Page 55 of Tracking Payton
“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Her voice cracked. Alex held her tighter before leading her down the hall to her bedroom.
“I’m here as long as you need me, Payton. We’ll get through this together. I’ll be in the next room if you need me,” he said before leaving the room. She could hear the want in his voice, that he wanted to stay with her, but she refused to give him the in. Payton needed him to leave.
Payton went into the bathroom and turned on the shower before she went back out into the hallway and closed her bedroom door. Alex’s bedroom door was open. She peeked in to see he had his back turned to her. He had his duffel on the bed and was placing his clothes back into it. He moved toward the bathroom and that was when she made her move. It was decided.
She passed the door and opened the escape hatch and disappeared down the tunnel. She ran down the dim passage she knew would lead to a vehicle. “Hold on, Daddy. I’m coming,” she whispered as she increased her pace.
Chapter 25
Alex went through the motions of packing his bag, but he wasn’t focused on the task. He mourned his friend and what felt like father. It hurt worse than when he’d left his own father. Nick at least had shown him love and compassion. He had taught him, not ignored him and forgotten he was even there.
Alex almost assumed Nick would die of old age. He was too stubborn and ornery to die any other way. He’d also been on several combat missions. He was crafty and stayed one step ahead of the enemy.
Alex couldn’t believe it ended this way. He thought they had more time to find him. They. He and Payton.
Alex sighed, realizing how selfish he was in his own feelings and turned his thoughts to Payton and how she was handling the death of her father. To lose her father that she hardly knew. All these secrets revealed to her, and now she’d lost him before he could answer any questions she might have.
Alex doubted he’d be of much use. He understood why Nick kept the secrets he did, but an explanation would have been better coming from Nick.
As he packed, Alex wondered what to do next. Did they just stop the investigation and plan for the funeral or finish what they had started? He and Payton together.
It was funny he didn’t want anything to do with her when he’d showed up, and now he didn’t want to leave her and wanted to keep working with her.
Alex didn’t want to abandon her when she needed someone—though she would never admit it. Frankly, he needed someone too. More in fact than her.
Finally giving into his feelings and attraction for Payton made him realize how lonely he was. He had shut down his emotions with his teammates, happy they had found love but content with just casual flings.
He realized he’d only been lying to himself. Waking with Payton and seeing her bright smile when her eyes opened and settled on him was indescribable. He’d never had that before, and he doubted he could find that with anyone else.
He loved Payton.
There was no reason to hide that fact now. No one to tell him he wasn’t good enough, except for Payton herself, and she seemed to like him.
He could hear her in the next room in the shower. Was she actually bathing or using it as camouflage to hide her crying? Having to be strong for herself and for him.
Finished with his packing, Alex headed to the living room. Payton’s bedroom door was closed, a sign she wanted to be left alone. He would give her space.
Alex wanted to get back to town and to Colin. They still had an enemy to find. Payton wasn’t so convinced it was Major Diesel, but he was. They just had to prove it. Alex was sure the evidence was on the flash drive. If only they could crack the code.
He would give her a few minutes alone before checking on her again. He paced in the living room. Then the kitchen. He’d never felt so useless.
Alex turned on the television and watched the news on Nick and how the manhunt finally ended. Nick’s legacy would end as a criminal. Not if he could help it. They had to find out what was on the flash drive and clear Nick’s name.
Alex checked his watch. It had been over thirty minutes, and Payton had yet to emerge. Alex stood up and marched to her door. There would be time to mourn her father, but for now, they had a case to solve and Nick’s name to clear. That would give them a focus.
Alex placed his ear to the door still hearing the water running. Alex didn’t know much about the plumbing out here, but he had to assume after this long, the water would be freezing. He turned the knob and opened the door. Only to find the room empty.
“Payton,” he called out. He checked her bathroom. Nothing. He walked through the house and still didn’t see her. Alex checked out the front window and saw the car was still there. He went back to her room and saw her clothes were there too.
Where the hell could she have gone? It wasn’t likely she went for a walk to clear her head. The security system was still on. His eyes traveled down the hall to the hatch.
“Sonofa—” He cursed himself. She’d played him. Payton was still convinced her dad was alive. She had played the perfect role of grieving daughter, and he’d bought it. She’d used it as a ruse to escape, and he knew exactly where she was headed.
Alex pulled out his phone as he ducked into his room for the car keys and headed out the front door.
“Hey, man,” Colin answered, sounding sad.
Colin had been close to Nick as well. They both had practically grown up with him. Colin saw more of him in recent years once Nick got him the job on base. “We have a problem.”
