when he flickered, he didn’t come back quite so strong. “Do you think you can find out what they…what they did to me?”
“Is that what you want?”
He shrugged. “Not so much for me. It doesn’t matter to me, really. But I think my parents, my sister…they deserve to know . ” He hesitated and then added, “And I don’t want them thinking that I was some fucking coward who decided to off himself for whatever reason. That wasn’t me. It…you were right. It matters. I want them to know.”
“You’re right.” She gave him a gentle smile. “It does matter. And I’ll see what I can find out.”
She swallowed, continued to stare even as he faded more.
This time, when he faded completely, she knew he wouldn’t be back. She didn’t have to ask, didn’t need to linger. There was finality to his fading that just felt… complete . Tristan had done the one thing he’d waited around to do—he’d saved a girl’s life. At least, she hoped he had. If nothing else, he’d kept her from dying like that .
Arms crossed over her chest, she continued to stare down at his stone, feeling the dance of wind over her chilled flesh.
Dez didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard the engine. It didn’t surprise her, though. After seeing him show up at the hotel, she’d figured nothing could surprise her. Just why he was here, she didn’t understand, but she wasn’t at all shocked that he’d tracked her down to the small, privately owned cemetery.
The sound of a car door shutting, the quiet crunch of gravel as he moved to join her, every sound drew her muscles tighter and tighter until she felt ready to snap.
Instead, she forced herself to take a deep, slow breath. He was here because of the job, only the job, and once he got what he needed from her, he’d be gone.
Because he wouldn’t let her matter. He wouldn’t let her matter to him, so she wouldn’t let him matter to her. It was a little mantra she told herself, and as long as she kept all of that in mind, she’d be fine.
Hell, it had been a year.
More than, and she was a grown woman, right?
He was here about the job, about the girl, and once she told him she couldn’t help him much, he’d be on his way.
He came to a stop next to her, and for the longest time, neither of them spoke.
The tension in the air ratcheted even higher and she swallowed the urge to whimper as his heat managed to reach across the scant inches separating them, warming her when nothing else had done the trick. She swallowed the spit that had pooled in her mouth. Damn it, if he wasn’t going to say something, she’d do it—do it, get it over with, so she could get out of here. She’d hoped she could leave, but she now owed Tristan more than that. And if she was honest, she knew she wouldn’t have left until she’d at least tried to look around.
A quiet sigh drifted through the graveyard and she slid a glance over at Taylor. A sigh. From him? Such a human sound—like he was tired. Like he had such human weaknesses.
She looked away almost as quickly as she’d looked at him, though. He looked…hell. Too good. She’d always thought he looked good in those damn suits, but what in the hell was he doing out on a job in jeans? She opened her mouth, some snide question lurking right there.
But he managed to get a question out first. It wasn’t one she was expecting, either.
“Are you okay?”
Dez gaped at him. Then she immediately snapped her mouth shut and looked away. “What?”
“You heard me. Are you okay?”
On unsteady legs, she moved away. “What do you mean, am I okay ? Hell, why wouldn’t I be? I wasn’t the one who just got pulled out of the waterboarding experiment from hell, was I?” Absently, she bent over and straightened a flower arrangement, brushed a few dead flower petals from a marker. “Speaking of which, how is the girl? Is she going to make it?”
Taylor stared past her, his gaze lingering on something in the distance. “More
“Is that what you want?”
He shrugged. “Not so much for me. It doesn’t matter to me, really. But I think my parents, my sister…they deserve to know . ” He hesitated and then added, “And I don’t want them thinking that I was some fucking coward who decided to off himself for whatever reason. That wasn’t me. It…you were right. It matters. I want them to know.”
“You’re right.” She gave him a gentle smile. “It does matter. And I’ll see what I can find out.”
She swallowed, continued to stare even as he faded more.
This time, when he faded completely, she knew he wouldn’t be back. She didn’t have to ask, didn’t need to linger. There was finality to his fading that just felt… complete . Tristan had done the one thing he’d waited around to do—he’d saved a girl’s life. At least, she hoped he had. If nothing else, he’d kept her from dying like that .
Arms crossed over her chest, she continued to stare down at his stone, feeling the dance of wind over her chilled flesh.
Dez didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard the engine. It didn’t surprise her, though. After seeing him show up at the hotel, she’d figured nothing could surprise her. Just why he was here, she didn’t understand, but she wasn’t at all shocked that he’d tracked her down to the small, privately owned cemetery.
The sound of a car door shutting, the quiet crunch of gravel as he moved to join her, every sound drew her muscles tighter and tighter until she felt ready to snap.
Instead, she forced herself to take a deep, slow breath. He was here because of the job, only the job, and once he got what he needed from her, he’d be gone.
Because he wouldn’t let her matter. He wouldn’t let her matter to him, so she wouldn’t let him matter to her. It was a little mantra she told herself, and as long as she kept all of that in mind, she’d be fine.
Hell, it had been a year.
More than, and she was a grown woman, right?
He was here about the job, about the girl, and once she told him she couldn’t help him much, he’d be on his way.
He came to a stop next to her, and for the longest time, neither of them spoke.
The tension in the air ratcheted even higher and she swallowed the urge to whimper as his heat managed to reach across the scant inches separating them, warming her when nothing else had done the trick. She swallowed the spit that had pooled in her mouth. Damn it, if he wasn’t going to say something, she’d do it—do it, get it over with, so she could get out of here. She’d hoped she could leave, but she now owed Tristan more than that. And if she was honest, she knew she wouldn’t have left until she’d at least tried to look around.
A quiet sigh drifted through the graveyard and she slid a glance over at Taylor. A sigh. From him? Such a human sound—like he was tired. Like he had such human weaknesses.
She looked away almost as quickly as she’d looked at him, though. He looked…hell. Too good. She’d always thought he looked good in those damn suits, but what in the hell was he doing out on a job in jeans? She opened her mouth, some snide question lurking right there.
But he managed to get a question out first. It wasn’t one she was expecting, either.
“Are you okay?”
Dez gaped at him. Then she immediately snapped her mouth shut and looked away. “What?”
“You heard me. Are you okay?”
On unsteady legs, she moved away. “What do you mean, am I okay ? Hell, why wouldn’t I be? I wasn’t the one who just got pulled out of the waterboarding experiment from hell, was I?” Absently, she bent over and straightened a flower arrangement, brushed a few dead flower petals from a marker. “Speaking of which, how is the girl? Is she going to make it?”
Taylor stared past her, his gaze lingering on something in the distance. “More
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