Herrison scratched his head, his lips moving soundlessly as he read the report before him.
Sam slouched in his chair, wishing he'd go through it faster. To be fair, it was past midnight and Herrison looked freshly awaken from sleep, but he was cold, tired and felt that, for the first time, he might get some proper sleep if he closed his eyes.
Next to him, Skye shifted in her seat, hugging herself tighter. She'd thrown on an old jacket Sam had in his backseat and bought a pair of flip flops from a Seven Eleven just so she could be here and give her input. It wasn't necessary and Sam wasn't sure why she hadn't just gone home.
"Okay." Herrison put down the report and rubbed his eyes. "What really happened?"
"Hannigan showed up and started acting all chummy with that Eye Patch fellow," Skye said. "So that's the first thing you should look into. If he was supposed to be there or not."
"Hannigan?" Herrison frowned which wasn't very encouraging. "I don't recall anything about him being dispatched, but that's more Keeves' territory. All I know is that he's supposed to be leaving with Jimmy and Jerry for training."
Sam straightened in his seat and leaned forward, his shoulders tensing. "I hope you'll verify this before sending him into outer space with my brothers." Though Jimmy would probably own him in three moves and keep him tied up for the rest of the trip.
"Of course, I'll look into it at once." Herrison glanced at the report again. "But there's more to it. What pulled you into action? Because I don't really buy this whole 'Hannigan was in danger' story line."
Sam glanced on Harrison's desk, at the small square box which Herrison used to scramble anyone potentially recording their conversation. Herrison shook his head.
"It's late enough that I can have all surveillance switched off and file the report later. It's going to take some clearing up anyway since Kyle was supposed to do the surveillance. So yes, it's safe."
Sam let out a deep breath. "Ron showed up."
The weariness seemed to seep out of Herrison and he blinked. "Why? What happened?"
"My report is correct. Eye Patch was waiting for Snitch Gravel. Ron wants answers out of him about his mom and why Dad lied to him about her being dead and..." The whole thing was giving him a headache. "Since Dad disappeared, Ron wants answers out of Snitch Gravel."
Herrison leaned back in his seat, chewing on his lower lip. "Makes sense. Who else would have it?"
"Do you..." Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know, but it would be stupid not to ask. "Do you know anything about it?"
Herrison shook his head, which was expected. "Only what Freider told me which is what he told you, I'm guessing."
"What? That Ron doesn't exist?"
"No. I knew your grandmother was committed after your grandfather died and I knew Ron ran away as soon as he turned eighteen. I just never knew he thought both his parents were dead." Herrison took in a deep breath. "Your father is full of secrets. It's hard to keep up."
"Tell me about it," Sam mumbled. "Any idea where he is?"
Herrison just shook his head and picked up the report again. "So Snitch Gravel is back in town. This is very useful information. Good job, Sam." He raised his eyes to Skye, looking a bit confused. "Both of you."
"I also believe the assignment was a success," she said. "And I believe that, under further observation, he can go out into the field again safely."
Sam pulled back in his seat. "Furher observation? You mean with you?"
Skye squared her shoulders. "Yes, I mean with me."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Kids." Herrison raised his hand. "I'm too exhausted for this. I'll read Skye's report when she'll have it ready and take it from there. Though I'm not sure what bothers you, Sam. This is positive feedback."
Sam bit the insides of his cheeks to keep quiet. Positive my ass. Getting rid of Skye was positive. Why on earth did she insist on coming again? It's not like she was great at it or seemed to enjoy the danger. Or helped much for that matter.
His gut twisted with guilt as he remembered her grabbing him and easing his fear of heights. And the way she rolled over that goon and then bit him. She wasn't completely useless. And maybe if he looked on the bright side, he'd feel better about everything. For once in what seemed like forever, he was capable of that. He could force himself to see the good part of Skye and ignore her snark.
"We'll talk tomorrow," Herrison said. "For now, you should both get some rest." And without waiting for an answer, he stood from his desk and left the room.
"Why do you want to come along?" Sam asked, the moment the door closed. "It didn't feel like you had the time of your life."
"Not the issue. You're more natural in that environment than I've ever seen you. Tonight was a breakthrough for me, and I'm hoping to get many more and help you."
"I thought you didn't want to help me."
She bit her lip, looking so young under his big jacket. "Stop fishing for apologies."
"Don't you think I deserve one?"
"Don't you think I deserve one too after everything you said to me? Especially what you said today?"
This was where he would prove he was much better than her, because he wasn't above providing apologies when they were deserved.
"I'm sorry about that. And actually how rude I've been to you from day one. Your attitude towards me just hits all the wrong buttons and I was too tired to fight my nasty impulses." Kill them with kindness.
It seemed to work too, because Skye's mouth dropped open. "Where did that come from?"
Sam shrugged. "What? I'm not a dick in general. Just when I'm angry or hurt, which is the only part of me you've seen so far. This is how I normally act."
Her eyes narrowed. "Is it an act, though?"
"Does it matter? We're defined by our actions, not our intentions. Intentions can change with the speed of light to suit our coping mechanisms anyway."
She kept squinting at him, and Sam felt proud of himself. He'd completely thrown her off, twisted her entire belief system when it came to him. After weeks of sessions, she had no idea who he was.
"I appreciate the effort you put into steering yourself right, even if it's empty at the moment," she finally said, her tone light, even friendly. "And I accept your apology. I also know this attitude won't help you heal. It will just ease the load over time because time does that whether we try or not. I will help you truly heal."
It was his turn to be surprised. "What? Why?"
"Because you're not Hannigan and you deserve it. You're also very deceiving and that's all the apology you're getting out of me for the time being."
Sam stared at her. He wasn't Hannigan. Most of the agents were either scared kids or acted like that prick. She'd assumed he was an entitled idiot combined with a scared kid and he hadn't given her reasons to think differently. But still, she was supposed to be a professional.
"You have no idea who I am," he said.
She shook her head. "I know a part of you, which is apparently the bad part. I know your triggers and I know what drives you. Until tonight, I just didn't think there was more."
"And what did you see tonight?"
This time, she smiled and it was mischievous. "Are you looking for compliments again?"
"No, I legitimately have no idea what changed."
She drew air through her teeth and winced. "Wow, Christine did wonders on your self esteem. You should've seen yourself out there."
"What? Am I a scared little boy or what?" Because that was a very accurate description. He just pushed through his fears and got the job done.
Skye unexpectedly cupped his face with one hand and squeezed his cheeks hard enough to trap all potential other words in. Her skin was soft and as she leaned in closer, his heart started drumming in his ears. What was she doing?
"You're not a scared little boy," she said, her tone low but fierce. "Don't let anyone ever tell you that. You're a man in every sense of the word. Even if you're young."
Her words brought an unexpected sense of pride, even if he didn't really believe her. But she was right about one thing. He'd gone through so many challenges since he was seventeen; he'd seen more, almost died more times than a lot of men. He'd just never thought of himself as one. Which explained a lot of things, now that he stopped to think about it.
Skye pulled away, nibbling on her lower lip, seeming a bit surprised by her own intensity. But he was grateful. She really could be helpful and make him feel better when she wanted to. And maybe if he trusted her and was nice, they could work through this together.
"Want me to take you home?" he asked.
She raised her eyes to him, staring in wonder for a few seconds, then nodded.
Sam smiled, but before he could stand, the door opened and Kyle came in, a duffle bag over his shoulder.
The world seemed to stop as Sam took in the details of the sudden appearance; how dishiveled his brother looked, his hair tousled and eyes unfocused, the luggage he was holding, the subtle threatening air surrounding him, as if he were a minute away from exploding with rage. On some unconscious level, even Skye felt it, because she pulled her knees to her chest and shifted a little closer to Sam.
"What happened?" Sam asked, the fear in his voice painfully obvious. But his heart was racing, there was an ache in his chest, and he definitely didn't want to hear that he and Kay had called it quits as well. They were the last ones standing, the final bastion of love and understanding.
Kyle dropped in the seat Herrison had vacated, letting the duffle bag hit the floor. The mild frown on his face was not encouraging.
"Did you and Kay break up?" Sam presses on, the panic inside him rising.
Kyle's shoulders relaxed and a twisted smile made him look even more threatening. "No, of course not." He followed Sam's gaze to his luggage. "That's just gym stuff." He then turned back to them and focused on Skye. "Hi, I'm Kyle."
"Hi," she whispered, "I'm Sam's therapist, Skye."
Kyle raised an eyebrow at her and Sam was tempted to step between them for some reason. Maybe the continuous threat emanating from his brother, or the way Skye seemed to be psychoanalyzing him on the spot.
He tried to alleviate his fear and focus on the good news. "Thank God, because you two are the only reason I still believe love and happiness are actually possible."
Kyle winced. He actually freaking winced. Sam turned to Skye and gave her a short, polite smile.
"I'm sorry, could you give us a moment? I'll be right out to take you home."
She gave a him a glare, but stood and headed for the door, mumbling a goodbye to Kyle as she left.
"She's cute," Kyle said, making Sam jump.
"What?" He'd never heard Kyle saying that about any woman, but he'd never known a Kyle who wasn't fully and completely in love with Kay either. Until now, apparently.
"She is. And I think she likes you."
"Are you kidding? It takes considerable effort not to jump at each other's throats."
"Fun kind of love."
"What the hell is wrong with you? She's my therapist. Why are you deflecting? What really happened to you and Kay?"
Kyle picked up the report, leaned back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk. "I didn't lie," he finally said from behind the folder. "I didn't break up with Kay. I'm just upset with myself because I'm making some crappy choices lately."
"And isn't that duffle bag one of them?"
"I don't know. Doesn't seem worse than the alternative. She needs some space and I should provide. Relationships aren't all sunshine and rainbows. You need rain for the rainbows."
He had a point, but Sam had never seen rain in their relationship. They did squabble from time to time, but nothing like this. Nothing like moving out, like taking a break.
"I..." Crap, he was way out of his element, but Kyle had always been there for him so the least he could do was ask. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kyle kept quiet, still pretending to read the report. "Snitch Gravel is in town?"
Huh, apparently he was reading. "It's a much longer story, actually." He hesitated. "I'd tell you all about it, but I offered to take Skye home."
"Yeah, do that," he said, absentmindedly, ruffling through the report.
Sam wondered what he was thinking, but it was already two in the morning and he was exhausted. Sleep sounded heavenly. So he decided to believe Kyle, accept that he and Kay were still a couple, and focus on his own stuff. Like Skye.
She didn't say anything as they got into his car and he started driving, then only gave him the address before sinking into her seat.
Sam drove in silence, shocked by how comfortable it was. Maybe because he was so tired and social graces completely eluded him. At least she was giving him the possibility to ignore her without feeling like a prick.
He slowed down as he reached her neighborhood and stopped in front of an apartment building. It was a good neighborhood, even if the buildings were a little older than the ones downtown where he used to live.
"Is this the place?" he asked.
She nodded, but didn't get down from the car. He wondered if she expected him to get down and open the door for her.
"Is Kyle going to be alright?" she asked instead.
"I don't know. I hope so."
"The chills he gave off..." She shuddered. "He wasn't well. I think you should go talk to him. Or let someone know so they can talk to him."
She made a great point, but Sam had no idea who that might be. His first thought was Jessie, but she was gone. Jimmy and Jerry would be leaving the next day, Kyle wasn't talking to Tom, Kay was the problem and Angie, the problem's best friend. It was just him left and he didn't think he could handle it.
"I'll keep that in mind. But I can't really handle that tonight. I would send Jessie in, but she's..."
"Sleeping?" Skye asked.
"No, gone. God, I need to put you up to speed with so much crap."
"I appreciate the sentiment," she said with a laugh, but she sounded exhausted, too. Still, she wasn't getting out of the car. "Is what you said true? Are Kyle and Kay your representation of what love is supposed to look like?"
Was that unhealthy? He didn't really care. "Pretty much. Seeing as my father punched my mother and they're getting divorced, not much of a great example there."
She didn't say anything to that, just worrying on her lower lip. "I never asked you because I never took your problems seriously, but I sort of did a once over of what I know inside my head while you were driving." She raised her eyes and she looked truly concerned.
The show of emotion tugged at something inside Sam that he no longer believed was intact. His reaction to her was finally positive, though he couldn't exactly put a finger on why or what the emotion was.
"There's two ways we can do this," Skye continued. "With or without drugs. I wanted to start you off without, but if you need them... I mean I could tell you were sleep deprived from the moment you walked into my office."
She was offering him drugs. He wasn't sure why he was so surprised. She was a psychiatrist after all.
"It feels like cheating," he blurted out.
A smile lifted the corner of her lips. "Stop making me like you." And she finally let herself out of the car. She leaned on the door and peeked inside. "I'll see you tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do. Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight," was all he could say in return. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard her say his name. At least not on that tone, one that implied he was a real person.
Maybe she was finally going to help. And after everything that had happened lately, it was about time he let someone step in.
♠️♠️♠️
Kay startled awake. It was dark and the wailing of an ambulance filled the room through the open window. Out of well rehearsed reflex, she patted the space next to her. Cold sheets and an empty bed. Heart racing, she stood and turned on the lamp on her nightstand.
The room was empty. The clock read four in the morning.
"Kyle?" she whispered.
The fear started seeping out of her as she realized the ambulance outside had nothing to do with her boyfriend. A smile took over. She was home and her muscles were pleasantly sore. He'd been right. Two weeks was a ridiculously long time to go without sex. She'd missed it more than she'd realized.
And what had happened between them had been so different. Kyle was the type who usually took his time and was very careful with her. Not this time. It was raw, to the point. Angry. And it had felt amazing.
Which made the fact that it was four in the morning and he wasn't there stranger. She slid out of bed and checked the bathroom, then the rest of the apartment. The giddiness she'd felt started turning into annoyance as she returned to the bedroom and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Then she picked up her phone and dialed his number. He kept complaining that they weren't spending time together and now, when she was home, he left. Men! Who could understand them? Maybe it was really just the sex he'd missed.
He wasn't even picking up. A sense of dread overcame her as her groggy mind combined the wailing ambulance with a potential other woman.
But there was no way. Just like she was sure he knew she'd never cheat on him, she knew it, too. Kyle was faithful. Loyalty was such a core part of who he was, he would never deceive her.
And he wasn't dead, that she knew for sure.
Finally, on the third try, he picked up. "What?"
She blinked. He sounded annoyed, like she'd just disturbed him from something important. "Excuse me? It's four in the morning! Am I disturbing you?"
There was a pause on his side which was too long for her liking. She gritted her teeth, waiting, but he said nothing. He wasn't hanging up either so she had no idea what to make of it.
"Where are you?" she finally asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.
"At the real estate agency."
Shit, he was at the Agency. Had something happened? As far as he'd told her, he had the night off. And talking in code was too much at this time of night, but they had no choice. "Do you need to make a sale?"
"No, Sam made the sale. I'm just checking the commission."
So Sam had completed the assignment after all. She felt a bit lighter that they could count on him again, but it didn't explain why Kyle was there.
"Anything wrong with it?"
"No. Just seems bigger than expected for this type of property."
Unforeseen circumstances. Her stomach twisted into a knot. "Do you want me to come over?"
"No."
The answer was immediate and blunt and it hurt her heart. It was a direct refusal to see her when she was offering to be by his side.
"Don't think what happened fixed anything. I'm still pissed. At you and at myself for being an idiot."
Anger pushed the hurt out of the way. "You're pissed?"
"Yes, I am. What you did with Eric? Shitty move, regardless of your reasons. What you did afterwards? Even shittier."
"You jumped right on it!"
"Of course I did! Which was shitty of me. Whatever, the point is that there's a lot of shit involved and it's about time it stopped rising because if not, it's going to hit the fan."
"What does that even mean?" She wasn't sure if she was annoyed or terrified because he'd never spoken to her like that, on that tone, as if she were a severely hardheaded student and he was at wit's end.
"That it's better to step back for a while. You wanted your space, now you have it."
Kay blinked. She shook her head and blinked again. She must have heard wrong. Couldn't he read her anymore? She didn't need space. She needed him to be there, not throw her words in her face when he was the one who pointed out they were bullshit. But what got to her was the potential hidden meaning behind his sudden acceptance of her excuses. She hated mixed messages.
"Are you breaking up with me?" And if he was, he'd better come and say it to her face, not over the phone, like a coward.
"No." The answer was immediate and it eased some of the tension in her shoulders. "But that doesn't mean I'm not angry with you or that this will just blow over."
Not the answer she wanted or expected. "Well, I'm angry with you, too."
"Obviously." She could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "It would be useful if you figured our why, too."
"Why are you?"
"Take a wild guess."
Kay hung up. There was no way she was getting into this conversation with him. Not when he was sober and her brain wasn't working properly. Not when all she wanted to do was call him back home to thump him. Anger surfaced again, combined with helplessness and a dire need to cry.
She hugged her knees to her chest and leaned her head on them. She needed Jessie. Or an Angie that wasn't crushed by her breakup. Or anyone. But, as it was, she was crying by herself.
♠️
Hope you found this chapter entertaining. I think I'm about done setting up the next stage of important events for the middle of the book.
Snitch Gravel is back in town, Skye has turned human, Jimmy and Jerry are getting a new friend in space training and Kyle and Kay have taken a definitive nosedive but are still holding on. Barely.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Any thoughts and predictions are more than appreciated.