Counting Paths

Chapter 25.

Wait... "What?"

"For the last few months, there have been no new leads with you and it's been years of sad attempts at trying to catch you, they finally gave up on me and want to put someone new on the case."

"Oh..." I shift uncomfortably in my seat. What the hell does he want from me? Does he expect me to start spilling out information about myself so he could save his job?

He shakes his head shamefully. "Yeah...my reparation will be ruined." Despite his grin words, his tone is upbeat and he still has that cocky grin. "Do you know what that does to a man, Roland? I've worked my entire life to become the best agent, I've devoted my life to my job, lost friends and family for my job, and I'm about to be demoted because I didn't work hard enough? It's fucking insane."

"Why am I here?"

Like flipping a switch, his face drops and he stares at me with cold, bitter eyes. "I asked, do you know what that does to a man, Roland?"

"You don't scare me," I remind him.

"It makes them desperate," he answers anyway. "I'm desperate, and the only reason why I don't have any information on your kid is because they won't let me find any."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" My hands curl into fists under the table. Is he fucking serious right now?

"She wasn't always with you. She just showed up out of nowhere. Did that scare you? Just suddenly being responsible for this kid?" He leans forward and whispers, "imagine if she just disappeared and-"

I jump up and take two large steps away from the table before I jump across it and choke him to death. My little action caught the whole diner off guard and now everyone's quiet, staring at me like they're waiting for my next outburst.

"Sorry about that," Wilson chuckles to everyone. "I thought he could handle a little fake spider prank."

They all go back to their own conversations.

"Sit down," he tells me.

"You're bluffing," I finally realize. "You just want to confirm if I give a damn about the kid-well, I do! But it doesn't matter. You would never hurt someone innocent, especially a kid."

"Mm..." He grabs the photo of Sterling and me at the mall and holds it up. She's smiling up at me, looking so grateful and amazed...and I look so annoyed like I wanted to be anywhere but there. "I told you I was desperate, Roland. Are you really going to risk this kid's life to try to call me out on a maybe bluff?"

"Touch her and I'll kill you," I promise him. "Your death will be what sends me away."

Completely amused by all of this, he laughs. He laughs so hard, everyone's watching us again and there are tears in his eyes. "Jesus!" He exclaims happily. "I never expected you to fuck up this bad, especially this way-I mean, a kid? Where the hell did you go wrong?"

I'm trembling, I'm so pissed. "Fuck. You." I walk away before I kill him right there and then.

# # #

"Do you want me to wake her?" Kevin asks over the phone as I pull in front of Arleen's place. I put the car in park and kill the engine.

"No, uh...no. Can you...can you tell her I'm sorry? When she wakes up, tell her I'm sorry about everything."

"This isn't your fault, Roland."

But it fucking is. All of it is my fault. I said I would protect her, and she gets hit in the face in the place I was working so hard to become her new home. I said I would protect her, but now she's being threatened by a crazed FBI agent. Fucking hell, no wonder Luna stayed away from me for all those years. It's probably why I haven't heard from her in a week.