Rogue

Grace-Chapter 19

He wasn't there. Grace's heart felt as though it had shattered into a million pieces when she opened her eyes and saw that Isaac wasn't in the hospital room. She had thought he would be there waiting for her to wake up, but he wasn't. He wasn't there—but someone else was.

"Hello, Miss Crowther," Director Johnson said, giving her a courteous smile. Grace struggled to sit up, knowing that she should give him the respect that his position deserved, but pain knifed through her side and she dropped back on her pillows.

"Don't try to get up," Johnson said, pulling a chair up to her bedside. "I just want to talk to you and Mr. Cooper."

Grace's stomach dropped another couple of notches—she already knew she was in big trouble for trying to help Isaac, even if they had exposed Wayne Howard and the other agents' plans, she had a feeling that wasn't going to get her back in with the CIA.

"Am I fired?" She didn't want to sit and wonder anymore, she just wanted to know where she stood with the CIA.

Johnson shook his head. "Unfortunately, I was overruled and the CIA disavowed both you and Mr. Cooper. With Howard still on the loose, I haven't been able to make much headway with any of my colleagues regarding your status."

Grace's face fell. She didn't know what she had expected—maybe a little vindication, maybe a little regret for what the CIA had put both of them through, but especially Isaac. He deserved better than this. She felt terrible that she hadn't been able to tell him herself—that she loved him, that she had been wrong, that she was sorry. The list went on and on.

"Miss Crowther?" Director Johnson interrupted her thoughts gently. "There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Grace bit her lip and looked up. "Yes, sir?"

"I am the head of a top secret, non-governmental agency called CHASM. We have been recruiting the best operatives from all over the world in order to fight people like Wayne Howard. In light of the CIA's decision to disavow both you and Mr. Cooper, we decided that we would like to offer you a job with us."

Grace stared at him—it sounded too good to be true. Johnson smiled at the stunned look on her face and continued.

"You would be doing pretty much the same work that you did for the CIA—in fact, I have a couple of Danish agents that need someone to run backup for a mission in about six weeks if you're able."

Grace smiled tremulously. "That sounds amazing, but what about Isaac?"

"We have plenty of work for him to do too," Johnson nodded. "In fact, since he speaks the language, we might send him to Denmark too. If we can find him."

Grace's smile faltered and she looked down at her hands. Looking at the IV stuck into the back of her hand made her stomach crawl, so instead, she looked at the end of her bed.

"If Isaac doesn't want to be found, you'll never catch him," she whispered. "Believe me, I know."

Johnson smiled. "We are hoping to find him before Howard and his associates do."

A chill shot up Grace's spine as she remembered the ruthless expression in Forrester's eyes as he had shot her. She wished Isaac had stayed with her. Howard had nearly unlimited resources even without the CIA, and he was smart. A little spark of pride zinged through her as she remembered that even with the full might of the CIA behind him, it had still taken them a year and a half to locate Isaac. Howard might be smart, but Isaac was smarter.

Johnson stood up and patted her leg. "Get some rest, Miss Crowther. You look tired. We'll be in touch."

Grace nodded, fiddling with her hospital bracelet. She had everything she had ever wanted, but nothing she needed. She realized now how much she needed Isaac and she had let him get away.

"By the way," Johnson said from the doorway, gesturing to the folded piece of paper on her nightstand. "You have a letter from Mr. Cooper."

Grace felt herself flush, had he read it? "How did you know it was from Isaac?"

"Spy," Johnson smiled, pointing to himself with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I didn't read it."

Waiting until he left the room, Grace reached over to pick up the letter, her side screaming with pain at the small motion. She grabbed the paper and flopped back against the pillows exhaustedly. Her eyes welled with tears as she read the cramped handwriting she knew so well. Folding the letter, she allowed herself to cry. Isaac loved her. He loved her and she had missed her chance to tell him she loved him too—had always loved him. She had missed him every day since he had disappeared from her life. She had thought she had another chance with Isaac when she had found him in Stockholm, but she had blown that chance too.

Swiping a hand across her eyes, her sobs subsided into hiccups. She hated crying—it made her eyes swell and her head hurt. And the hiccups made her gunshot wound burn. She had forgiven Isaac the night she had been kidnapped, but she hadn't had a chance to tell him. There were so many things she needed to say.

Glancing around her room, she quickly took the IV out of her hand. If anyone could find Isaac before Howard or any of the agents working with him, Grace knew that she could. She may have let him down once, but there was no way she would do it again. She still had her shoes and her weapon, but she needed to find some other clothes. There was no way she was going outside in this hospital gown.

Glancing left and right, she quickly crossed the hall and hid in a recessed doorway as a nurse walked by without giving her so much as a glance.

As she crept down the hall, she spotted a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie folded neatly on a chair in one of the rooms that she passed. She tried not to feel guilty as she took the clothes, but luckily whoever owned them wasn't in the room. Slipping into the bathroom, she bit back a moan of pain as she slipped the sweatpants on. Her gunshot wound had been stitched up and bandaged, but it still felt painful.

Putting the hood up, she slipped out of the hospital and into the darkening streets. She planned on finding Isaac, no matter what it took.