She was far from it. But he needed to give it to her because she was important to him. Over the last month, he’d found himself thinking about her almost every minute of the day. She’d quickly become one of the most important people in his life. And he’d be damned if he did anything to harm her in any way.
He got her to his Blazer and helped her get buckled in. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the seat, exhaustion easy to read in her body language. Before starting the car, Trigger took the time to order food for them from a diner near her apartment. He stopped to pick it up before heading to her place. She didn’t even ask what he’d ordered or what he was doing, she was that tired.
The second they entered her apartment, she turned to him. “I’m going to go lie down…is that all right?”
He hated seeing her like this. “You don’t have to ask my permission to lie down in your own apartment, Gilly. Go on. I’ll be in soon with some lunch.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I know, but you need to eat.”
For a second, she looked like she was going to argue with him, but in the end, she just nodded and headed down the hall. He hated how her shoulders were slumped and she looked as if she’d just gone ten rounds in a boxing ring.
He gave her twenty minutes—the longest twenty minutes of his life—before following her. He had a bowl of her favorite chicken fajita soup and two of the breadsticks she always raved about. They were soft and buttery, and would give her a needed boost of energy.
She was lying on her side on her bed with her back to the door. Trigger put the food down and sat on the edge of the mattress. He put one hand on her thigh and waited for her to acknowledge him. He knew she was awake because she’d stiffened when he’d sat down so she wouldn’t roll into him.
With the patience he’d learned in his Delta training, Trigger waited. Finally, she rolled over and stared up at him.
“You all right?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Yeah. I just…it was a lot.”
“I’m sorry, Di. I should’ve been there with you.”
“You weren’t allowed. It’s okay.”
Trigger shook his head. “It’s not okay. If I was there, I could’ve made them let you take some breaks. Warned them when they were pushing too hard—and don’t deny it. They pushed you hard.”
She gave him a small nod. “But they needed to. If they’re going to catch this guy, they need to know—”
“Uh-uh,” he said with a shake of his head. “If they’re going to catch this guy, then they need to investigate…not push innocent women past their breaking points for information that won’t make a lick of difference.”
Gillian stared up at him. “So you’re saying you think what I told them was pointless?”
“No, not at all,” Trigger said firmly. “I know your interview gave them a more well-rounded idea of each and every passenger. You’re observant and smart; whatever you told them was absolutely useful. But there was no point in pushing you until you were practically comatose to get it. I’m sure they already have their suspicions about who the seventh hijacker is. They were just using interrogation tricks to see what they could get out of you.”
Gillian closed her eyes. “I wish you were there too,” she said. Her eyes opened. “But it’s done.”
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here,” Trigger told her.
“Thanks,” she whispered. “I mean, I’ve already told you most of what I told them. I just don’t like thinking that someone I thought I’d shared this awful experience with might be in on the whole thing. It makes me sick.”
“Come on. Sit up and eat something. It’ll make you feel better. Then we can watch TV together the rest of the afternoon. I’ll run you a bath tonight and by morning, you’ll feel like yourself again.”
Gillian smiled at him and scooted up until her back was against the headboard. While she started in on her lunch, Trigger went back out to the other room to get her the present he’d found for her that week.
He held the small box in his hand as he sat back down.
“What’s that?”
“Open it and see,” he said. “I saw it and thought of you.”
Trigger loved seeing the spark of life in her eyes. He hated seeing her so