Page 24 of No More Spies

“What do you mean friendly? We’re friends. You’ve been mybest friend. That’s what I figured out.”

“That’s the guilt talking, and that’s why it’s best we don’tspend time together for a while.” She held a hand up as though to tell him tostay where he was. “Not forever, of course. I’ll see you at parties. Well, thefamily ones. You can let your friends know I won’t be crashing again. I can seewhere that would be annoying, and I’m sorry about it.”

He didn’t know how to process what she was saying. “Theyaren’t my friends. They’re people I hang out with. You were right about that.Come on, Kala. Let’s go and sit and talk.”

If he could get close to her, get his hands on her, he couldconvince her. He would ease her into a kiss. She always wrapped herself aroundhim and made him breathless. She made him feel strong and sure and true.

He was a bit lost without her.

For a half a second he thought he had her. Then the bellrang and she seemed to shake off whatever she’d been thinking. “Nope. Like Isaid, we can be friendly, but I need space and you’ll be happier in the longrun, too. Ask your mom about trauma responses. She’ll explain.”

“Caring about you is not a trauma response,” he shot back,frustration welling. “Is this punishment?”

Her eyes narrowed, and he saw a spark of the fire that hadalways drawn him in. “Did you do it, Coop? Did you find a way to make me thebad guy here? I wasn’t trying to get out of the role, you know. It’s beenpointed out to me that it’s my place in the world. The good news? You’re goingto escape my clutches.”

Now this he could work with. Sort of. “I never said I wantedout of your clutches.”

“Then we were at two different meetings the other night.”She took a long breath. “I promised I wouldn’t do this. I’m done talking. Benice. Don’t be nice. It’s not my problem. Have a good day.”

He reached out for her, grabbing her elbow.

And then suddenly he couldn’t breathe because he was flat onhis back, staring up at the sun and trying to cup his balls. Fuck, that hadhurt. She’d kicked back and then pulled his arm and somehow flipped him.

She stared down at him, her head blocking the sun. “I’msorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m…I’m twitchy since the incident. Are youokay?”

No. Not in any way. “Unblock me and let me in when I come toyour place tonight and then I’ll be okay.”

Her expression shuttered, and he could see the hurt on herface. But then it was replaced with the blank look she got when she dealt withpeople she didn’t like. People who were unkind to her. She put her wall up.

He’d never been on the other side of that wall. He didn’tlike it.

“Good-bye, Cooper.” She turned and walked away.

He stared at the brilliant blue sky. Shouldn’t it be rainingor something? Shouldn’t the weather know how dark he felt in that moment?

When the bell rang again, he forced himself up, brushed offhis clothes, and started toward class. They had one together. He would startworking on her there.

She couldn’t shut him out forever.

Part Two

This Night

Chapter Five

Dallas, TX

Twelve Years Later

“Kala, you went through something traumatic.”

Kala bit back a groan and wished her father wasn’t soinvested in freaking therapy. “I like to call it Tuesday, Lena.”

The therapist sighed and sat back. Lena Gallagher didn’tnormally work in Dallas. She wasn’t an everyday, ordinary therapist working atthe Ferguson Clinic, though for the last week she’d held sessions here.

Because apparently the Agency was worried their experimentalteam was twelve kinds of fucked up after their last mission.

No lies there. It had been a lot.