Page 79 of Stolen Salvation

Jack sat back and looked at Liam again. “The floor is yours, oh wise one.”

Liam grinned and cocked his head. “Thank you for finally acknowledging that.” He turned to Bishop who was losing patience fast. These men were top-notch operators tasked with keeping Queen Lydia safe and yet here they were acting like a bunch of geriatrics at Parish Council meeting. “You were being stupid, so we thought you needed some wisdom from five happily married men.”

“Stupid, how? And why does your marital status matter?”

Alex frowned. “How hard did you hit him, Liam?”

“Not that hard. He should be catching on quicker.”

“Look, what dickhead here is saying is that when Charlie kicked you out and said she needed space, she didn’t mean it.”

“Wait, how the hell do you know she kicked me out?”

“Reaper,” Jack answered, stealing a biscuit from Blake who grinned and raised his eyebrows at Alex.

“Reaper?”

“Yeah, he heard Charlie give you the heave-ho.”

“She didn’t give me the heave-ho, she asked for space so I’m giving her that.”

Decker looked at Jack. “You sure he worked for MI5 ’cos he doesn’t seem to catch on real quick.”

“Yeah, Will checked him out and Lopez verified.”

“Huh.”

“So all this is because you think I should, what? Have stayed where she didn’t want me?”

“Yes!” they all yelled.

“You’re all fucking crazy.”

“I can verify that isn’t the case,” Decker, the profiler, answered. “Look, Charlie asked for space, but she just got shot in the head and she’s pregnant and scared and she’s carrying so much guilt over shooting your ugly ass, that it’s a wonder she can walk straight.”

“I’ve told her I don’t blame her for that.”

Decker sighed. “Look, man, when I realised I was head over ass for Savannah, do you know what I did?” He didn’t give Bishop chance to answer before he spoke again. “I ran as far away as I could. I felt so awful for loving her after losing my wife and son.”

Bishop sipped his tea which was just how he liked it, strong and sweet. A bit like his wife. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. That’s hard, man.”

Decker nodded. “It was, but I learned that love is the only thing that matters sometimes, and that letting guilt keep taking from you isn’t a good way to honour the memory of those we lost.”

Bishop swallowed the lump in his throat at the emotion in the other man’s eyes. “I should have been home and then she wouldn’t have climbed that damn chair.”

“And you may still have lost your son. It’s tragic and devastating but awful shit happens.”

“That doesn’t explain why you punched me in the face and threw a bag over my head.”

“Because your guilt over not being home when she fell is why you turned and ran away so easily.”

Bishop pushed his chair back and stood abruptly. “I did not run the fuck away.”

Decker stood. “Yeah, you did. You know for a fact nobody has ever fought for Charlie and yet still you ran.”

“She shot me. She doesn’t want me.”

“Bullshit, she loves you but between the pair of you and losing your son, you lost your way. You need to pull your head out of your ass and fight for her. Show her she’s worth it, that you don’t blame her and won’t run when she tries to push you away.”