s when I thought about the wolf holding him at gunpoint. He didn’t say anything, but he squeezed back, and I knew he understood.
I’d left part of my heart in the train yard. The snarling wolf, his claws piercing the skin of Jack’s neck, holding a gun to Jack’s head, would definitely haunt my nightmares, even though I knew he was safe. But there were a lot of risks in our line of work, and maybe I wouldn’t always be there.
The thought pinged around in my brain, reminding me of something Jack had said.
“What did you mean that it was about time I returned the favor and saved your life?”
In the dashboard light, it was hard to make out Jack’s expression. He looked confused, then resigned. “Shit.”
“Explain.”
“You’re going to be pissed.”
“Jack…”
“Before I explain, just know that I didn’t do it because I think you’re incompetent or something. I just couldn’t fucking leave you alone. It was like you were a magnet and I was metal, and I just wanted to be near you and keep you safe.”
“That’s not an answer, Jack.”
“I know, sweetheart. I’m getting there.” The endearment made my heart clench. “It started in Colombia. The first night we met.”
I waited, sensing he needed to get this out at his own pace.
“You already know we were there going after the same target, but after we fucked around and you fell asleep, I got a messagesaying that you had been made and the cartel was coming for you. Something changed the first time I saw you, Cal, and I couldn’t let them have you. So I zip-tied you to the bed, and I took out the target.” Jack’s grip on the steering wheel made the leather creak. “I took them all out. Every single one. So they couldn’t come for you.”
My breath got caught in my lungs, and I couldn’t take in air. “Fuck.”
“But that wasn’t the last time.”
“Budapest.”
Jack nodded. “Budapest.”
“Any others?”
The car rolled to a stop at a traffic light, and Jack ran a hand over his face. “Walla Walla.”
I turned in the seat to face him. “Walla Walla? How?”
“Detcord and a small charge.”
“No fucking way. The landslide was you? Why?”
“I heard where you were going to be, so I went to check on you, and there you were, lying on a ledge, your scope trained on your target—who already knew you were there, by the way—and their sniper was farther up the hill, his sights trained on you. I couldn’t take him out from my angle, so…”
“Detcord and a small charge.”
