Flynn stepped into the Blue Halo building and moved up the stairs. He’d woken up with a pit in his stomach, and it was still fucking there. All he could think about was the expression on Carina’s face in the hospital room yesterday. That look of disbelief mixed with hurt and anger…
It tormented him. Tore at his damn soul.
He’d tried calling her. He’d even gone to her house this morning, but she hadn’t been home. Probably for the best. He didn’t know what he would have said. He still had no idea what happened yesterday. And when he’d gone back to his mom’s house, there had been no pain medication anywhere. So had she taken his mother’s pain pills? Had she pulled his mother’s name off so no one could prove who they belonged to?
Shaking his head, he pushed into the reception area and moved down the hall. When he passed the gym, he was tempted to stop and hit the bag for a while. Let out some of his frustration. Instead, he moved into his office, all but slamming the door behind him.
Settling behind his desk, Flynn leaned back in his seat and scrubbed a hand over his face. Footsteps sounded down the hall before they stopped outside his office. Then the knock came.
“Go away,” Flynn shouted.
The asshole didn’t. Aidan pushed the door open before stepping inside and crossing his arms. He lifted a brow. “You look like hell.”
“Yeah, well, I look how I feel, then.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope.”
For a moment, Aidan was silent. “What about a coffee?”
Fuck, he could use ten right now. He checked his watch. He had some work to do before picking his mom up from the hospital, but, yeah, he could use some caffeine.
His friend was silent as they left the office. It wasn’t until they were on the street that Aidan finally asked the question Flynn had been waiting for. “This about Carina?”
“Mom broke her wrist yesterday.”
Aidan cursed. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. Hospital kept her overnight as a precaution, but I’m picking her up after lunch.”
Aidan nodded. “What else?”
Of course, his friend knew there was more. They all saw every little part of each other.
He ran a hand through his hair. “A nurse found prescription pain medication in Carina’s bag. Two bottles. The same medication Mom takes for her knee—and the same one Carina was accused of stealing in Michigan.”
For a moment, Aidan was silent. It was a silence much like the one he’d felt in that room yesterday. Bursting with disbelief. Confusion.
“You think she took them?”
“I don’t know what the hell to think. I watched and listened to the nurse when she said she found them, and Victoria when she said she’d never been alone in the room with her bag, and both of them told the truth. And Mom didn’t have any medication in her house.”
“What about Carina when you asked her if she took them?”
Flynn paused. Had he actually asked her that exact question? “I asked her what they were doing in her bag, and she said she didn’t know.”
“Was she telling the truth?”
Was she? He’d been so damn tired… Had he actually looked at her closely, like he had the nurse and Victoria? “I don’t know. My head was a mess. I’d just gotten off the forty-eight-hour stakeout in Idaho Falls. And I was pissed about losing that guy and worried about Mom.”
“I think it’s worth asking her again and really looking at her when she answers.”
He blew out a long breath. “Hell, I don’t think she did it. I have no idea how they got there, or why Mom has no medication in the house…but I know she wouldn’t do that.” Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him? “You should have seen the look on her face when I questioned her. When I told her to get out. It was like I tore out her fucking heart.”
Was the damage irreversible?
“So make it right,” Aidan said quietly as they crossed the street. “If I still had a shot with Cassie, I’d sure as hell take it.”
Flynn glanced at his friend. “I heard you flew over to Pinedale, Wyoming, last week.”
Aidan stopped outside The Grind. Flynn didn’t miss the way the muscles in his arms tensed. “Who told you that?”
“Tyler saw the boarding pass on your computer.”
Aidan shot a glance at the coffee shop door, then back at him. “I had to see her. Just once. I had to make sure she’s happy and safe.”
Flynn’s heart hurt for his friend. He’d been dating a woman before he’d been taken by Project Arma. He’d loved her. In fact, while they were held at the compound, he’d talked about her every damn day. But by the time they got out, two long years later, Cassie had married someone else. And she hadn’t reached out to him once since the world learned of their ordeal.
“And?” he asked quietly.
Aidan lifted a shoulder. “They were out for lunch, and she did—look happy.”
“Did you talk to her?”
He laughed but there was no humor behind it. “So I could torture myself further? No. I just needed to make sure she was okay. And she was.” He swallowed, his head dipping to his chest. “She’s been friends with the guy she married since they were kids. I never thought it was anything more than that.”
Flynn still thought it was worth talking to the woman. But he could see Aidan wasn’t ready. Not yet.
Aidan opened the door. “Let me know how it goes with Carina.”
Flynn followed him inside The Grind. And that was when he saw her.
Carina, sitting in a booth near the window.
With her ex.
Carina let the heat from the coffee mug seep up her arms and into her chest. Greg sat opposite her, talking about some medical journal article he’d read recently. She was struggling to follow. Not because she couldn’t understand what he was saying, but because she’d gotten basically no sleep and woken up feeling just as groggy as she’d felt yesterday. She wasn’t even sure why she was having coffee with him. Maybe because he’d just shown up this morning, and she’d been too tired to say no? Or maybe she’d been feeling so damn heartbroken that a bit of company from someone who had always been on her side felt nice.
“Awesome mugs,” Greg said, holding his up.
They were. And on a normal day, she was sure she’d be able to appreciate them. His said, And here we go again. I mean, good morning.
She glanced down at hers. I can’t be held responsible for what my face does when you speak. Both were pretty fitting for her mood today.
“Courtney’s shop’s pretty great.” She took another sip of her coffee. It was almost finished, and the second the mug was empty, she planned to return home. What she was going to do at home, she had no idea. “Are you still going back to Michigan once the week is up?”
The smile slipped from his lips. “I don’t know. That depends on you.”
She swallowed. “Greg—”
“I want you to come with me.”
Oh God. She did not have the energy for this again. Not today. “Even if I left Cradle Mountain”—which was looking very likely—“I’m not going back to Michigan.”
A frown creased his brows. “Why not?”
“You know why. I feel like every person I run into knows what happened in that town. I don’t want to go back and have people stare at me like I’m a terrible person while I’m doing my grocery shopping. Not to mention, no one would ever hire me to work as a nurse there again.”
Although, after yesterday, she might not be able to work anywhere as a nurse again. Would Flynn go so far as to report her? If he did, she didn’t know if she had the strength to defend herself a second time. The case in Michigan had gone on for two months, and it had drained her, almost costing Carina her sanity.
Greg swallowed before giving a quick nod. “Okay. Well, I can go where you go.”
Her mug landed heavily on the table. How many times did she have to tell this man no?
She was moments from losing the last fragments of her patience when Courtney stepped up to their table, her smile tight.
“Hey. Just wanted to come over and check that everything’s okay. See if you need anything else.”
Greg smiled at the woman. “It’s great, thank you. Nothing else for me.”
Carina nodded. “Same.” Her gaze caught on the door as it opened behind Courtney, and her heart started beating a million miles an hour. Aidan. Closely followed by Flynn.
Flynn’s gaze caught hers immediately. When it flicked to Greg, his eyes darkened.
Okay. Coffee time was officially over. She gulped the last bit of coffee, ignoring the burn in her throat. She was no longer looking at Flynn, but she could feel his eyes on her, watching from where he sat at the counter.
Carina pushed up from the booth. “I need to get going.”
“I’ll come with you.” Greg started to rise.
“No.” She held up her hand, stopping him.
“But I drove you.”
“I’ll walk.”
He huffed. “Your knee—”
“I’m really fine, Greg. I’ll text later, okay?”
She walked toward the door before he could say anything else, and she was almost certain she saw Courtney inadvertently blocking his way out of the booth.
She wasn’t sure why she cared about Flynn seeing her with her ex. Maybe she didn’t care. Maybe she just didn’t want to be in the same room as either of them. Who the hell knew? The hurt was so strong it muddled up everything else inside her.
The second she was far enough away from the shop, she slowed, letting the limp take over. The jolt to her knee yesterday had definitely set her back in her recovery. The pressure was now a dull throb, and this walk wouldn’t make it any better.
She tugged her phone from her pocket to call a car.
“Clemence speaking.”
“Hi, Clemence, this is Carina. Any chance you’re free to give me a lift?”
“Won’t be available for another hour, I’m afraid.”
“Oh. Um. Okay. No problem. I can walk.”
Her house wasn’t that far. She quickly hung up and tucked the phone back into her jeans.
“Why are you limping?”
She jerked in surprise and spun around. In the process, her knee hitched again, and she cried out as she almost fell.
Flynn grabbed her by the arms, holding her up. “Jesus, Carina. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She snatched herself out of his hands. His touch burned her, and for once, it wasn’t in a good way.
“You’re not fine. Your knee’s worse than it was yesterday. Why?”
She could have laughed, even though there was nothing funny about any of this. “Yesterday you were accusing me of stealing your mother’s medication, and today you’re worried about my wellbeing?”
“I didn’t accuse you. I asked what the bottles were doing in your bag.”
She shook her head. It was the same thing.
“And yes,” he continued. “I’m worried about your wellbeing.”
“You don’t need to be.”
She tried to step away, but he grabbed her arm. “Carina—”
“What, Flynn? What do you want from me? Because I’m not going to lie, I was on top of the world yesterday morning, but you kind of shattered me a few hours later. And I know you had a lot going on with your mom and just getting back from a job, but I needed more from you. I needed your trust!”
“Just listen—”
“No. You don’t get to worry about my wellbeing or care about my knee when you care so little about the rest of me. I need you to leave me alone. It’s the only way I can mend my heart before any more of it breaks.”
Something flickered across his face. Pain, maybe? Remorse? Her gaze shot away, because looking at him was just too hard for her fragile mind right now.
He held her for a moment longer, then slowly, his fingers untangled from her arm. And for just a second, she was hit by a massive wave of longing. Longing to have his touch return. To have him return to her.
But she gritted her teeth and limped down the road. She had no idea how long it would take her to get home. She just knew she needed to get away before any more of her disintegrated.
