Page 30 of Girl Lost (The King Legacy #1)
THE DRIVE TO CORBIN’S HOUSE was quiet , punctuated only by the map program’s occasional directions.
Luna debated whether to tell him about Trinity.
The words hovered on the tip of her tongue , threatening to spill out at any moment .
But as she glanced over at his sleeping form, head resting against the window , she decided against it.
Let him rest. He had enough to deal with, including the meeting with the commissioner tomorrow. It could wait. She just hoped she wasn’t making another mistake by keeping silent.
At Corbin’s house, she parked his car in the garage and helped him out. Her arm went around his waist to guide him inside. He stumbled against her as they walked.
“Sorry.” He winced. “I’m so sore.”
“It’s been a long day.” She eased him down on the couch and arranged the pillows behind his back. “Let me get your medication and some water.”
“Cups are beside the fridge. There’s a filtered water faucet beside the regular one.”
She crossed the room to the kitchen where an island with white marble countertops dominated the area. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, walked to the sink in the island, and filled it with water.
Corbin’s place wasn’t the sparse bachelor pad she’d expected.
His home was warm. Cozy. Travertine tiles stretched across the open living space, softened by strategically placed rugs that tied the room together.
The furniture was light, accented with comfortable-looking chairs.
Pops of green brought life to the space.
Beyond the sliding glass doors, the pool glistened under the moonlight.
What really caught her eye were the plants. They were everywhere. Green, lush, and thriving.
Ferns cascaded from hanging baskets. Succulents lined windowsills. An impressive fiddle leaf fig stood proudly in one corner. Nothing like the sad little apartment where she’d lived in Pakistan. The few plants she’d attempted to keep alive had been little more than twigs in pots.
This ... this nurturing, almost domestic, side of him ... Corbin was different.
All those late-night study sessions, his brow furrowed in concentration as he pored over textbooks. The whispered promises of a future together, dreams spun sitting on the beach after their early morning run. Stolen kisses between classes, the thrill of young love filling her every waking moment.
This could have been their life together. Their home.
She handed him the water and perched on the ottoman. Pulled the pill bottles from the paper bag and read the tiny labels. Antibiotics. Pain meds.
She twisted the caps off, tapped out the correct doses, then held them out. “Here. Two antibiotics now, then one every twelve hours. And one of these for pain. Only if you need it.”
Their fingers brushed, and Luna felt a jolt of electricity that had nothing to do with Tasers or danger.
That was ridiculous. She shouldn’t be here.
Shouldn’t be letting those old feelings creep back in.
Corbin might have the domesticated life they’d always dreamed of, but it still didn’t erase the past. He might have wanted this, but he hadn’t wanted it with her.
“What are those?” He pointed to the third bottle.
“Antinausea meds. The painkillers can make you queasy.”
“Let’s skip those for now.” He swallowed the pills, chasing them with the last of the water. “Well, I’ve met my insurance deductible for the year. All in one day.” A weak smile. But at least he was trying to make light of it.
“Rest. The medication will kick in soon.” She leaned forward to take the empty glass from him. “Oh, we never ate. Can I make you something before I go?”
“I’m starved. But you don’t have to cook. There are some prepped meals in the fridge.”
Luna raised an eyebrow but went to investigate. The fridge was impressively well-stocked, unlike her own perpetually bare one. Glass containers with colored lids lined the shelves.
“What are all these?” She pulled out a container, examining the contents. Some kind of chicken dish, it looked like, with roasted vegetables on the side.
“Prepped meals. It’s the only way I can eat healthy with my schedule.” Corbin gestured with his chin toward the fridge. “Green containers are salads, blue are fish, red are steak, purple is comfort food.”
“You even color-coded them?”
He shrugged. “It makes it easier to grab and go. I don’t have time to think about what I’m eating when I’m running out the door.”
Okay, this was a level of organization that both impressed and intimidated her. It was ... attractive, in a way she hadn’t expected. This glimpse into his life. So organized and put together.
“What’ll you have?”
“Purple lid,” Corbin requested.
“What’s purple?”
“Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans.”
Luna grabbed two, deciding to join him. She microwaved their dinner according to his instructions. This new side of Corbin had really thrown her off her game. So domestic. So ... settled.
They ate side by side on the couch. The food was delicious.
Leagues better than the takeout and microwave meals Luna subsisted on.
The silence stretched, punctuated by the clinking of forks against glass containers.
The tension from the day began to ebb away, replaced by a comfortable familiarity that both soothed and unnerved her.
She’d decided to put talking about the bodies in the boat graveyard off until tomorrow, but sitting here beside him ... it couldn’t wait. She had to tell him her idea.
“While you were getting stitched up, I called Harlee. She told me something about Trinity.”
“What about her?” Corbin’s gaze snapped to hers as he forked a bite of meatloaf. All traces of drowsiness gone.
“The heart transplant last year was part of a clinical trial at Chiron BioInnovation Center.”
Corbin swallowed the lump of food. “A clinical trial?”
“Right.” Luna set her container on the coffee table. She couldn’t eat another bite. “And those attackers tonight, you said it yourself, they were professionals. So I started thinking—”
“Maybe they’re the ones putting those bodies in the—” He stopped. “Carlie. The girls in the graveyard. They were missing their organs. You don’t think...”
A healthy teen missing her organs. And a sick teenage girl who needed a transplant. “That Trinity could have one of those girls’ hearts.”
Corbin’s container clattered to the coffee table, joining hers. He reached for the bottle of antinausea pills. “Think I might need these after all.”
Their daughter. Trinity. The possibility. It was right there. She wanted to tell him. Needed to tell him. But not when this could all be nothing.
“Let’s not jump too far ahead. We’ll ask Dr. Santos in the morn ing. See if it’s even possible. Medically speaking. Besides, why would traffickers kidnap the commissioner’s daughter? They had to know that would bring heat.”
“Carlie was a troubled teenager with a history of running away and drug use. She also has a strained relationship with her father, feeling neglected. Vulnerability like that makes her an easy target.” Corbin swallowed the pill dry.
“And it’s possible the kidnappers didn’t know Carlie was the commissioner’s daughter. ”
Luna’s stomach tightened at his words. The description hit too close to home. Kids like that became easy prey because the world had already trained them to believe they weren’t loved. Too soon they became the throwaways. The forgotten ones. And society looked away while monsters circled.
“So they grab vulnerable girls no one will look for right away,” she said. “But Carlie threw them a curveball by being connected to someone important.”
“That could explain why Carlie went missing weeks ago. Kidnapped. Tested. A positive match. Held captive. Prepped for surgery.” He looked up, his gaze meeting hers. “And then...”
“Carlie’s heart beating in someone else’s chest.” And what if Trinity wasn’t the only recipient?
His hands went to his forehead, fingers massaging his temples. “How can I ever tell Commissioner Tinch?”
She touched his knee. “One step at a time”
He dropped his hands and nodded. “You’re right. And what if Stryker found out what they were doing? Could explain why he was kidnapped.”
Was that why Stryker insisted Luna come back to Millie Beach?
He wanted her skills to investigate? There was just one problem.
“Stryker has a gym full of LEOs. He has connections in every branch of the government—local and federal. There’s Tori, Harlee, Blade, Jett .
.. You.” She shook her head. “If he knew this was going on—even suspected it—he’d have told someone. Why didn’t he?”
Corbin bit his lower lip and fixed his gaze at a point in the distance. His brain had to be processing at warp speed. He looked at her. “He suspects corruption somewhere in the chain of command.”
It had crossed her mind a few times, hearing the commissioner so insistent to keep his missing daughter top secret. But if Tinch were involved, his daughter wouldn’t be a victim, would she? The next time she saw Commissioner Tinch, she’d study him closer and watch for signs of deception.
“We have a lot to think about, and you’ve got an early morning.” She collected their dishes and carried them to the sink. “Pick me up at Tori’s on your way?”
“You sure? It’ll be early. Around five thirty.”
“I’m used to working on little sleep.” She sat on the coffee table across from him. “I’m with you on this, Corbin. Not just for Stryker. For you.”
Corbin looked up at her. The pain medication had softened some of the lines around his eyes, but his focus was sharp as ever. “Thank you. I’m glad we’re partners. Glad you were there for me today. And honestly ... it’s good to have you back in my life.”
She met his gaze. All those years. Gone. She was a teenager again. Awkward. Hopeful.
Corbin reached out, gently sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed against her cheek. It was achingly familiar, yet thrillingly new. Good thing she was sitting because her knees would’ve buckled. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure he could hear it.
Somewhere between the gunshots and the quiet moments, something had shifted. She hadn’t meant to feel this way again. Hadn’t allowed herself to. But here she was, teetering on the edge. It had been only two days, but she could feel herself starting to fall for him all over again.
She leaned closer. Drawn to him. His hand reached up. Cupped the back of her neck and pulled her closer. The space between them shrank. Her eyes closed. Their breath mingled. Her heart filled with years of longing. Nights spent dreaming.
Their lips almost touched. Oh, how she wanted to close the remaining sliver between them. Erase everything with one ... kiss. One moment.
Corbin pulled back. His gaze dropped to his lap. “Luna, I ... I can’t.”
The spell shattered. Reality came crashing back.
All the years, the pain, the distance—it all rushed up, sharp as a blade. Another rejection.
What had she expected? That the scars of the past would vanish in a heartbeat? That he wanted the same life she once dreamed of sharing with him? She’d been a fool to hope things could be different this time.
Luna stood. Her legs wavered beneath her as she fought to hold herself together. She needed to leave. Now. Before the tears burning behind her eyes could fall. Before she said something she’d regret.
She grabbed her blazer from the back of a nearby chair, fumbling with the fabric as she tried to pull it on. Her hands shook. Blast it. She hadn’t been this off-kilter in years.
Luna’s carefully constructed walls crumbled around her. Years of training, of pushing aside personal feelings for the sake of the mission, vanished in an instant. The living room closed in. Warm lamplight caught on framed artwork and well-tended plants. A life built without her.
She strode toward the door. Just a few more seconds and she’d be out of here. She could lick her wounds in the privacy of a quiet Uber. Find a way to piece herself back together. Become the agent she was supposed to be.
Her fingers grazed the cool metal of the doorknob. Something made her stop.
She turned and looked back. “Good night, Corbin.” She surprised herself with the gentleness in her tone. “See you in the morning.”