She gazed up at him once more, hope filling her eyes. “How long are you here for?” She blinked, realizing there were more questions than that. “Where are you even staying? I’m assuming it was Clint who told you where I was, but I know you wouldn’t be staying at the ranch.” She pulled away a little, her eyes widening. “Did you talk to Clint on the phone or did you go there? You didn’t run into my dad, did you?”
Confusion crossed Garret's face as he looked at Sapphire. She was in no way simple-minded, yet she opened herself up without fear in front of him. Why? And why should she care about him finding himself? He was nobody to her. He was a stranger at least, a killer at most. Yet she didn't seem to mind one bit.
He glanced down at the half sub. It did look good. He really wasn't hungry - in spite of Justin's concoction being pretty strange, it really was filling. Not that he'd had an appetite to begin with. But whether it was knowledge he'd gained during his short stay here, or whether it was basic human instinct, he knew that accepting the offer would leave open the door for future interaction. And for once...that prospect didn't seem so bad. This was all so strange, yet...oddly appealing. Like he had stepped into an entirely new culture and was learning new customs.
Reaching out, he slid the plate the rest of the way over before taking a closer look at the sub. Only after he'd removed the tomatoes did he take a bite. Nodding at Sapphire, a little grin emerged. "It's better than Justin's green stuff."
“Hey, I heard that.” Justin pointed at him from across the table.
Garret’s grin widened as he chewed. “You’re the one who wanted me to start telling the truth.” He tossed Sapphire a wink. “Thanks, by the way. You obviously have a heart for tortured souls.”
“Alright, that’s it.” Justin got to his feet and took his own glass to the sink. “I know when I’m not wanted.” As he cleaned his glass though, he withheld his own smile. Whether Garret was faking it or not, he knew how to integrate. Perhaps it was just a method as an attempt to blend in. Or perhaps it was genuine. Only Garret would know. But no matter the answer, the brief social interaction was a good step forward. “Alright, I gotta take care of a few things.” He nodded to Jason. “Later.” Then looked to Garret. “Take your time finishing that delicious sub. I’ll catch you again in a few days.”
Heading out of the break room, he checked his watch. He had a lot on his plate today.
Gunner let Hope’s words sink in, just remaining quiet for a few long moments. His eyes remained glued to the floor, but he did nod slowly. “She’s my everything,” he agreed softly. “I just…I don’t know how to let her help. But…I know you’re right. And…I’ll work on that.” His eyes rose and he gave her a sheepish look. He’d promised he’d do a lot of things before, and hadn’t followed through. “Really.”
Rising from his chair, he sighed. “I need to get back to work. I, um…yeah.” A knock at the door made his eyebrow quirk, and he took the liberty of opening it.
Justin paused in the doorway. “Oh, sorry. I can come back.”
“No, no.” Gunner stepped out of the way. “I was just leaving. And I certainly wouldn’t wanna be stuck in here with two of you.”
Justin smirked. “Right.”
Gunner waved at Hope before exiting. “Tell Reese I’m still avoiding the loony bin for now,” he called over his shoulder.
Justin chuckled and shook his head. “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything too important…although it looks like I just provided him the out he was looking for.” He stepped closer to her desk and handed her a few sheets of paper. “I…thought you should have these. It’s some copies of notes I’ve taken about Garret from my last few visits. Not everything, obviously, but enough to give you a rough idea of what’s been going on. I’m usually at least an hour away from here, so if anything happens, I just want you to be aware of what’s been going on in case you’re needed before I can get here.” He didn’t normally share information like this, but he wanted to keep Hope in the loop in case anything really did happen – whether Garret had a breakthrough or went on another rampage. He was glad Garret was forming a friendship with Nate and that Reese had lightened up, but if anything went south, it would be good to have someone in the know, who knew how to help in a tough situation.
“Also…” He smiled a little and eyed her bookshelf. “I was wondering if you had any resources on grief. I’ve got a client who’s been having a pretty tough time after someone deeply loved passed away. Depression, confusion, hallucinations – the whole bit.” It would make more sense if he told Hope this was about Alec, but he couldn’t share that much. “It’s fairly new territory for me, so I’m kinda winging it, and…I really need a better handle on this type of situation if I’m going to help.”
“So…got plans for lunch?” Eli worked around the car that was going to get a total paintjob, while Tal worked on the other side. His question got no answer, and he rolled his eyes. It had been like this for days. First, Tal had taken several days off work after that evening and blowup about Ryan. After that, he’d come back, but had barely strung two words together in any kind of conversation with Eli, not to mention he hadn’t returned any calls or text messages. He reminded Eli a lot of the Tal he’d first met – which now seemed a lifetime ago. But that’s what worried him the most.
Still without a response to his question, Eli final tossed aside the tape he’d been using, before he threw up his hands. “Come on! Talk to me!”
Tal was frowning as he looked across the hood of the car. “What’s there to talk about?”
“Us, for starters!”
“Seriously? You’ve been lying to me for ages!”
“What?!”
Tal set his hands on his hips. “Yeah. I may be an idiot, but I finally realized why the little discovery of Ryan’s love for Alec didn’t surprise you. It was because you already knew. You knew all along she still loved Alec. Didn’t you?”
“Look, I just-”
“Didn’t you?!”
Eli ran a tired hand over his face. “Yes. I mean, I suspected. What was I supposed to do?”
“You should have told me!”
“What good would that have done?!”
“At least I wouldn’t have been blindsided after the guy died!”
Eli groaned and paced a small circle. “Ryan chose you, Tal. In spite of her feelings, she chose you.”
“But she still loved another man! How was I supposed to react?!”
“Why not be proud of the fact that she chose you anyway?”
“Oh yeah…chose me over her lethal, temper-driven, insane ex. Big compliment.”
“What is wrong with you?!” Eli came around the car and stared Tal in the eye. “Being a spoiled brat is not in your nature. So what’s the deal?”
Tal’s gaze dropped and he turned to lean on the car. He hated fighting. He always had. Especially with a friend. “I just…” He took a deep breath. “I feel like I’ve been sitting in second place this entire time.” His tone had grown quieter. “It’s like running a race, winning, celebrating, then later on finding out that your opponent let you win. You still won…but you don’t feel like a winner anymore.”
Eli’s shoulders dropped. “You know Ryan cares deeply for you.”
“I know. So I’m standing at the finish line and saw the winner for myself. And you’re telling me to ignore it an accept first place anyway. It’s like…”
“…like when you let a kid win at something they wouldn’t have won themselves. It feels patronizing.” Eli pursed his lips. “But you know it’s not the truth.”
“Maybe it’s not the truth about Ryan’s intentions. But it’s the truth about how it feels.”
Eli wandered over to a nearby bench and sat down. How had all this happened, anyway? How had it gotten this far? “You know if you could get over yourself, Ryan would take you back in a heartbeat.”
Tal nodded lamely. “I know. But all this time…I’ve been in Alec’s shadow. Whether Ryan will admit it or not. She cared for me – I know that. But she loved Alec more.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’m mad at myself for being so blind. For letting my heart move too fast. For thinking she felt as deeply about me as I did her.” Tears welled up in his eyes, and it took him a moment to go on, though he refused to look over at Eli. “You have no idea how badly I want to jump in my car and go to her right now. Apologize, grovel – whatever it would take to patch things up and forget this ever happened. But…I can’t. She’s not the first girl I have misread or gotten involved with too deep too soon. This whole thing is my fault, not hers. I just…didn’t want to acknowledge all the signs I saw that I needed to tread more lightly.”
Eli leaned back against the wall, feeling less angry but just as rotten. “Your timing sucks, ya know?”
A laugh was choked out as Tal swiped at his eyes. “Yeah well…pardon my emotional outbursts when my heart is ripped in two.”
Eli managed a little grin before he got back to his feet and came closer. “I really am sorry. You sure it’s over for good?”
“You tell me.” Tal finally threw him a sidelong glance. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. To go over a lot of past conversations. You never thought I was compatible with your sister, did you?”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
“You wanted Alec to stay away from your sister, not just because he was a scumbag, but because you were afraid Ryan would take him back. Am I right?”
Eli folded his arms and smirked. “I thought that was my secret.”
“Not anymore. See…how could I possibly walk back into that whole thing?”
“Well, for starters, Alec’s dead.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the point, is it?”
Despite Eli’s ill feelings about this entire thing, he was finally beginning to understand Tal’s perspective. It was a mess, inside and out. But he did see now why his friend had reacted like he had. And…he couldn’t really blame him. “How about at least being friends so Ryan doesn’t think she’s lost everyone?”
Tal shook his head. “I can’t, man. Not yet. Sometime. Maybe. I’m sorry she’s going through such a rough time. I really am. And I’m sorry that my timing sucks. But I just can’t be around her right now.”
“Okay. I can respect that.” Eli paused. “You doing alright?”
“Nah. Not really. I’ll figure it out eventually though. Always do.”
Eli gave his shoulder a pat. “Good. ‘Cause I miss hanging out with you.”
“Yeah…me too.”
“Tell us what you know!”
A backhanded slap hit Alec’s face so hard, his head whipped to the side. Bound to a chair, he took a moment before licking his bleeding lip. A laugh surfaced as he squinted through swollen eyes at his interrogator. “The Agency’s days are numbered. That’s all I know.”
This time it was a kick to his ribs that send him toppling over with the chair onto the hard concrete floor. He winced as his shoulder and head hit. “Careful.” He coughed. “You’re liable to tear my stitches. The doctor would be none too pleased with you.”
His interrogator yanked him back upright and glared at him. “Our doctors are here to keep you alive – not to tell me how to do my job…”
…It was several hours later, and Alec was back in his cell, lying on the thin cold mattress on the floor. He hurt all over, but that was nothing new. Since he’d been well enough to stand on his own, he’d been handed over to be interrogated daily. A couple times already, his chest wound hand torn and the doctors had patched him up once again, then it was back to the brutality. He shouldn’t have been surprised. But lack of surprise made it no less hard to accept.
Curled on his side, Alec let his eyes fell shut. He wouldn’t be here long. The Elite would come for him…right? He knew he had covered his tracks well, but surely they’d find a way. Surely Dalton or Scott could do some computer tracking. He hadn’t wanted to be followed in the first place, but Reese was smart. Carson was smart. They’d find a way to rescue him…right?
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