Chapter4
Garrison
“Remember what the good doctor said,” Sawyer says.“Absolutely no heavy lifting.”He sets my bag down on the floor just inside my apartment as both Ryker and Weston—the other two members of my team—lurk just behind me as if I’ll take a fatal fall at any moment.
Granted, considering my luck lately, that doesn’t seem like too far of a reach.
“Yeah, I’ve got it.I’ll be fine.”My mood has been sour since I woke up this morning, though I’m attributing that to the lack of sleep as the nurses came in to check my vitals every hour or so.To say I’m relieved to be home—again—is an understatement.
At least, the place smells better.Seems the pepper spray faded away while I was gone.Likely because I’d completely forgotten to close the door.I’ll have to thank Anastasia for locking up for me when I see her next.She’d dropped my bag off during the only small window of actual sleep I’d gotten last night.
“Elijah will be here tomorrow morning to do a security install,” Ryker tells me.
Elijah Breeth, a former Army Ranger who now works in private security, designed a system that his company, Knight Security, uses exclusively.Even though they’re based out of Maine instead of South Carolina, he’ll be able to monitor all our security systems remotely and alert us if there’s an issue.
Me nearly bleeding to death on my floor prompted us to beef up security all the way around.Though, I seriously doubt we’ll face another issue like what landed me in the hospital the first time.Especially since we no longer do shadow work for the government.
Still, if it weren’t for Katelyn, I wouldn’t have survived, and that’s enough to have us installing systems everywhere that matters.On our homes and the homes of Zane’s mother, Linda, and his sister, Anastasia.
Katelyn.She was another reason I couldn’t sleep last night.Anytime I tried to close my eyes, I’d see her haunted eyes in my mind.
There’s pain there.And a lot of it.
Who put it there?
How can I help her move past it?
Easy there, Holt.She’s not a client.Even as I try to correct myself, though, the desire to help her lingers.But Katelyn is not a troubled teenager weighted down by a changing world.She’s a woman.A mother.Two things I know nothing about.
“Apartment’s clear,” Weston announces as he comes down my hall.I glance over toward him, and my gaze lands on the area where I nearly bled to death—only to find the blood stain nearly gone.
It’s then I also realize that the glass I broke in the kitchen is also gone.
“Who cleaned up?”I question.
“Anastasia said that your pretty neighbor was here when she came to get your stuff.”Sawyer wiggles his eyebrows.“Okay, I added the pretty part.”
“Katelyn?”I question.
Sawyer nods.
“Wow.She didn’t need to do that.”I study the stain.What was once an obvious reminder of the night that nearly claimed my life is now little more than a subtle shadow.How long had it taken for her to clean that up?
“She probably felt guilty for pepper-spraying you,” Weston comments as he crosses his arms and leans back against the counter.His sharp tone holds no hint of a joke.Which is not surprising.Of all of us, Weston struggles the most with forgiving.Something that likely has a lot to do with his dad abandoning them after Weston’s sister had been murdered.It tore their family apart and pulled both Weston and his mother away from their faith in God.
She has since found her way back, but Weston hasn’t occupied a pew since the day they buried his sister.
“I think it’s great you have a neighbor so willing to rush into danger for you.Plus, she’s gorgeous.My neighbor is seventy-two and yells at me for breathing too loud when I unlock my door,” Sawyer comments dryly.
Ryker snorts.
“Seriously, though.And I donotbreathe loud.Being silent was in my job description.”
A sort of grieving silence falls on the room at his words.Transitioning out of the military is rough on everyone, but we weren’t even granted that opportunity.After being blackmailed into working for a branch of the government that doesn’t exist on paper, the rug was ripped out from under us when we were handed our service record DD214’s and a “Thank you for your service,” before being shown the door.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re all beyond grateful to be granted the opportunity at normal lives, but the transition has been hard.We went from having a clear purpose to planning futures we weren’t sure we’d have.
Of all of us, Zane is handling it the best.Though I have a feeling that has a lot to do with his new wife and their sailing trip around the world.