Page 8 of Stolen Salvation

“What can I do for you? Because I know you didn’t come in here to shoot the shit with me.”

Bás watched him with intelligent eyes that missed nothing, his palms laid over the arms of the chair, relaxed, calm. Literally everything he wasn’t feeling at this moment. “Charlie came to see me.”

“Oh?”

“Her sister is missing. Andrea is younger than her, only twenty-one and she called a while back to say she was pregnant. Charlie says she sounded pretty upset. When Charlie got to her, she was gone. No sign of her, all her stuff had been packed by some unknown man with no forwarding address.”

“I take it Charlie has looked for her?”

Bishop sat forward, his limbs tingling with excess energy. “Yeah, she can’t find her. Apparently her Uni roommate mentioned a clinic she’d been talking about. Charlie went there but they won’t discuss anything with her.”

Bás picked up the pen he’d thrown down and twirled it in his fingers, his interest piqued despite his trying to hide it. Bishop had spent too long reading people and it was now so ingrained he didn’t even have to try.

“She wants our help?”

“Yes, she isn’t with MI5 anymore and doesn’t have the resources.”

“I’m aware.”

Bishop looked up sharply. “You were?”

Bás sat forward, dropping the pen before resting his elbows on the desk. “Of course. Do you honestly think I would’ve allowed her help with Lucía if she hadn’t been vetted by Watchdog first?”

Bishop shrugged. “I didn’t think about it at all. I try not to let Charlie in my head, ever.”

“So, you didn’t keep up with her after you two parted ways?”

“Fuck, no. She made it clear she wasn’t interested when she shot me and issued divorce papers. I have no idea what she’s been up to since then.”

“Hm.”

“So, what do you think? Can we take this case? It might have a link to Project Cradle.”

“It might, but then it could be as simple as she’s run off with her boyfriend.”

“True, but Andrea is a good kid. She went through a lot and their dad is a douchebag.”

“It sounds like you want us to take this case.”

Bishop blew out a breath through his lips and sat back, his hands flexing on the arms of the seat. “I guess I do.”

“You guess? I need more than that, Bish. I won’t fight for a case if the person bringing it to me isn’t fully on board. What we do is dangerous, and if I ask those men and women out there to risk their lives I’m accountable for that. So, I need to be sure it’s worthwhile.”

“I know that, and I do want you to take it or put it to the team at least.”

“Why?”

Bishop frowned. “Why?”

Bás stood and rounded the desk to come and lean against it next to where he was sitting. “Yes, why do you want to help the woman who shot you and then almost caused you to end your life?”

“I didn’t.”

Bás shook his head, holding up a hand. “Save it. I know you were moments away from taking your life some days. I’ve seen it and recognised it in you. You pulled yourself out of that dark place and every painful second of it was heavy with despair. Tell me why you want to risk going back there?”

Bishop had no idea that he’d been so transparent. He’d never told a soul how he was feeling. The first few weeks with Shadow had been the hardest but over time and with the help of his non-blood family, he’d allowed the scab to become a scar.

Looking up he eyed the man who was a mentor and friend and knew he deserved honesty. “We had a child, Charlie and me. A little boy. He was so perfect, with ten tiny fingers and toes, but there were complications and he was born too early at twenty-seven weeks. He only lived for twelve hours.” His throat closed around the pain the memories brought. Nothing had prepared him for the love he’d felt, and nothing could ever have prepared him for the pain of losing him or watching Charlie mourn the loss. Her body was still healing while she tried to battle not only the hormones but her grief.