Page 134 of Wrecked
Addison was doing her best to keep it together, but she was gutted. Losing Ronald, then Brian, and now Melinda was more than she could handle. She didn’t give a fuck about her dad’s mantra. Sometimes a good cry was necessary.
“Let’s get outta here,” he said.
They made their way through the bland hallways and into the hangar. Having Hawk by her side was the right choice. There was no one else in ALPHA she trusted like him, no one else she’d rather be stuck with.
Before climbing in the back seat, she said, “I’m sorry.”
As he drove out, she thought about Ronald, Becky, and their children. She thought about how gutted she’d been when her mom had left. The difference? Her momchoseto leave. The Jenning family didn’t choose this. So much had changed since she was ten. Then, she couldn’t distinguish between death and abandonment. All she knew was that her mom was gone and she wasn’t coming back. Their anchor had been yanked up and they were getting tossed around on a violent sea.
Her thoughts shifted to Barry, and her heart broke again. A heartless, extremely dangerous criminal got to live another day, but this man was gone forever. Tears pricked her eyes.
As if sensing her pain, Hawk glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “I got you.”
She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
Addison hadthoughtshe was doing the right thing by warning Melinda, but she’d led them straight to her. The pain sliced through her, the guilt was eating away at her. She wanted to right this terrible wrong, but the damage was done. A brave young woman had risked her life, then gotten a chance to start over in a foreign country. Mustering her courage, she left her homeland behind. She had no family. Beyond Addison, she had no friends. The months turned into years and Melinda had carved out a life she loved.
She would never get over losing Melinda.
Hawk drove into his upscale Alexandria neighborhood and pulled over. After waiting to confirm they hadn’t been tailed, he drove home and parked in the garage. While he pulled her bags from the back, she eyed his new motorcycle.
“Computer, close the garage door,” Hawk commanded.
“Welcome home, Nicholas,” the computer said as the door folded down.
“What happened to El Diablo?” Addison asked.
“Sold it for the Low Rider.”
“It’s beautiful,” she replied. “Have you taken it out yet?”
“A couple of times.” He stood in front of the scanner leading into his home.
“You have a guest,” said the computer.
Hawk stepped out of the way so Addison could get scanned. “Welcome back, Addison. You’re cleared to enter.”
Addison opened the door, stepped inside. He carried her bags from the basement level to the main floor.
“I want you to feel safe and comfortable here.” He set down her bags. “If you need anything, tell me. Okay?”
“Thanks.”
They paused to remove their boots and tug off their socks. Then, she pulled off the wig.
“Let’s reprogram the security system,” he said.
Within minutes, he’d scanned her retina and set her up for voice activation.
She appreciated that he was going out of his way to make her feel welcome, but she could see the grief in his eyes, the weight of the mission bearing down on him. She wanted to throw her arms around him and sob. She wanted to crawl in his lap and stay there for days.
Instead, she stood there, peering up at him. She couldn’t miss the frustration rolling off him. His jaw muscles hadn’t stopped ticking and his signature scowl was front and center.
He took her on a house tour. It felt stilted and forced, because she’d been there so many times. Maybe not upstairs, but she’d eaten burgers in his kitchen, chilled with a glass of wine on his balcony.
For the next few days, maybe a week, this would be her home, so she paid attention to things she glossed over or took for granted because she’d seen it before.
The stunning, three-level townhome was designed with spectacular views of the Potomac river. Lots of water-facing windows. The kitchen cupboards were white, some had glass fronts. The island was white marble, the backsplash shades of white and light gray subway tiles. No clutter anywhere, except for a large stack of unopened mail in his home office, also on the main level. Several framed photos completed his built-in book cases behind his massive desk.
