Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
He nods, running his hand through his beard. “Emerson is here.”
I swear I stop breathing. I put my hand on the wall, afraid I’m going to fall over. I look around the room, but I don’t see her. “Where is she?”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “She’s at the compound, and she’s asking for you. One of the guys is there with her.”
I inhale sharply, thinking the worst. “Is she okay?”
Walker nods. “Yeah, Logan said she was fine.”
When he mentions the medical doctor at the compound, it gives me some relief. I cross my arms over my chest. “What is she doing here?”
Walker shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
I look around the room. “I need to go to her.”
Walker clasps me on the shoulder. “I know you do. Go. I’ll cover for you here. Let me know if I need to know anything.”
I nod and run to the nearest exit. By the time I get to my truck, every thought possible has gone through my head. Emerson is the daughter of my dead best friend. Randall, her father, was the only member of our team that was killed in that mission two years ago, and there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about what happened to him.
She’s supposed to be in Texas.
She’s supposed to be in school.
She’s not supposed to be here in Whiskey Run, looking for me.
CHAPTER 2
EMERSON
I reach into my backpack and pull out my sweatshirt. The conference room is cold or maybe I’m just nervous. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but I am.
I run my fingers through my hair and try to untangle the mess. I know I look tired and rumpled, but I have been on a bus for 25 hours. I lean back in my seat, arms crossed over my chest. I feel like I’ve been sitting here forever, but it’s only been around twenty minutes.
The man at the front was not happy with me interrupting whatever he was doing on his phone, but as soon as he heard my last name, he did a complete one-eighty. He was on the phone a few different times, and some doctor came to check me out, even though I refused treatment. I mean I’m tired, not hurt or sick—not physically anyway—so I didn’t need a doctor. They gave me a pillow and a blanket, planted me on the couch in the conference room with the promise Kanan would be here soon, and I’ve been waiting ever since.
I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I must have fallen asleep because when I wake up, Kanan is crouched down beside me, brushing the hair off my face with a concerned look in his eyes.
I blink at him, taking him all in. I thought I was ready to see Kanan again, but I guess I’m not. My heart starts to race, my palms start to sweat, and I can barely form a thought in my head. He’s talking, and I try to focus on what he’s saying to me instead of the way his eyes are a darker blue than I remember.
I recognize that look. It’s the same one he gave me when he saved me all those years ago.
“Emerson, Bug, are you okay? Talk to me.”
I clench my eyes shut. Bug. As soon as he calls me the nickname from my childhood, I know he’ll never ever think of me as anything other than the little kid that used to dig in the backyard. Trust me when I tell you I regret carrying around a little habitat of bugs with me because I’ll never shake the name.
I sit up and stretch my arms over my head. I’m not sure how long I was sleeping, but I sure needed it. When I open my eyes mid-stretch, Kanan averts his eyes from me. He grabs a rolling chair, pulls it over toward the couch, and sits down in it.
It’s then I notice the suit he’s wearing. “Oh shoot, Kanan, you were busy. You didn’t have to come.” And then a sick thought comes to mind. “Where were you?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Wedding.”
I hold my breath. “Who got married?” Surely he’s not the one that got married. He wouldn’t be here if he did, but if he tells me he did, I’m leaving. There’s no way I can stay here and see him with a woman. I know my dreams are ridiculous and it will never happen between me and Kanan, but I’m not going to torture myself either.
Kanan’s lips turn up in a smile. “Davis got married.”
There’s no holding back my surprise. “Davis?” He’s another one of my dad’s old friends. He’s grumpy and set in his ways. I never would have thought of him settling down.
He laughs and nods. “Yep. Trust me, we’re all a little surprised. But Abby is great, and he’s happy.”