Ghostwalker 08 - Street Game

fingertips to her eyes and sat in silence, wishing she was alone again.

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CHAPTER 9

    Mack stood at the window and stared down into the choppy, white foam-tipped waves as the water lapped at the pier below. Jaimie had left him, all right, but she’d put herself in harm’s way because she felt she had to protect them all. He swallowed the lump blocking his throat. That was exactly what Jaimie would do—go after anyone she thought was harming her family. He should have known. Kane had known, but Kane hadn’t come to him. Was he really so arrogant and stubborn that he wouldn’t listen to the people he cared about most?
    He had been so hurt when she left him. He’d been stunned—shocked. Totally caught off guard. And with him, hurt always manifested itself in anger. He’d come home and she was gone. She’d left him with nothing. He hadn’t considered that he would ever be without her. That he would go to bed and not be able to sleep. That he would hate his empty house. That he would listen for the sound of her laughter. He hadn’t realized how often he turned to her to discuss every topic, how much he relied on her knowledge. Jaimie had been as much a part of him as his breathing. And then she was gone and he hadn’t understood why.
    Mack pushed a hand through his hair, a little surprised to realize it was unsteady.
    Stupid pride hadn’t allowed him to run after her. That was all it had been. Pride. Ego.
    Jaimie was supposed to worship him, and he hadn’t wanted to believe she could make it on her own without him. He was certain she would come back—only she hadn’t.
    She’d gone her own way and, worse, she hadn’t contacted him to let her know where she was. That was painful too, to have to search and go through channels, so everyone had known he’d been frantic, had known he needed to keep a hand on her. That had been humiliating in itself. Sergeant Major had called him in twice and asked him if he could still do his job.
    He shook his head. He should have handled things differently. She’d been so traumatized the night of that first interaction with Doomsday. He’d felt so guilty, recognizing that everyone who mattered to him could have been killed. As it was, three had been badly wounded. He had been directly responsible. Jaimie freaking out on him, ranting about conspiracies, hadn’t made sense at that time. He was wallowing in guilt, desperate to get medical aid for everyone, including Jaimie. She’d been a mess, her brain bleeding. He’d been certain he was going to lose her too. He’d wanted her quiet.
    Mack shook his head, pressing his fingertips to his eyes, unable to even recall exactly what he’d said to her. When she’d fallen silent, he’d been happy, not alarmed.
    Not warned. And then that quiet question, “Where are we even going with this relationship, Mack? Home? Family? Children? The whole thing is based on trust.”
    He’d heard children. He’d asked her if she was pregnant. Her expression should have been a warning sign, but damn it all, she was bleeding from her mouth and nose.
    Even her ears. His mind shut down, refusing to let the image back into his head. He 124

    was responsible for that too. What the hell had any of it had to do with a botched mission and wounded men?
    He turned abruptly. “Kane. You and Javier finish making that lasagna while I go talk to her. She’d be upset if all that went to waste.”
    “Whoa there, boss man.” Kane drew back, both hands in the air. “I agree you need to talk to her, but I don’t cook. And this is everyone’s favorite. If I mess it up, one of them is likely to shoot me.”
    “If she cries because it isn’t done, I’ll shoot you myself.”
    Javier grinned at Kane and shrugged his shoulders. “Guess we’re cooking.
    Doesn’t this thing have cheese in it?”
    “She has all the ingredients right there. I think the two of you can figure it out.”
    “Why is it you always get the girl, Top?” Javier asked.
    “Because you’re still wet behind the ears,” Mack said.
    Kane gingerly picked up a large spoon and stirred the sauce. “It smells good. We probably could shred the noodles and just make spaghetti.”
    Mack paused at the top of the stairs and glared at them. “You can make lasagna.”
    Kane winked at Javier. “You got it, boss man.”
    “She went down to the first floor to be alone, Mack, but don’t count on her staying there. She’ll be back rigging her computers again. She won’t be able to let