“I thought you were coming home alone?” Jax asks with a smirk.
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t very well leave her in some shit, and everywhere we turned there seemed to be a big pile of it.”
He drops the smirk and looks at me intently. “Is that the only reason?”
“That’s the only reason I’m ready to talk about right now.” I pat him on the shoulder. “Thanks for the ride.”
We get settled, and it isn’t long before we take off and head east.
“Are you sure you don’t know these people?” I ask Kinsley.
We’ve been in the air for almost six hours. Kinsley slept for the better part of it, and when she woke up I had gone through all the stacks of pictures. I was able to pull out five different pictures that she’d taken that could be questionable.
Two of them were of couples where the men seemed to be looking around as if waiting on someone. The longer I’ve looked at them, the more I’ve wondered if maybe she’d caught these people cheating on their spouses or something. I believe there’ve been hits for less than a cheating man exposed. I put those two to the side and look at the remaining three. The rest are images of men that seem to be in the middle of some kind of deep conversation, one of them even trading what looks like money. It could be a simple drug deal, but from the picture, there’s no way to tell.
“I have no idea who they are. I take my classes on field trips and one of the assignments it to capture people in candid photos.” She points to the five pictures. “Do you think these could be why someone wants me dead?”
Rage soars through my veins. It already pisses me off that we’re here at this point where I’m trying to find out why someone would want Kinsley dead. But hearing her be so nonchalant about it pisses me off even more. “It’s not going to happen, Kins,” I tell her through gritted teeth.
“I know it’s not, Colt. But what if this never ends? You’ve saved me three times in the last two days. You can’t guard me forever, and I won’t be able to deal if something happens to you.”
My muscles flex where she’s touching me. I cover her hand with mine. “I know what I’m doing, and it’s not going to be forever. I’m going to make sure you’re safe and then I’m going to end this.”
She turns her hand and threads our fingers together. Jax is in the front, steering the plane, acting like he’s not being nosy and listening to everything we say, but I know it’s a damn lie. But she surprises me with what comes out of her mouth next. “I hate being weak. If you have time, can you teach me to protect myself?”
I nod because the way she’s looking at me I know I can’t tell her no. And I know it’s a good idea. If I hadn’t shown up when I did, I hate to think what would’ve happened to her.
When we land in Knoxville, I help her from the plane and into my truck. Jax helps me load all her bags and equipment, and I leave the airfield for my house. She walks in behind me, and I can tell she doesn’t know what to expect and there’s definitely surprise on her face when she walks in to my living room. I look around at the big cherry wood furniture, the huge-ass sectional couch, and the television on the wall, trying to see it through her eyes. But she’s not looking at any of that. She’s looking at the mantle, and before I can stop her, she walks over to it and points to a picture. “That’s me.”
I nod. “Yeah.” I stroke the scruff of my beard. “I’ll just go ahead and warn you, you’ll find more of you hanging in the hallway and on the nightstand by the bed.”
She startles, and I can see the question on her face. “Where? Where’s your room?”
I point down the hallway. “First door on the left.”
She walks away, and I continue bringing in bags. I could’ve had someone come and take the pictures down, but I wanted her to see them. I need her to know that even though I screwed up three years ago, I haven’t forgotten her or ever stopped wanting her.
Once everything is in, I secure the house, set the alarm, and go in search of her. She’s sitting on the edge of my bed, and I lean against the door frame, just watching her. How many times have I imagined this, her here with me, in my bed? Too many times to count.
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “Why?” She holds the frame up, but I don’t need to look at it. It’s a picture I took of her with my phone the day I left for my first mission. She was asleep in my bed and even in her sleep, she looked happy and satisfied.