Page 20 of The Comeback Road (Leaving #2)
Lexie
I sank into the seat that the first-class accommodations provided with a sigh.
The feeling of relief at getting away overrode the anxiety about what the trip could possibly about.
I kept mulling over the last few jobs I had taken on, instead of just the last one, and if I was honest, they were boring and tame.
“Would you like some champagne?” the flight attendant asked, pulling me from my dissection of the past, and I nodded. The flight from Rockland to New York was barely an hour and a half, and I had a feeling I’d be pulled into whatever was going on right away.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.” I smiled at her as she walked off to check on the other passengers. For once, I was thankful for the loudness that came with traveling. Before I knew it, it lulled me to sleep.
◆◆◆
“ Now arriving… ”
Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I got up and collected my carry-on, internally dreading how long the baggage claim was going to take and preparing myself.
The next hour passed by in a flurry of deboarding and impatient passengers whose reason for traveling was far more important than anyone else’s.
Once I finally made it to where I was supposed to be, I was thoroughly annoyed and already missing the slow pace of a small town over the city.
“Well, if you aren’t a sight for sore eyes.”
Luke.
I couldn’t help but smile even as I was still shaking off the annoyance of traveling. “Hey, boss,” I shot back at him cheekily.
“I think we both know that’s not true. Let’s go.” He held his arm out for me, and I readily took it, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“How was the flight?” Luke asked as he put the car in reverse and started to make his way through the dreaded traffic the airport always amassed. I shrugged. “It was quick. I slept.” Even to me, my voice lacked its normal light airiness. It just sounded empty, void .
He cranked his neck to look at me, really taking me in “I thought Rockland was doing you good.”
“It was.”
“Was?”
“Why am I here?” I deflected, not wanting to talk about it. I wanted to bury myself in whatever the job was, and hope that, once I came out the other end, time and distance would have given me what I needed to move on and shut the door on Jace—and possibly Rockland—for good.
I didn’t want to leave Magnolia, but something in my chest cracked at seeing my empty room—the feeling that had started to take root when I went against who I was as a person and let myself fall for someone I knew was off-limits.
It dug and started to make its home when I let myself fall, ignoring all the red flags.
And it became permanent when I became who I promised myself I’d never be—the other woman, the placeholder .
I had to choke back the vomit that threatened to rise in my throat.
I couldn’t help the thoughts that kept playing on repeat whenever there was silence.
You flirted with someone’s husband. You kissed someone’s husband. You fell in love with someone who had a wife. You became your trauma.
I could feel the seeds of self-loathing and disgust start to take place, and I felt icky , unclean, and so damn unworthy.
“Earth to Lexie?”
I’d been so completely lost in my own mind that I hadn’t bothered trying to tune into whatever he was saying or pay attention to the fact that we didn’t seem to be heading toward the office. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere we can talk privately.”
Goosebumps spread out over my skin, not just at his words, but at the way he said them.
I just continued to look at him in mild confusion and alarm.
I couldn’t help it. What is going on? Before I could fully start to panic, we ended up in a random strip mall parking lot.
I turned to look at him while he kept his gaze focused straight ahead.
“We were informed by someone who works in the private sector that we had a mole.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I take it the source was credible.”
“Completely. There’s been an upheaval in a private security company called Kingston Securities that we’ve been made aware of. Ended up getting involved in some intense human trafficking cases. But we always seemed to be one step behind them. Now, we know why.”
“I still don’t really understand what this has to do with me?” The feeling of dread that seemed to be lurking in every corner lately was rearing its head.
“We need someone who can hack the computer system at the next location we found.”
“I’m not a hacker.”
He shot me a look of disbelief and cracked a smile. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter.”
“ Anymore. ”
“You’re our best option, what we found…It runs deep.” His smile turned into a deep frown, and I could see the worry written into every line. I could feel the desperation coming off of him in waves, no matter how hard he tried to mask it.
“I’m not trained for field operations.”
“There’s kids involved in this, Lex…Kids.
” He shuddered, and a choked sound came out.
I once again felt the bile rise in the back of my throat at the implication, knowing what it all meant.
“There’s a small team I trust. I’ve brought only independent contractors in, but the best of the best. Your only job will be to get into their system once we gain access and get whatever information you can.
You’re our best option at bypassing any security system they might have in place.
Considering how they seem to be one step ahead of us, I can only imagine.
Every time we get close, each place is completely cleared out or burned to the ground, and we are coming up empty. ”
I knew there was no way I’d turn him down. I’d never be able to live with myself. “Okay, when do the others arrive?”
“You’re the last. We were waiting on you.”