The man I’d shot groaned behind me, and I turned, kicking him in the face, knocking him out. He would come to in a few hours, weak and confused, and by then, we would be gone.
“Fine,” Dominic allowed. “Also, Dela has called both offices three times.”
Fucking hell.“Everything all right?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
“Grayson spoke with her, but yes. She was just checking in.”
My little sister, filled with guilt, always checking in.
“I’ll call her when I get back,” I assured him.
“You good to fly us home?” he asked, watching Ash now.
I nodded. “Always.”
Ash put a bag over Jack’s head and threw his limp body over his shoulder. “Then let’s get the fuck out of this country. Last time I was here, I got food poisoning and was in bed for three fucking weeks.”
“Not our fault you eat food from sketchy places,” Dominic deadpanned, lifting the dead body.
Ash shot him a glare before jerking his chin to me. “You good, pretty boy? Or do I need to carry you too?”
For the first time in weeks, I cracked a smile. “Fuck you, Doss.”
He shot me a wink, and then we were off.
Twenty-eight hours later, the mission was complete, payment had been taken, and we touched down in Portland.
I let the fridge door slam as I walked back over to the table, fresh beer in hand, and took my seat, my eyes on the debriefing paperwork. Since this had been an international hunt, there were more hoops to jump through, more t’s to cross and i’s to dot, which meant a mountain of paperwork. I’d been home for a few hours, and after showering, staring up at my ceiling in bed, unable to fall asleep, I decided to get up and work. I was too wired to relax. I pressed the bottle to my lips and tipped it back, the cold liquid hitting my throat.
My cell was perched on the edge of the table, fourteen missed calls from Dela and a few texts from my niece, Lucy, telling me she missed me. I hadn’t been home in years and had no plans to return anytime soon. Though I lied to my sister, making false promises to keep her at bay. Then, like clockwork, I would make an excuse at the last minute and express mail a gift to Lucy.
With a low sigh, I swiped up my cell and called my sister.
She answered on the second ring. “Hayes! You’re back stateside,” she breathed.
My eyes darted to the clock above the stove. It was nearly three in the morning there. “I didn’t expect you to answer, D. I was just going to leave a message—”
“No, no,” she blurted. “It’s fine. I don’t get much sleep anyway. Not with everything happening with Dad.”
A lump formed in my throat. As much as I wanted to ask what was going on with our father, I refrained. His life wasn’t any of my business and vice versa. “You should see a sleep specialist,” I suggested awkwardly. “They might be able to help.”
Her voice was quiet. “He misses you.”
“I don’t need or care to know that Dela,” I told her softly, patiently.
“Hayes,” she rasped. “Please just give him a chance.”
“A chance to what?” I asked, doing everything in my power to keep my tone gentle. “To fuck it all up again?”
“It’s been—”
“I know how long it’s been,” I clipped. “I didn’t call you to talk about him. He’s out of my life. You and Lucy are still in it. I’m calling to talk about you, to catch up with you, and to check in on my niece. Nothing more.”
She had gone silent again, but I didn’t miss the sniffle that cut through the line.Fuck.I tipped my head back to the ceiling and closed my eyes, my fingers tightening around the device as I took a few deep breaths. My father was a sore subject, and even though I’d cut him off over a decade ago, my sweet little sister thought someday we could all still be family.
When Dela spoke again, the sadness was mostly gone from her voice as she honored my boundary. “It looks like Lucy might make the honor roll. Again.”
My lips twitched. “She’s such a smart kid. You should be proud.”