by Margaret Kay
A knock on the door drew both their attention. He stood and pulled his jeans on. He crossed the room and opened the door. Angel stood in the hallway, a backpack and a small grocery bag in her hands.
“Good morning. I hope this is a good time.” She smiled at Gary, then her gaze penetrated the room and she flashed a smile at Kennedy.
“Sure, come in,” Sloan said, stepping aside.
“Hi Kennedy. I hope you slept well.” She walked up to the bed and sat on the edge. She sat the backpack on her lap and rested the grocery bag on the bed next to her. “Sammy and I stay here often, and I always sleep really good in this room.”
Kennedy returned her smile and nodded. “I did. We slept nearly twelve hours.”
“You probably needed it,” Angel said. She patted the backpack. “I have several outfits in here for you, including bras and underwear. Everything has been washed, I promise. I went shopping last night and laundered the undergarments for you. The other clothes are borrowed, mostly from Sienna. She’s more your size than Elizabeth or me, and Madison is out of town.”
“That’s okay. I appreciate it. Thank you.” She had no idea who the other people were, but it was obvious Angel had gone through a lot of trouble to get the clothes together for her.
“I also have some makeup samples in there that we had. None of it’s been used. There are even a couple different moisturizers.”
“That is so nice of you, Angel,” Kennedy said. “Really, thank you. I’ll get the clothes back to you when I can.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and here.” She lifted the grocery bag and handed it to Sloan. “I brought you some breakfast sandwiches, a bagel, and a small container of fruit. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so there is enough in there for four or five people.”
“Thanks, Angel. You’re the best,” Sloan said. “I’ll make sure whatever we don’t eat is left in the kitchen on five.”
Angel came to her feet. “I’m ordering Greek for lunch if you’re still around by then. I know you have an eleven o’clock with Shepherd.”
Sloan’s lips pulled into a grin. He was always amazed how Angel knew everything that went on at the agency. She was a good fit for the agency, with Shepherd, and with Jackson. He never envied anyone before, but in that moment, he envied Jackson. He had it all, his job, with accommodations to his schedule to spend more time at home, a great wife, and an adorable little boy. Then his eyes went back to Kennedy. Boy, had they both fucked up the life they could have had together.
“Thanks again, Angel,” he said.
She nodded and left.
He opened the bag and laid its contents out on the table. Then he reached for her cup. “Can I get you another cup of coffee?” He offered.
She rose from the bed and took her cup from his hands. She brought it to the Keurig. “I’ve got it, thanks.”
She was amazed he’d asked. Every little thing he did reminded her that Gary Sloan was a good guy. She was still shocked he refused to have sex with her last night, insisted he wouldn’t take advantage of her. His friends, even Angel, were nice, were good people. She wished she’d been surrounded by people like them the last decade.
After hers brewed, she grabbed his empty cup. “Can I get you another cup?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Sloan said. Then he sat at the table. “I eat everything, so you pick what you want first.”
When his cup was done brewing, she sat it in front of him and then she took a seat at the table. She looked over the food choices and grabbed one of the breakfast sandwiches. “This is nice,” she said.
“Angel takes good care of us all.”
“No, I mean sitting here like two normal people having coffee and breakfast.” She paused and summoned the courage to tell him what she really meant. “And having that coffee and breakfast with you. It’s nice to talk with you and be with you after all this time. I never liked how our relationship ended. It’s something I regret.” She fought to remain calm. Tears threatened to fill her eyes.
Gary’s pale green eyes focused on hers. She saw warmth in them.
“I never liked how it ended either. Kennedy, that was a really fucked up time for me with my dad’s death. I know I never told you I was sorry I joined the Navy without talking with you, but I am sorry. I know it was wrong to just expect you to be okay with it, especially since I knew your music was important to you.”
“I’m sorry too, Gary. I knew you were going through a rough time and that you wanted to get away from Cleveland. I just assumed you’d go to L.A. with me. I was really hurt that you made a decision as big as enlisting without talking with me about it, but I know I did the same thing to you by signing that music contract.”
Sloan grabbed hold of her hand. “Like I told you last night, that’s all water under the bridge. It’s nice to be with you here, now. I’m glad I found you when you needed me.”
“Not as glad as I am.” She giggled a nervous cackle. She summoned the courage to tell him what she really needed him to know. “A part of me never stopped loving you, Gary. You were a big part of my life for so long.” She paused again, but this time tears filled her eyes and her bottom lip trembled.
“What is it?”
“You asked me when the abuse started. It was that first day I got to L.A. I was so excited. Stan and I flew out there. He paid for the airline ticket. He bought me a few drinks at the airport. It was all planning and anticipation. He had an appointment set up the next day at a recording studio for me to cut my first record. But after we landed, and he brought me to the house and showed me my room, that’s when the first demand came. He had asked me before I signed the contract what I’d do to make it in the music industry. Like a fool, I said anything, which he was quick to remind me of. He said I owed him for everything he’d already done and for what he was going to do for me, cited the recording studio and how much it was going to cost him.”
Sloan broke eye contact with her and stared straight ahead. A fire seared every part of him, a rage he’d never felt before.
“Gary, please say something,” she begged.
“What did he make you do that night?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What did he make you do?” He repeated with a voice so low and calm, it was scary.
His eyes stared straight ahead. He looked hard, cold, a calmness in him that scared the crap out of her. “Please look at me,” she begged. When his eyes shifted to hers, what she saw frightened her even more. Gary Sloan’s eyes looked cold, lifeless, haunted even. They weren’t the eyes she’d gazed into a million times. “It was a long time ago.”
“Tell me,” his low voice demanded.
“I had sex with him,” she admitted. “I can’t call it rape, because I agreed to it, but I didn’t want to. I felt obligated. Stan has a way to convince people to do things. I remember lying in that bed after he left. I cried, and I wanted to go home, home to you, but you weren’t there any longer. You’d already left for boot camp. I couldn’t even call you and all I wanted was to hear your voice. I’d never felt so alone in all my life until I was locked in that attic.” She paused and shook her head. “I really fucked my life up with my decisions back then.”
Sloan took hold of her hand. He felt partly to blame because he had abandoned her. He ran from life in Cleveland by joining the Navy, not that it had been a bad decision on his part. The Navy had been the best thing that could have happened to him. He had no regrets about that except when it came to Kennedy.
“A part of me never stopped loving you either, Kennedy.”
“I missed you,” she admitted, all the words she could force out. So many thoughts and regrets swirled through her mind. She wondered again if a second chance was possible for them.
After a few quiet moments, Sloan released her hand and pointed at her food. “Better eat up so you can get a shower. We have a meeting with my boss at eleven hundred. He’ll have our next steps.”
She nodded and took a bite. “Your boss is Shepherd? I’ve heard vario
us names from people, his being one of them. I thought Landon was your boss.”
Sloan frowned. So much for keeping names and details about the agency and its personnel from her. He wasn’t sure how Shepherd was going to react to the amount of information about them she knew. Even her knowing the location of this building was against protocol. That’s why the Silo would have been a better choice.
“Yeah, Lambchop is the team lead of our four-man team. Shepherd is head of this agency, the top dog. When you meet him, watch your P's and Q's. And don’t be anything but one hundred percent honest with him. He’s not a man that tolerates any games.”
“I won’t,” she defended.
Sloan could tell she was offended by his statement. “He’s a good guy, personally recruited all of us. I trust him with my life.”
“So, you trust him with my life too, just like the rest of your team.”
Sloan’s lips pulled into a small grin. “You’re getting the idea.”
She returned his smile. “And Jackson and the others I’ve met are on different teams.”
Sloan helped himself to a few pieces of cut up fruit. “Yeah, but you probably shouldn’t ask too many questions, especially when we’re in with Shepherd, okay?”
“Sure,” she agreed, confused why it was such a big deal to him. “It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone about you. Who would I tell? And why?”
“Look, what we do, our unit is top-secret. Before I came to Cleveland to poke around about your murder, Allen didn’t even know what I did.”
Kennedy smiled in a flirtatious way. “So, you’re like a really big deal then?”
Sloan laughed. “Yeah.”
She smiled wider; her eyes locked on his. She liked the way the skin on his face crinkled around his eyes when he laughed or smiled.
Kilo
It felt good to shower, wash her hair and put makeup on. In the backpack from Angel, she found a beautiful, casual light blue flowing sundress. There were a couple of t-shirts, a pair of shorts and a pair of blue jeans too. She chose the sundress. It would look good with her sandals, which were the only things on her that had been hers. Angel had done well with sizes. Even the bra and underwear fit well.
She blow-dried her hair, twisting it in sections as she dried it to create soft waves. She was grateful for her wavy hair. Melody had taught her that trick, twisting it as it dried. She gazed at herself in the mirror as she smeared some lip tint on from the sample and felt somewhat normal again.
When she stepped from the bathroom, Gary stood up, his appreciative gaze sweeping over her. She noticed he had made the bed while she took her shower.
“Wow, you look great,” he said.
She smiled wide. “Angel did really good with the clothes. I love this dress.”
Sloan returned her smile. “It looks good on you.” They stood motionless, smiling at each other awkwardly for a moment. “I better grab a quick shower too. I can trust you to stay in the room, can’t I?”
She huffed out a breath. “Yes, I’m not going anywhere.”
Sloan nodded and then he sealed himself in the bathroom. He sent a text message to Ops, telling them that Kennedy would be unsupervised in the apartment. They’d keep an eye out, not that she’d ever be able to sneak out of the building. His lips tipped into a grin, viewing her makeup scattered on the vanity. She was still as untidy as she’d always been. He recalled the bathroom sink in his apartment looking very similar. Neither of their families knew she’d basically moved in with him that last year they were together.
As he stood beneath the hot downpour, he wondered how it had been so easy that everything between them had gone awry. Of course, she had had no clue how rocked he was by what he found on his father’s body while prepping him for the funeral. He had known how important her potential music career was to her and he knew she had been offered that contract. He also knew he had put her off when she wanted to discuss it with him. He never thought she’d sign it and plan a move to L.A. without talking with him about it though.
He rinsed the shampoo from his hair and tried to banish the memories from the past from his mind. It played out how it had, how it was meant to. He did truly believe that had they gotten married back then they would have divorced, probably after a few short years. They had a better chance of making it now, he thought, but then said aloud, “whoa, where did that thought come from.” No, with what she had done over the past decade, she was not who he wanted for the mother of his children. That was another thought that surprised the hell out of him as it ran through his mind.
Gary came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. He’d left his backpack there in the room. Kennedy gazed appreciatively at his torso. His clothes over his chest, abs, and arms hadn’t done him justice. He was physically very appealing. Then she noticed the tattoo on his left pectoral.
“I like the tattoo,” she said with a smile. “Is that an eagle?”
“It’s called a trident; the pin SEALs earn.”
She approached him for a closer look. It had to be very important to him for him to tattoo it so large on his chest. An eagle with spread wings grasped a pitchfork and a rifle in its talons along with an anchor. It looked very manly, strong, and impressive.
“The detail is incredible. You had a very good tattoo artist,” she said. What he had accomplished in his life was impressive. She knew very little about Navy SEALs, except that they were the elite, the best of the best. It was a team of Navy SEALs that had killed Osama bin Laden.
“Yes, there was one artist near the base the majority of us went to. You should see Sherman’s. His is larger, across the top of his back with the American flag behind it.”
“I like this one. It’s perfect there.” Her fingertips lightly traced over the ink.
Sloan couldn’t help but feel a pleasurable reaction to her touch. His lips curved into a grin and he took hold of her hand. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I better get dressed. Shepherd is expecting us to be on time.” He stepped back, grabbed his bag and sealed himself within the bathroom.
In the hallway he led her to the elevator. Within, he pressed five. They were both quiet as the elevator descended. When the doors opened on five, they caught a glimpse of Garcia’s back inside of Shepherd’s office. Sloan wasn’t surprised Garcia had been invited to this meeting. They entered the room. Shepherd was already at the conference table as was Lambchop, Mother, and Sherman. The large monitor on the wall displayed Cooper and Madison from L.A.
“You’re the last to arrive,” Shepherd said. “Can you close the door, Sloan?”
He closed the door and then ushered Kennedy over to the table. “Kennedy, this is our boss, Shepherd.”
She forced a smile, even though she was nervous as hell, and nodded her head. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
They shook hands.
Shepherd nodded and his lips curved into a slight grin. “It’s nice to meet you too. The information that you provided was thorough and detailed.” He motioned to two chairs on the other side of the table. “Please, sit.”
Sloan led her to the chairs, pulling hers out for her so she could sit beside Lambchop. Then he took his seat at the end of the table. Lambchop gave them both a pleasant smile and a nod. Then Sloan glanced past Lambchop and to the monitor. He nodded at Cooper and Madison. He hoped they had luck with the girl. He was sure Shepherd would want something concrete to substantiate Kennedy’s claims, and soon.
“Cooper, please repeat your report now that everyone is in the room,” Shepherd said.
“We entered the school where the girl is enrolled and met with the principal. A guidance counselor accompanied the girl into the room for our interview, which was not our preference, but it is school policy. We tried to gently broach the subject, but the kid clammed up.”
“She wouldn’t even admit to knowing you, Kennedy,” Madison added. “She denied knowing Stan.”
“She even denied that her mother had recently signed a music contract. All she kept saying wa
s that we had the wrong girl. We must have her confused with someone else,” Cooper said.
“Based on her behavior, I do think something has happened to her,” Madison said with a headshake and a frown. “She trusted you, Kennedy. I think you’re the only one who will be able to get the girl to open up.”
“Roger that, Miller,” Shepherd said. “Lambchop, your team will leave for L.A. this afternoon to escort Kennedy to talk with the girl. As I said, our digital recon area has dug up a lot on the names that you passed along,” he said, making eye contact with Kennedy. “These guys look as dirty as they come.” His eyes swept back over those at the table. “In case anyone hasn’t heard yet, the FBI has sanctioned us to continue to take the lead on this mission. We’re going to see this through to the end, people.”
