Page 92 of Seal of Honor
Except he was exhausted past his limit, and so were his men.
And he had to get away from Audrey. The longer he stood there staring at her, the harder it was to leave. He had to put the safe distance of a continent between them before he did something stupid, like beg her to come with him when he knew she wouldn’t.
He rubbed a hand over his face. “No. Let the Colombians deal with him. Let’s chalk this up as a win and get the hell out of here.”
Quinn nodded but hesitated and looked through the window at Audrey and Bryson. “Are you going to say goodbye?”
“No.” Turning away, he fell into step beside Quinn without a backward glance. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life, and his chest burned with the pain of it.
Gabe’s footsteps echoed along the stark, white corridor, each thud of his boots on the linoleum a harsh reminder of the distance he was putting between himself and Audrey. In his periphery, he could sense Quinn’s gaze on him, sharp and piercing like an arrow through his mental armor.
It was easier this way.
Quinn stayed silent until they reached the parking lot and climbed into the 4Runner. He started the engine but then sat there, hands on the wheel, gearshift still in park. Then he turned in his seat and opened his mouth as if to say something.
“Don’t.” Gabe shut his eyes, blocking out the concern so evident in his best friend’s usually stoic expression. “What did you do with Cocodrilo?”
Quinn shut his mouth with a click of his teeth, then gave a resigned sigh. “We handed him over to Tuc’s men. They’ll make sure he’s passed to the right agency for prosecution.”
“Good. Then let’s get outta here.”
Quinn still didn’t shift into drive. “Gabe, man, you can’t leave her like this without?—”
“Just drive.”
* * *
Audrey felt eyes on her and lifted her head. The observation windows across the room were empty, nobody out in the hallway. She must have been dreaming, caught somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, because she swore she’d heard Gabe’s voice just a moment ago.
Unlikely. She hadn’t heard a word from him since he called to tell her Bryson was safe.
Sitting up, she rolled her neck around on her shoulders and tried to stretch the crick out of her spine. Goodness, she needed a real bed and about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Then, after a good meal and about a gallon of coffee, then maybe she’d have the strength to face Gabe again.
She wasn’t about to let the stupid man push her away out of some misguided sense of honor. What they had was not a fling—she’d had enough flings in her life to know that for sure—and what she felt for him was not a fluke of the circumstances. It was real and deep and, truthfully, a little bit frightening.
Bryson’s hand shifted in hers. She gazed down at him, and her eyes filled with tears yet again. Crap. Hadn’t she cried enough today? First out of relief, then out of sorrow when she finally saw Bryson. With his left eye sealed shut and his lips cracked and bleeding, he looked like he’d gone several rounds with a heavy-weight boxer and lost every one. His skin was papery and so pale that his veins stood out in stark contrast on his arms and the backs of his hands.
How could they do this to him?
His hand shifted again, and she realized he was squeezing her fingers. Was he awake? She studied his face. It was hard to tell with everything so swollen, but his one good eye was definitely open.
“Brys?”
“Hi, sis,” he whispered.
If those weren’t the two most beautiful words anyone had ever said to her. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. They poured down her cheeks, soaking into his hospital johnny as she hugged him as tightly as she dared.
His hand settled on her head. “Don’t cry. Please.”
“Sorry. Can’t…stop.” But she managed to choke back the sobs. “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought I’d never be able to tell you I love you and I’m sorry I’m not the sister you want me to be and?—”
“Shh.” His voice was thin, a ghost of his usual robust one, wavering on the edge of consciousness. “You are, sweetie. I wouldn’t change you for anything.”
“But the condo and the money and my stupid paintings and?—”
“Audrey, I was wrong about all that. I just wanted you to be safe and happy after our parents died, and I didn’t know how else to help other than throw money at you.”
“But I never wanted money. All I wanted was you. My big brother. The nannies and boarding schools and cars and huge allowance didn’t replace our family.”
