clothes and running shoes. Show up at five am.”
She groaned as she stood up. That was early for even her. “Five am?”
“Yes. Be in a good mood. Have a nice weekend, Caitlyn. Enjoy.”
With that, Declan McPherson transported to who knows where.
Chapter 15
The weekend had been more than pleasant for the most part. Garrett had returned late Friday night. The Councilmen had kept him more than busy over the past week; their primary objective had been to get him to resume his role as an Inquisitor. After Caitlyn had left the briefing room, the Councilmen made it no secret that they wanted to promote him within the group. They acknowledged his talent level, for the ability was rare and as a result he would be most useful in the more difficult cases.
Garrett was not very inclined to oblige, especially after they took away his mentorship. They reiterated time and time again that the change was in no way a reflection on him, but it was simply that Caitlyn was exceptional and needed guidance beyond what he could provide.
He refused to believe that. Caitlyn was exceptional; there was no doubt about that. But she was still advancing far beyond her peers at this stage. The change to Declan was not a well thought out one and a rash one at that. Caitlyn and Declan were a dangerous combination. Both were extremely too driven. He firmly believed that Declan did not understand that Caitlyn would need to learn to pace herself.
He did not want Caitlyn just to become another tool that the Trust could use. He had seen it happen before with Actuals of significantly less power than she had. They became soldiers of the Trust; their lives completely dedicated to the Trust only, their personal lives second to their loyalty of their organization.
Declan was the embodiment of this belief. Declan was so wrapped up in Trust business, it was well known that it he had not even had a personal relationship in more than two years. His life was the Trust and nothing else. Garrett hated the idea to losing Caitlyn to that. In the past three weeks since the Council handed down their decision, he had only received a few intermittent phone calls from Caitlyn. He felt that Declan’s influence was already beginning.
Garrett was a little more than surprised to see Caitlyn at the door when he arrived home. He was pleased to note that she appeared almost relaxed as she waited for him, with a bottle of wine in her hand. She smiled that beautiful smile that made him relax every time he witnessed it. He missed her more than he wanted to admit.
Garrett could not keep the longing out of his voice. “You are here.”
Her voice was as soft as her smile. “I’m here for the whole weekend. Unless…” a look of uncertainty crossed her face. “You have plans?”
He shook his head no. Even if he had, he would have canceled them immediately just to spend time with her alone. He crossed the final four steps over to where she stood before taking her in up his arms. It was as wonderful as he remembered, her body molding perfectly into his.
He kissed her, a thousand sparks igniting between them in that moment. When they finally pulled away from each other, breathless and with lips swollen, he spoke. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
The early fall night air was cold, and he opened the door letting the both of them inside the house. She placed the wine on his kitchen counter, fumbling through his drawer looking for the wine opener. Garrett couldn’t help but reach out and touch her.
The rest of the evening was spent in front of a warm fire, with Caitlyn’s back laying against Garrett’s chest, catching up on what had happened during the last three weeks. Caitlyn listened with interest as Garrett talked of the Trust reinstating him as an Inquisitor. She turned her face to his, her hand resting on his cheek.
“Are you happy with that?”
Garrett shrugged. He did not know if he was. There was a time he loved his old job, but now, in the past couple of weeks, it left him somehow unsatisfied. The gratification that he used to get from finding a memory that was altered or hidden in the recesses of one’s mind when other Inquisitors could not, was no longer there; instead, he found himself missing the excited expressions that Caitlyn wore when she discovered some new talent.
The Trust had