34

Avery paced the carpeted floor of the hospital’s waiting room. She’d forgotten just how much she hated being enclosed within the walls of a building, engulfed with sickness and dying. Because no matter how prepared she thought she was to face death in her job, its presence always came as a surprise. Especially when it was one of her own.

Too much blood loss . . . Hit an artery . . . We don’t expect him to make it through the surgery . . .

She’d chosen to hang on to the last shred of hope until five minutes ago when the surgeon had spoken the words she’d prayed she wouldn’t hear. I’m sorry, but we lost him.

Mitch was dead.

Avery stopped at the large window overlooking a row of oak trees that lined the hospital’s landscaped grounds. They had attempted to create a relaxing atmosphere using natural sunlight and nature, but none of their efforts helped to ease the grief and frustration inside her. Instead, the doctor’s final words had shattered the remaining hope she’d held on to. She now had to tell Mitch’s parents, who were flying in from Orlando, as well as his fiancée, who was driving to the hospital right now, that Mitch was gone. And then somehow find a way to help them all put the pieces back together again. This wasn’t supposed to have happened.

Avery sank into a chair and studied a row of yellow marigolds starting to wilt from the afternoon sun. Mitch’s vest was supposed to protect him from bullets, but instead the rifle cartridge had hit the seam and penetrated his chest. There was nothing the doctors could have done to save him. Nothing, she’d been assured, that any of them could have anticipated and stopped from happening. But no matter how many times she replayed the scenario, all the assurances fell short. They should have been able to secure the building and anyone inside in a matter of seconds, but instead they’d been hit with gunfire. There had been little time to react beyond running for cover.

For Mitch it had been too late.

“Avery?”

She turned as her father dropped his cell into his pocket. She’d been so lost in her own world, she hadn’t even realized he’d been talking to someone. He’d insisted on staying with her, a gesture she’d appreciated more than he knew, while her mother—and two police officers—stayed home with Tess until they had a handle on what had happened at the warehouse. The last thing she wanted was her family caught up in the fallout of this case. Enough people had been hurt already.

“Tory just called and wanted to know how you’re doing. They’re finishing up at the scene and will report back to you as soon as they’re done.”

Avery nodded. “Thanks.”

He sat down beside her on one of the hard leather chairs. “I told her you were handling things as well as could be expected.”

“Which is a nice way of saying I’ve completely fallen apart?”

“Considering the circumstances, I think you’re handling things quite well.” He’d been through this with her before. “It’s okay to hurt, Avery. Mitch was a huge part of your life.”

“Which is why I can’t stop thinking about Kayleigh.” She pulled back, glad for his presence, while at the same time feeling an irrational frustration that her father didn’t have the power to make it all just go away. “I don’t know how to tell her Mitch is gone.”

She felt a heaviness in her chest as reality began to sink into her own mind. “I’ve heard the words ‘your husband isn’t coming home.’ ‘Your brother was killed serving his country.’ I know what it’s like to have your entire world shatter in an instant.”

“Which is why Kayleigh is going to need you. You’ve been where she is right now.”

Avery tried to swallow, but her mouth felt as if it were full of sand. She reached for her drink and fumbled with the straw. The ice had long since melted, watering down the tea to a flavorless liquid, but at least it was wet.

She set the drink back down, stood, and started pacing again. Intellectually, she knew he was right. She did understand all too well what Kayleigh was about to face, but the thought of telling her that Mitch was dead still seemed too surreal . . . How had things turned into such an ugly nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from?

“I still don’t know if I can tell her.”

“You can. Because Mitch would want you to be the one to tell her.”

Avery stopped and dropped her gaze to the black-and-gray pattern on the carpeted floor, knowing he was right. Perspiration beaded at the base of her neck. The air conditioner was struggling to keep up with the hot Georgia afternoon. Like the day Ethan had died.

The memory swam through her mind. She’d been at her mother’s that day. They’d sat on the front porch together, sipping iced tea and waiting for the next breeze to float by while the repairman fixed the air conditioner that had gone out during one of the hottest weeks of the summer.

Michael . . . Ethan . . . Mitch . . . She’d lost all of them. And they’d all been protecting the people of this city. Sometimes life was so unfair.

“Mitch should be here right now.” Tears began forming again. “He should be alive and planning a wedding with Kayleigh. He called me a few nights ago and told me he’d bought a seven-day cruise package for their honeymoon as a surprise, but he was afraid he’d end up telling her. He never could keep a secret.”

“You’re right.” Her father moved in front of her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Just like Ethan and Michael, he should still be here, but we both know all too well that’s not always how life works.”

“Sometimes I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.” Tears formed in her eyes. “What if we take down Sourn? There’ll just be someone else to take his place. I solve one crime, and there’s always more waiting for me. It never ends.”

Her father took her hand and led her to the row of chairs overlooking the hospital grounds. “It’s hard whenever someone makes the wrong choice that affects others around him, but you can’t let that change who you are.”

“My head knows that.” She sat down beside him. “But my heart . . . Is there ever a time when it’s best just to walk away?” The idea wasn’t new, but today, the reality of her choices engulfed her like a raging storm. “I have a daughter to think about, a family who cares about me, and a relationship to explore with Jackson. How do I know that tomorrow I won’t walk into a situation like today, and I’m the one who doesn’t come home?”

“We can’t know, Avery. None of us do.”

“It just hurts so bad.”

“I know.”

Her father gathered her into his arms and let her sob. The strain of the past week, every moment of despair and heartache she’d witnessed, flooded through her. Sometimes life simply wasn’t fair. Sometimes the good guys didn’t win. Sometimes none of it made sense.

He reached down and grabbed a handful of tissues from the square side table, handed them to her, then waited for her to blow her nose.

Avery dropped the used tissues into the trash. “Thanks for being here.”

“You know I’m always here for you.”

Kayleigh would be here any moment, which meant she had to get control of her emotions—at least for now.

“One last thing.” Her father took her hands in his. “You do what you do, because while it might not save the world, what you did today matters to Malaya, and it will matter for the rest of the girls when you find them. What you do matters, and that is why God has given you the courage to get out of bed every morning and face evil head-on.”

Avery nodded, trying to draw strength from his words. It might not be enough for right now, but later, when she had a chance to step back from the situation, his encouragement would give her something to hold on to. She blew her nose again, then took a deep breath.

Five minutes later, Kayleigh entered the room, the fatigue from the drive up from Columbus where she’d been visiting her brother coupled with worry about Mitch evident on her face.

“Kayleigh . . .”

“I got here as quickly as I could. My brother’s parking the car. How is he?”

Avery walked toward her, struggling for the right words, but she already knew Kayleigh could see it in her eyes.

Kayleigh shook her head. “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

Avery nodded. “I’m so, so sorry. They did everything they could to save him, but in the end . . . it just wasn’t enough.”

“His vest?” Kayleigh dropped onto one of the chairs. “I told him to wear his vest.”

“He was wearing it, and while they save many lives, sometimes it just isn’t enough.” Avery knelt down in front of her, knowing all too well what Kayleigh was experiencing. The shock numbed you, then the pain hit. Anger, depression . . . it could be a long time before acceptance finally settled in. “I’m so sorry. Mitch was like a brother to me. He was family.”

“I know.” She laughed in spite of the tears. “I was so jealous of you at first, he seemed to bring you up in every conversation. He looked up to you.”

“And he loved you.”

“I just can’t believe he’s gone.” Kayleigh stared at her hands twisting in her lap. “I found the perfect wedding dress online last week. I hadn’t even shown it to him yet. It had the most beautiful neckline with tiny beads sewn in . . . He’ll never see it. Never see me in it.”

“I’m so, so sorry, Kayleigh.” Avery felt a lump of emotion lodge in her throat. “He . . . he asked me to tell you how much he loved you before he died.”

“Thank you.” She grabbed for the box of tissues beside her, took one, and blotted her eyes. “It’s crazy, but in some ways I think he tried to prepare me for this day. I just always assumed that he’d be around for us to enjoy our honeymoon and, at the least, a few years of wedded bliss. He was a good guy who believed in what was good and right.”

“Which is what made him a good cop.”

Kayleigh blew her nose. “What about his parents?”

“They’re on a flight from Florida right now.”

“I never met them. We were planning to visit next month—Mitch had requested a week off. We thought we’d spend a day at Disney World, maybe a few days playing golf so I could get to know them. I was terrified, actually imagining one of those horrible meet-the-in-laws disasters. I told him that once. Now I’d do anything to spend that week with them.”

“They’re great people. I met them once. You’ll like them. They’ll be there for you, and I think that together you’ll be able to work through things.”

“I don’t know what to feel.” She shook her head. “I’ll meet Mitch’s parents and figure out what happens the next few days, then go stay with my brother and his family.”

“You’ll need them close.”

Kayleigh nodded.

Avery struggled for the right words. Nothing she could say could fix the situation. “Please, don’t hesitate to call if you need someone to talk to.”

“You’ll pray for me, won’t you?” Kayleigh fiddled with the strap of her purse. “I . . . I’ve never really gone to church, but right now I need something . . . anything.” “I already have been praying, along with our prayer team at church.”

“Kayleigh . . .” Her brother stopped in the doorway, the resemblance obvious.

Kayleigh started toward the door, then turned back to Avery. “I’ve got to go talk to my family. Thank you. For everything.”

Avery watched Kayleigh walk out of the room with her brother’s arm around her. Mitch was gone, and nothing any of them could do would bring him back. But she could find out the truth about what happened at the warehouse. Which for starters meant digging deeper into why Mason had really been there.