Stuart had taken a shower and put on fresh clothes. His back was still sticky from not having toweled off all the way, and his hair was wetting the back of his collared T-shirt.
This must be what showing up for your first date ever felt like when the girl opened the door. Or her father. Maybe that was what happened in most young relationships.
Either way, he stepped into the common area and saw Kaylee. Her jaw flexed as she looked at him, probably remembering the fact he’d screamed in her face. When he’d been lying on the floor in a bad way. After she left, he’d had Dean inject him with a powerful, mind-altering drug. It was now nearly out of his system.
“Here.” Dean handed him a strong cup of coffee.
Stuart could smell it, and the liquid looked almost thick. “Did Zander brew this?”
The big man looked up from his laptop, open on the dining table. He never sat. The man was on his feet constantly from the time he woke up to the time he laid down to go to sleep. And for the five hours between, he was unconscious. Seriously, one time there’d been a massive storm that nearly pulled the whole roof off, and he’d slept through the whole thing.
“Drink it.” He went back to his computer and to a map he’d pulled up on the screen.
Stuart glanced between Dean and Kaylee. “What’s going on?”
Dean said, “We’ll get to that. How are you feeling?”
There was zero point lying, or pretending. Dean was his doctor. Though, not officially. “Shaky and hungry.”
Dean strode into the kitchen. “Like you have the munchies, or you’re so hungry you want to hurl?”
Stuart took the opportunity to move closer to Kaylee, who still hadn’t gotten up. She didn’t need to stand. But she also didn’t need to look at him like he might bite her head off at any moment. Then again, he’d strangled her and he’d yelled at her. He deserved her wariness.
He just didn’t like being a fresh source of fear for her.
Stuart slipped into a stool so he appeared less imposing. Not the one next to her, but close enough. “Both.”
Dean rummaged around in the back of the cupboard and found a packet of plain crackers no one else liked. How long they’d been there, no one knew. He slid it to him across the counter.
Stuart bit into the dry, salt-flavored nastiness. “Yum, thanks.”
Dean grinned.
“Seriously,” Stuart said. “Thank you.”
Dean only nodded.
He turned to Kaylee. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. And I’m sorry I yelled.”
She gave him a small smile, but that was all.
“Peppermint.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Not the reaction he’d been looking for, but it was something. “I didn’t want you to have to go through all that just to get the password.”
Stuart turned away from her. “Now we know.”
He wanted to ask where the flash drive was but didn’t think he’d be able to get the words out. Not with the memory of stabbing her brother so close. He could still feel the knife in his hands, the captor’s grip covering his. He looked down and realized he was thumbing the scar on the side of his knuckle, at the base of his pointer finger.
“Drink the coffee.”
Stuart sipped enough to clear his throat. He was the one she was supposed to give the flash drive to. That knowledge should’ve been enough, but it wasn’t. He’d hurt her. Physically and emotionally she was battered, probably as much as he felt right now having just gone through an experience as intense as the one he’d forced on himself downstairs. He could say he knew how she felt, but given he’d been the cause of it, he wasn’t going to commiserate with her. It wouldn’t comfort either of them.
He didn’t need to create more of a bond between the two of them when it was only a matter of time before he ended up destroying what they had between them. He’d done a fine job of screwing things up already.
Him and Kaylee? Stuart might care for her, but nothing was going to come of it.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Stuart spun to see Zander on his phone, his attention still on that computer screen.
“The images we got of the compound where Leland was held; pull it up for me and then share your screen, so I can see what you’ve got.” Zander paused. “Before that. The five or so minutes right before he leaves.” Another pause. “No, the other side of the compound. I wanna know what was happening.”
Stuart started to get up.
Dean said, “Sit back down,” and rounded the counter to head for Zander.
Kaylee turned in her seat. “What’s going on?”
“I second that question.” He shoved another cracker in his mouth since the nausea wasn’t going away. He didn’t like drugs at the best of times—at least, anything stronger than coffee. Mind-altering ones were worse.
“Thanks. That’s what I was looking for.” Zander hung up the phone. He pointed to something for Dean’s benefit. “Right there.”
Dean scratched at his jaw. “We missed that.”
“What is it?” Kaylee’s question was soft.
He twisted to her, sharing a moment in the quiet with both of them out of the loop. Then Dean said, “Stuart?”
He didn’t like the look on either man’s face. “Just spit it out.”
Zander said, “You’re in a fragile place.”
“You’ll find out how fragile I am next time we go a few rounds in the ring.”
Zander might be bigger with a right hook that made even the best guy feel like he’d been hit by an airplane, but Stuart was fast.
Dean said, “Guys.”
Stuart sobered.
“Kaylee,” Dean spoke tentatively. “We think Brad might be alive.”
Stuart nearly fell off the stool. “We left him there?!”
She looked at each of them in turn, a shell-shocked expression on her face. Dean came over to him, but Stuart didn’t need his help to stand. He leaned back against the breakfast bar. It brought him closer to Kaylee, close enough she could put her hand on his arm for just a second—before she realized what she was doing and dropped it.
“We didn’t leave him there.” Zander folded his arms, a power move that showed off his bulk. “He left before you did.”
Dean said, “The commotion you described might’ve been Brad causing mayhem so he could escape. He likely had no idea his actions made it so you got out as well.”
“We both got free?” Stuart tried to think it through. He was physically and mentally drained and had been before going downstairs. “They told me he was dead.”
“He would never have left without you,” Kaylee said. “Not when you guys were friends.” She paused. “And if he did escape, why would he not contact one of us. You got out months ago, right? Before you came here.”
“I came straight to Last Chance.” Stuart motioned to Dean and Zander. “These guys are the ones who got me out.” He turned to the two men. “She’s right. Why would he be free and not have at least called one of us?”
Zander shrugged. “I’m not a mind reader.” He brought the laptop over, showing Kaylee and Stuart the screen. “Brad walked out of that compound. He was in a firefight, and he was injured. But he got out.”
Kaylee gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
Stuart stared at the image of his friend on the screen. Even if it was a satellite picture, he knew it was Brad. “Why would he not have called?” The question was barely above a whisper.
Kaylee jumped off her stool and paced to the far end of the living room. The lines of her body were tense, but more than that, she was hurt. The people she cared about had either been killed or had abandoned her. Then Brad had gone and done his own brand of damage.
Stuart crossed the room, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He settled on arguing, “Maybe Brad isn’t able to contact you. He could’ve been captured again after that photo was taken.”
Only that meant Stuart had walked away from his friend when Brad still needed him and after he made it possible for Stuart to escape. And all that, after he’d stabbed the guy.
He didn’t like the idea, but it was possible.
Kaylee glanced aside, tears in her eyes. She didn’t even want to look at him right now.
Stuart turned to Dean. “We need to stay on point.”
Zander said, “I’ll put in a request, get my guy to comb this footage, and figure out where Brad went. Work out where he might be now.” He snatched up his phone and left the room.
After he’d gone, Dean said, “I need both of you to remember that you’re fragile right now. It’s not the time to lose sight of what needs to be done.”
Stuart turned to Kaylee. “We need that flash drive.”
She lifted her chin, but he saw it quiver a second before she pressed her lips together.
“Please.” He’d told her the password, but he needed her to give him her trust in return.
Finally, she said, “Peppermint was my mother’s favorite flavor.”
I want to help her. Only You know if that’s even possible. They were both hurt, but he knew down to his soul that God could heal anything. After all, he was standing here. Right? The fact Stuart was able to function on any level was a testament to the healing power God had, and the work He’d done through Dean’s assistance.
Stuart would be forever grateful to his friend and his Heavenly Father for helping him.
Would Kaylee ever let him in enough that Stuart could pay it forward with her? She deserved so much. He wanted to be the one to give it to her, but he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t hurt her in the process.
In the end, he realized he cared about her entirely too much. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Kaylee moved to the stool, gathered up her purse, and slipped both her phone and the file she’d been reading—the one about that missing girl—into it.
Zander came back in. “Okay, we’re on the Brad thing. The boys are on the sniper team, flushing out anyone else in town. Dean?”
“I’m headed to check on Conroy, and then I’ll go see Ted. Find out what’s happening there.”
Zander nodded.
Kaylee said, “Can you give me a ride back into town?”
Stuart started to move before he realized she was talking to Zander. He opened his mouth.
Zander cut him off. “Good idea.” He pulled a set of keys from a hook that Ellie had Dean mount on the wall near the kitchen doorway. Since then, their keys weren’t misplaced nearly as often.
“Kaylee?”
She turned to him. “Zander can keep me safe, right? He’s trained like the rest of you.”
Zander sucked in a breath, affronted.
“More so.” Stuart figured the guy could use a little ego stroking once in a while—until they got in the ring. “Am I not invited?”
“I think it’s better if I just go and get the flash drive.” She lifted her chin, her bravado undercut by the fact she hugged her purse to her front. “You probably need to rest. And I could use some space. I’ll be fine.”
He took a step toward her, not even knowing what to say. She was probably right. Truth be told, he could use a nap. But at a time like this? He wasn’t going to clock out before this was anywhere near over.
She scurried two steps toward Zander, and he realized she really was afraid of him.
Stuart froze.
He shifted his gaze to the big man, not needing to say anything to communicate his concern.
Zander nodded. “We’ll be good.”
Stuart hoped that was true. He trusted Zander, but this was Kaylee. Her safety meant more than any of theirs.
Kaylee didn’t even look at him. She followed Zander down the hall, and Stuart watched her do it. He just stood there and kicked himself as she walked away. Letting her go was for the best.
So why did he want to chase after her so badly?