Page 78 of Girl Lost

The silent understanding in his eyes was almost enough to make her forget the years of hurt, the distance, the walls she’d built around her heart.

Almost.

“So, what now?” He looked at her, his gaze searching, hopeful. “Where do we go from here?”

“We have a case to solve.”

He reached for her as if to hold her, but he sucked air between his teeth. “Ouch. Can’t lean that way.”

She studied him now. His face was pale, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Are you okay?”

He leaned back in his seat, his hand going to his side. “I don’t know, Luna. I’m feeling a little run down.”

She put her wrist to his forehead. Warm. “Did you take your antibiotics?”

He shook his head. “Forgot.”

Her concern overrode her desire to finish the stakeout. Corbin could call in another unit to sit here all day. “Come on, hero. We need to get you home. You need some real rest. We can’t afford you getting an infection. We have plans tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he repeated. “We go in undercover.”

27

CORBIN EASEDHIS CARto a stop in front of Tori’s house. What was he doing here at this absurd hour? Luna would probably murder him for showing up unannounced. If she was even awake. But the moment he’d openedhis eyes that morning, he knew he couldn’t wait another second to talk to her. To explain. The truthhad been eating away at him for far too long,and he had to clear the air between them beforethey risked their lives going undercover.

He killed the engine and sat there staring at the front door. This was stupid. Reckless, even. They had a high-stakes undercover operation to prepare for, and here he was, ready to dredge up ancient history.

But if he didn’t tell her now, would he ever?

He climbed out of the car, biting back a groan as his stitches pulled. The salt-tinged air filled his lungs. He approached Tori’s front door, his feet feeling heavier with each step. Before he could knock, it swung open.

Luna stood there, dressed in running shorts and a lightweight jacket, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. His heart skipped a beat. Even now, after everything, she still took his breath away.

Her face paled, and her hand flew to her chest. “Is it ... Stryker? Is he—”

“No, no, it’s not about Stryker. We don’t have an update on him yet.”

“You scared me half to death.” She dropped her hands and stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her. “Although, I don’t know if I should be relieved or not.”

He couldn’t blame her. In their line of work, no news wasn’t necessarily good news. “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you.”

A gentle breeze caught Luna’s hair and blew strands across her forehead. She scraped them back and tucked them behind her ears. “So, what are you doing here so early?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” A half-truth. His restless night had little to do with insomnia and everything to do with the woman standing before him, but the pathetic excuse was all he could muster. “What about you? What are you doing outside at this hour?”

Luna’s dark eyes searched his face, and he fought the urge to look away. What did she see when she looked at him? The boy who’d abandoned her? Or the man he was trying to become?

“I was about to go for a run on the beach. Want to join me?”

Run? His body screamed in protest at the mere thought. Not just the stitches and his sore ribs. When was the last time he’d slept more than a few hours? But the idea of spending time with Luna ... “I’m pretty beat, but if you don’t mind walking...”

“I was teasing about the run,” Luna said. “Probably you shouldn’t run with stitches in your side.”

“I don’t think I could if I tried.” He followed her down the steps.

“How about a nice slow walk?”

“That I can do,” he said. “Let me throw my shirt in the car.”