As a matter of fact, the whole office was done in grays varying from cool bluish undertones to a deep stormy color. All of the accents were chrome. The whole space looked masculine and sterile. Professional, if you were in the business of putting satellites into space. But what caught my attention was the large glass enclosure that took up a large portion of the cavernous space. The first time I’d walked past and saw the glass was clear, now it was smoked out.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
“Garrett calls it command central,” Ivy told me.
“It’s Garrett’s office,” Gabe corrected.
“It’s cool the way the glass changes,” I noted.
“When he needs privacy he tints the windows,” Ivy said. “Or when Zane’s having a baby fit, then Garrett closes himself in and so Zane forgets he works here.”
I couldn’t imagine Zane having a baby fit. A man fit, sure. A behemoth fit, absolutely.
I decided to leave that alone and focus on what I was going to say to Kyle. I needed to apologize for showing up unannounced and bringing my troubles to his work.
Unfortunately, the stroll through the office wasn’t that long and Kyle was standing outside the conference room waiting for me.
Damn.
I wasn’t ready.
But this was Kyle, I shouldn’t have been scared. He’d proven time and time again he was a good guy. No, he was the best. And he proved it once again when he pulled me into a bear hug and squeezed the breath out of me.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I do. I brought this mess to you. And put Anaya in danger.”
Kyle separated from me but kept his hands on my shoulders and dipped his chin so he could maintain eye contact.
“Listen to me, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’d be seriously fucking pissed if you found yourself in trouble and didn’t come to me for help. You did the right thing and now we’re gonna get you safe.”
“I shouldn’t’ve been poking around,” I admitted.
“No, you shouldn’t’ve. But you’re Evette. You love your friends. You stand up for what’s right. We all should’ve known you were going to get to the bottom of what happened to Kalee, Piper, and Anaya. It’s what you do. I just wish that when you started this you would’ve reached out and asked for help. We could’ve kept you safe while you were looking.”
His offer shocked me. So much so I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “You wouldn’t have stopped me?”
“Fuck no. I would’ve flown to California and driven you here myself so you could have access to Garrett. You could’ve gone anywhere on the web and done it in a way that wouldn’t trace back to you.”
“But I want them to die,” I whispered my horrible secret. “I want them all to pay for what they did.”
“Yeah?”
I jerked in surprise and stared at him in stupefied silence.
“Do you really think you’re the only one? There was a time when it was all I thought about, every day, several times a day I wished I could go back to Timor-Leste and kill every fucking rebel I could find. Over time that nonstop need faded, but you don’t think there are times when I look at my baby girl and my gut doesn’t clench? If Anaya had made the smallest of missteps they would’ve killed her. I wouldn’t have my wife or my daughter. One wrinkle and I wouldn’t have them. Some days it eats at me, then I hear Anaya laugh or watch her with Maxine and the knot loosens and I remind myself that didn’t happen. She’s alive, she married me, and we created a beautiful little girl. I’ve never asked but I reckon Ace and Phantom feel the same. No one blames you for wanting justice. But hear this, Evette, none of us wants you putting your life on the line for it.”
All the words I wanted to say clogged my throat, making it impossible for me to speak. Impossible for me to thank him. And since I couldn’t express my gratitude I nodded.
“I’m going to take Anaya and Maxine and go to Wyoming. When we get there I’ll explain what’s going on.”
Right, he didn’t want me around his wife and daughter. I understood but it still broke my heart. I missed my friend and really wanted to see Maxine in person.
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t. You think I want to keep her from you but we’ve had this vacation planned and