I sighed as I took the pills and the water from Derek’s hands. Two months. It had been two months since Derek had made the idiotic decision to put his life on the line to draw John out. Two months since I had put three bullets in his body and watched a man I’d trusted with my darkest nights fall to his knees, lifeless. Two months since the surgery in the hospital and Derek telling me I was recuperating at his house whether I liked it or not.
I threw the pills to the back of my throat and chugged the water. It tasted good as its coolness fell down my throat. My leg was throbbing despite the relatively minor damage that occurred. As far as bullet holes went, it had been as clean as I could have hoped for. Embedded into my upper thigh and didn’t nick a single major artery. A short surgery, a few stitches, and lots of pain medication and hobbling on crutches until the sinews of my muscle tissue could heal properly.
“Now, it’s time to sit back and relax,” Derek said.
“Not a chance,” I said. “I still have to brief the team.”
“The team’s no longer going to be here.”
“What?” I asked. “But I thought you were hiring on the team full-time.”
“Sam, think about it. It’s all over now. With John dead, and now Jacob, why do I need the protection? Yes, I need to hire three or four individuals for a full-time position, but that doesn’t mean I need fifteen men in full tactical gear running around this place.”
“Then use four of the men I have here. I vetted them deeply, especially after what happened with John. I can tell you who broke what bone when they were four, Derek.”
“You leave assembling a full-time team to me. I have specific things I look for in a security team. Don’t worry. Your men won’t only be well paid, but they’ll get fantastic bonuses for all the bullshit they’ve been through with this scenario.”
“Bec
ause that went over well with Griggs. Are you saying you don’t trust my opinion anymore on people?” I asked.
“I’ll ignore that comment for now. And I’m saying that you’re having a hard time trusting yourself right now, which is fine. I’m only now getting over my fear of hiring a new COO, and Jacob pulling a gun on us happened almost five months ago. You’ll mistrust yourself for a while, and that’s normal. Plus, I think your guys have earned some time off.”
“Danger never takes time off,” I said.
“Spoken like a true badass. And in a couple months’ time, you’ll be back to being the ass-kicking woman I know you are. But for now, you’re going to lie on this couch and let me take care of you so you can get better. I’m going to go talk to the team about bonuses and last paychecks. Then we’ll go from there.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh.
But I could feel the painkillers weakening my system as tears crested my eyes.
Shit.
“Sam, talk to me,” Derek said.
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired.”
“I love you, Sam. I’d like to think I know you well. You don’t get emotional. It’s not your MO. What’s going through your head?” he asked.
“I put you in danger,” I said. “It was me the entire time, and I was too blind to notice it.”
Derek’s chuckle hit my ears as I opened my eyes. I watched a smirk grow on his face as his hand reached out for mine. His chuckle grew to laughter, and his laughter caused him to sink into the couch. What the hell was so funny?
None of this was funny.
“I don’t get the joke,” I said.
“Sam, it was my friend and COO who set this whole thing in motion. Not you. Had he not gotten so greedy and decided he could shoot me out of my chair, none of this would’ve happened. You didn’t put us here. He did.”
“So how’s that funny?”
“I don’t know,” he said as he shook his head. “I guess because laughing about it is all I can do. I’m relieved. I’m thankful. I’m ready to finally move forward with the next chapter of my life. It’s over, and I never thought I would know what that felt like to do something and not look over my shoulder to see who was there. Or look out the window to make sure someone wasn’t leveling a gun at me. I feel ... less burdened.”
“So you’re laughing.”
“See? You and emotions don’t really go hand in hand. But thank you.”
“For what?” I asked.