Page 41 of Crossover
My entire body hurt, like my failure had infected every joint, every muscle.
“Why do you care so much if I stay with Ivy?” I wondered aloud.
Jace sighed. “Two reasons.”
Always with the bullet points, this guy. He couldn’t shake the CEO from his personality if his life depended on it.
“First, I’ve never seen you care about anyone like this before. Quitting?—”
“I’m not quitting. I’m doing the right thing.”
“Leavingthe only person behind who you’ve ever cared about…” Jace shook his head. “It can’t be the right answer.”
“She’s better off without me.”
“Second reason.” Jace shifted in his seat. “If you take off now and you leave her in the hands of the security team and something happens to her…you will never forgive yourself.”
True, but, “I’ll never forgive myself for killing her father.”
“This is different, and you know it.”
He was right. Itwasdifferent. But that didn’t change the fact that Ivy shouldn’t have to endure my presence after what I’d done.
Yet, after all the pain I’d caused her, the least I could do was use my skills and CIA knowledge to protect her and her mother. I’d be better equipped than any security guard to identify potential threats.
Ivy had become my sole purpose, and I had to find a way to keep her safe. But how could I protect her without causing her any more pain when she never wanted to see me again?
After taking several slow sips of my drink, I pinched the bridge of my nose, realizing what I’d need to do.
22
IVY
“Mom, get dressed. We’re leaving.”
The hotel room felt oppressively small as I knocked on the bathroom door, my heart pounding.
The door creaked open, and Mom emerged, a thin white towel clutched around her chest. Her eyes, a mirror of my own, were bloodshot and puffy.
“What?” Mom asked.
“We need to leave. Now. Get dressed.”
I thought about calling 911 for help to escape Daniel, but I didn’t understand how the CIA worked. Did they have taps on all governmental departments? If we called the police and told them where we were, would that basically send a memo to the CIA where we were hiding? Which would go straight to Daniel?
I didn’t know. And suddenly, Grayson’s absence left a gaping hole that he could probably answer for me.
Irony was a vengeful bitch, but I had a plan to keep us safe.
“You still haven’t told me exactly what’s going on,” Mom accused.
True.
Duringoperation calm Mother down,I’d only given her the broad strokes—that we’d nearly died and that her ex, Steve, wasreally a man named Daniel Murphy. That he was with the CIA and was Grayson’s boss.
As it turned out, Mom had no idea Steve was actually Daniel, nor that he was CIA.
I was still processing it all myself.