Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“Kyle died,” he stated plainly. He would never say anything else. “He got caught in Byrne’s house when it went up.”
“That’s what I don’t understand. Why would Nolan Byrne blow up his own house?”
Kyle hadn’t considered that in his ill-thought, hasty plan. He’d only been thinking about putting on a show for Julia. “The authorities said it was due to faulty wiring. The gun fight we had in there caused the wiring to blow, and Kyle was left behind.”
“But then shouldn’t everyone have died?” Lydia pointed out the flaw in his reasoning.
Drake merely shrugged. “The rest of us were out. Kyle stayed behind. He was still fighting when the house went up.”
She stared at him for a moment, but then her eyes drifted away. “I miss him, you know.”
He wasn’t sure why. They hadn’t been close, but then sometimes different people viewed relationships from places others didn’t understand. Their versions of close could be totally off. “I do, too. I miss him and I miss my sister.”
He wasn’t lying. He missed the sister he remembered from his childhood. Sometimes he missed her so much it was an ache in his soul. He missed the family he’d thought he’d had, the one that felt like it loved him, like he’d been safe there.
Safety was always a lie.
He took a deep breath. That was a reflex position. He had to be okay with the idea that he was truly safe with Taylor, and she was safe with him. Otherwise nothing mattered. He was going to exchange vows with her.
It struck him forcibly that vows hadn’t meant anything to his father. He’d married his mom and then lied to her their whole relationship. Drake had been raised in a lie, and it scared him that he would perpetuate that lie.
He didn’t want to ever lie to Taylor. Love wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t supposed to be a lie.
His marriage wasn’t going to be a lie. He would tell Taylor everything. If he couldn’t tell his wife, he wouldn’t take on the job. He would leave the Agency. He needed her to know who he was—needed the right person in the world to know who he was.
“I miss Julia. I was their tech, too.”
He wasn’t sure what Lydia wanted from him. It seemed like he was supposed to validate her suffering. “I can imagine that you do.”
“It hasn’t been the same.”
“No. Missing two of our former teammates means things are definitely different.” He knew he wasn’t dealing with this properly, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. It wasn’t the time to try to figure out if his mother was right and she was more involved with their relationship than business would dictate. He looked down at his watch. “He’s late.”
Lydia frowned. “I’m sure he’s fine. You know these things aren’t precise.”
Now it was his turn to stare. “They’re supposed to be. He called in and moved up the time. He should be here.”
Lydia sat back, her eyes on him. “If you have something else to do, feel free. I’m sure I can handle it.”
She was touchy tonight. She definitely wasn’t used to him being anxious, and he could understand how that would upset her. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just have some other things I was planning on doing this evening.”
“Are you working with another tech?”
He sighed. He should listen to his mother more often. He still wasn’t sold on the idea that Lydia had a thing for him. Taylor was kind of a miracle. He was an info geek, and not the hot hacker kind. The fact that he’d found a woman willing to deal with his damage was amazing. But he could understand the territoriality of an Agency tech. Lydia’s job was somewhat tied to his, and he’d pushed her out lately because he wasn’t willing to bring her into his hell. It was weird. He didn’t need to. Despite what Brad had said, he still had hope for his relationship with Kyle.
It was stupid. It shouldn’t work, but he liked Kyle. He cared about Kyle. Kyle felt like family.
He wasn’t willing to give up on Kyle, and that was something different for him. Like he wasn’t willing to ever give up on Taylor.
He was changing, and it felt good.
If he stayed at the CIA, maybe he could change the culture. Maybe he and Taylor could have an impact, could make sure other kids who’d come up in the system could have a safer place than they’d had.
“I’ve never worked with any tech but you.” It was true. She’d been involved in everything he’d been assigned to. She’d known almost everything he did with a few exceptions.
He’d kept some truths from Lydia. He’d done it because it was simpler, because she didn’t have his clearance. But sometimes clearance didn’t mean much when your whole life was the Agency.