SATURDAY. AEGIS GROUP Safe House, Seattle, Washington.

Bethany closed the bedroom door. It didn’t help the tension between her shoulders. Kyle was still under the same roof with her. But he was no longer her focus. Megan was.

“Is he gone?” Faith asked.

“I saw Zain and Roger leaving, but I don’t know if that means they’re gone.” Bethany crossed the room to the side of the bed.

“I never liked that man.” Megan glared at the door. “Dad always called him. I could never stand him.”

“You knew him?” Bethany asked.

“I wish I didn’t. I don’t think he remembered me.” Megan slid down a little farther in the bed.

“How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” Faith perched on the edge of the bed.

“Shut the fuck up.” Megan glared at Faith. “You’re hovering.”

“It’s only because I care.” Faith smiled at their roommate.

“You’re being too fucking nice. Stop it.”

Faith recoiled, her face creased with lines.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Megan crammed the pillow behind her.

“I just—I’m glad you’re back, is all.” Faith shrugged but her face still looked like she was in pain.

“I think what Faith is trying to say is, we’re glad you’re back and we’re sorry we weren’t there to keep this from happening.” Bethany crossed to the other side of the big bed and sat on the vacant side.

“It’s not your fault this happened.” Megan stared at the comforter. “This is my dad’s fault.”

“Don’t say that. You can’t know who’s at fault here.” Bethany had watched the whole situation unfold, and she wasn’t sure any of them were at fault.

“My dad voted to keep this guy off the news. Without people knowing he was out there, how are they supposed to look for him? This is his fault. If he hadn’t let this guy get away, I would never have been kidnapped. Her house would not of been broken into. Faith would not of been attacked. None of us would be a target. The only reason we are roped into all this is because of my dad.”

“About your dad...” Faith glanced at Bethany. “I’m kind of jealous I didn’t get to meet him. You make him sound like the biggest ass hole on the planet.”

“He is.” Megan didn't seem as though she wanted to entertain the idea of her father being a decent person.

Bethany to know what to think about Megan's dad. Megan's whole family seemed like a complicated mess. But who was Bethany to judge?

“How the hell did you even know who my parents were?” Megan peered at Bethany.

“Oh, you listed them on your emergency contact information when we rented the house. I called our landlord and asked.” Truth was Bethany had her parents listed as her emergency contact as well. Besides the family she could no longer trust, these two women were all she had.

“Remind me to take them off,” Megan said.

“Not to change the subject or anything, but Kyle?” Faith asked.

“Kyle, that’s the one who busted Rogers balls?” Megan asked.

“Yeah, that would be Kyle.” Bethany examined her nails as if they were most fascinating thing of a room.

“Is this the same Kyle you've talked about in the past?” Faith seemed to forget her guilt where Megan was concerned and focused all of her attention on Bethany.

“The one with the shitty dad?” Megan asked.

“I may have mentioned Kyle a few times. And yes, he’d didn’t have the best dad. Mr. Martin passed away last week. When I didn’t know who else to ask for help, I thought Kyle might be able to give me some tips for where to look. I didn’t expect...all this.” Bethany couldn’t deny that Kyle had dropped everything to help her. She didn’t know how to repay him or if that was even possible.

Face leaned toward Megan, a conspiratorial smile on her face. “Bethany has a hickey on her thigh.”

“What?” Megan gaped at Bethany.

Oh shit.

Bethany closed her eyes.

“What’s with that face? I give you a high five if you would look at me.” Megan chuckled.

“It’s not what you think.” Or was it?

“It looked to me like you got laid,” Faith said.

“Yes, but —”

“She got laid hallelujah.” Megan slapped the bed.

“I hate you both right now.” Bethany stared at the wall behind face head, heat crawling up her cheeks. She hadn’t blush this much in years. It was all Kyle's fault.

“Hate me all you want, but I want details.” Faith was way too interested in Bethany's love life for her liking.

“Does this break her no dating rule?” Megan asked.

“Heck no. Kissing and sex is not dating. Besides, he doesn’t really seem like a Bethany’s type.”

“And what exactly is my type?” Bethany glared across the bed at Faith.

“Whoa, easy there. All I meant was that you seem to like nice guys. And not that Kyle isn’t nice, he’s just not nice guy material. I’m saying this all wrong, but if I had to pick someone for you, he’s not the person I’d pick.”

“I don't know.” One side of Megan's mouth screwed up. “I actually think he might be good for her. Especially without whole protective, do as I say thing he’s got going on.”

“So why are you pissed at him?” Faith asked.

“It’s not important,” Bethany said.

“Well, I don’t want to talk about being kidnapped so that really just leaves us with talking about your love life.” Megan seemed more like her old self without her typical grouchy attitude.

“This isn’t really the time to get into it.” Besides, Bethany didn't know what to think about the conversation they'd had in the car. She thought about it on the drive here, but she still didn't have any answers.

“I think now is the perfect time,” Megan said.

“Me, too.” Faith grinned at Bethany.

“Fine. What you want to know?” She rolled her eyes.

“This morning you were all blushing and glowing around him. Tonight you can barely look at him. What happened?”

Of course they’d pick up on that.

Bethany stared at her hands, examining her nails as she struggled to find the words to put them off the topic.

Except these were her closest friends.

If she was going to talk to anyone about it, she wanted it to be them.

“He said some things... We got talking about last night and I mentioned that I wasn’t supposed to be doing that sort of thing right now. He just threw out this whole thing about how he’s not a kind of guy I should be looking for, and I’m better off without him because he’s going to end up just like his dad. And if he’s going to end up just like his dad, what about me? I mean, most every guy I've dated has been terrible. If I’m going to believe what he says about him, what does that mean about me? Is this whole idea of taking a year to just be me pointless because every man I am attracted to is a bad apple?”

“We’ll that's a bunch of bull shit.” Faith shook her head.

“Oh, hell no.” Megan sat up and jabbed her finger at Bethany. “Who you dated in the past has no more bearing on who you are then who my parents are has on me.”

“It sounds like he pulled a real bitch move. I don’t know what his issues are, but he had no right to make you feel that way. My guess? He’s got his own baggage and shit to deal with, you guys had something, and he’s scared. When guys feel shit, they get stupid.”

Bethany stared at the comforter tracing the geometric pattern with her eyes. Kyle's father had just died. What he was going to do now was kind of like the months following when she left home. When she'd left her parents and Anthony, she’d been at a loss. She’d been angry and hurt, and definitely not the best version of herself.

For the last year that she’d been around Kyle, she felt like she knew him. Or at least part of him. The last days she’d seen him come out of a hard shell that he’d been hiding in for a year. The kinds of things he’d had to endure caring for his father were things she couldn’t begin to imagine. But deep down, he was a protect her. That was why he cared for his father, that was why he did what he did, that was why he was here. And now he was protecting her from himself. Because he thought he was another bad apple. Bad apples didn't care for fathers. Bad apples didn’t drop what they were doing to help someone else. Kyle was not a bad apple.

Kyle was one of the good guys.

Bethany slid off the bed and stood.

“I need to go talk to Kyle.”

“Give him hell,” Faith called after her.

KYLE STARED AT THE gear spread out on the bed. It was different than what their team normally carried on an opp. Typically their gear was about protecting the body. They didn’t care if they stuck out. In fact, sometimes it worked to their benefit if they looked intimidating. This time around, their gear was different. Instead of green body armor, their gear more about blending in and not drawing attention. Instead of sick, bulky tactical vests, the stuff they had was thinner and easier to wear under a T-shirt.

The gear wasn’t any less effective because it didn’t look intimidating. It would still do the job. But Kyle couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to put the girls in a steel box somewhere safe.

If he was really being honest with himself, he wanted Bethany away from this. So far she’d been shielded from the worst of everything, but he needs that couldn’t last. He couldn’t protect her from everything. Especially not him. He didn’t know how long they would have to be in this house, but it was going to be longer than his resolve could last.

He liked her. It wasn’t just that she had taken care of his dad, it was who she was. He’d stayed on his side of the proverbial line and watched her for over a year be the kindest human being he’d ever met. It didn’t matter what his dad said to her, the things he threw or anything else, smile at him and tell him she'd be back tomorrow. Kyle didn’t know if it was sweet or if she needed a lesson in self preservation.

The bedroom door swung open and the object of his focus walked into the room.

Bethany shoved the door shut with a side and glared at him.

Had she finally come to the same conclusion he did that last night was a mistake?

He reached up and muted his comm before either of them could speak.

“We have to talk.” She planted her hands on her hips. It was like the neon sign telling him he was in trouble.

The longer they went without having this conversation, the better.

“I was hoping to talk to you and the others. We spoke to the FBI earlier, and they're going to offer us help.” Kyle sat on the end of the bed.

“I don’t care about that.” Bethany shook her head. “What you said in the car is wrong and misinformed. There is no evidence that predisposes a person like you from growing to your father. Yes, hurting people hurt people, I know that. But you’re different. You aren’t like your dad, and pretending like you could be, that because of who your dad is that makes you damaged goods means I am too. I refuse to believe that what happened to you growing up, and what happened to me because of my ex-boyfriend, means we’re locked into this future. I don’t want that, I don’t believe that, and you have no reason to either. Everyone get second chances. We all have a choice in the matter. You can choose to be like your dad. From the looks of it, you've chosen already.”

Shit.

“I didn’t — that’s not what I meant.” Kyle stood.

“Really? Because that's what you said in the car.”

“You misunderstood.” As soon as those two words were out of his mouth knew they were a mistake.

“I misunderstood?” All the sweetness he’d seen in Bethany was gone. “What else did I misunderstand?”

“That’s not what I meant. Shit.” He shoved a hand through his hair.

“Well if you don’t know what’s going on how can I?”

“Bethany, that's not fair. You know what I meant.”

“And what you meant means you think I am just as damaged as you.” If she wasn’t so angry he’d call her beautiful the way she drew herself up and stared down at him. Bethany maybe sweet, but that didn’t mean she couldn't bite his head off.

“You aren’t. What happened to you was out of your control.”

“And having a dad who abused you was your choice?”

“Of course not. But it’s different.” It had to be. He had to have a reason to keep a distance between them. She didn’t see it, there were times when Kyle saw his father in himself. What happened if one day that part of him took over? What then?

“Bull shit.” Bethany took a step toward him and stopped.

“Bethany...”

“What happened between us was good. I’m not afraid to admit I wanted it. I should, because I know I’m not the best version of myself right now. But it doesn’t change the fact that we were good together. I refuse to accept your cheapened version of the truth. I am better than what happened to me. What happened to me does not define I am. You're choosing to let your father's action dictate who you are, then you're right. I don't want to be with someone like that.”

Kyle felt her words like a punch to his gut.

He wanted her in his life.

Against better judgment there it was.

He wanted her. And in his attempt to protect her from him, he’d hurt her.

“Beth? Shit.” He closed his eyes.

He never meant to make her feel like the fuck up here. He’d said what came to mind without regard to what she’d been through or how his words would make her feel. Maybe he should be alone. Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her. But she was here now.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Bethany stared at him as though she didn’t believe him.

“You’re right. I fucked up.” He glanced down at his hands and the scar on his wrist from that broken arm was almost invisible now. “I just... Sometimes I think about the past and I feel like I could be him.”

“He was your dad, but he also chose to be a shitty person to you. And your mom. It doesn’t mean you have to be like that. Being worried that you might be like him is what sets you apart.”

“When did you get so smart?”

“Therapy.” She smiled, but it faded fast. “When I left home, I went to one of those women’s shelters. They did group sessions.”

And he’d made her feel like that was all she’d ever be.

He was a dick.

His insides crumpled and if he could have smacked himself, he would have.

“Beth? I’m sorry.”

“For what? Being sorry is great an all, but what are you sorry for?” She wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

Good for her.

Bethany had fought for that backbone and she deserved to demand better.

“For what I said in the Jeep. For making you feel like... For being a jackass.”

“That’s a good start,” she said.

A start?

Was this how she managed his dad for the last year?

“I want you to be better. I want you to see yourself the way others see you, but you’re never going to separate yourself from your dad if you don’t try. You’re a good guy, Kyle. You’re better than the man who raised you. I bet your mom would be proud of you.” She took another step toward him.

She wasn’t running, and he’d tried to show her his worst.

He reached out, and she took his hand, threading their fingers together.

“I thought you had a rule about guys?” He tugged her closer still.

“Dating. I’ve got a rule about dating.”

“Oh, I see.”

That wasn’t what she’d said before, but he could work with this.

BETHANY SHOULD STILL be at least a little angry. Letting him off the hook this easy wasn’t doing either of them any favors, but he’d apologized so earnestly. Could she believe that?

She hated that she even had to ask herself that question. This was how Anthony ruined her. She couldn’t trust herself when it came to men. But Faith and Megan were on board with this idea so that had to mean something?

“I really am sorry, Beth.” Kyle’s hand stroked her back.

When had they gotten this close?

Just like last night it was as if she’d been pulled so far into his orbit that all her thoughts scattered. Everything kind of stopped and her whole focus became those lips that scar just below his nose, his eyes.

“It’s okay. This time. What you’ve been through? No one should have to go through that.”

“I had you,” he said.

“You know what I mean.” She ducked her head.

“I mean it. I wouldn’t have gotten through this last year without you.” His arm around her waist tightened bringing her in closer.

She laid her free hand on his chest and peered up at him. The Kyle she was growing to know was a kinder, gentler man despite what he’d lived through. Those were his choices even if he didn’t realize it yet.

He bent his head and pressed his lips to her brow.

Bethany closed her eyes, soaking up the touch.

They’d had each other, but not in a close, personal sense. Until now. She’d stayed on for him because when she saw him in those quiet, private moments when he didn’t know she was still there, she saw who he really was. He hadn’t asked her to do anything. In fact, they’d barely spoken unless she’d initiated a conversation and always about his dad. They’d both put the other in a neat, easily defined box to protect themselves out of fear.

She was afraid of repeating her mistakes.

He was afraid of becoming his father.

Kyle squeezed her, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

“We could be here a long time.” He leaned back and looked down at her. “I don’t want us to tip toe around each other. It’ll make our time here miserable.”

“I’m good if you’re good,” she said.

“Are you?” His unwavering stare was dialed up to intense again.

“What do you want me to say?”

“I’ve been attracted to you since the day you walked up the driveway. You had a pencil shoved in your bun. You don’t normally do that.”

“Oh.” She blinked at him.

That day was etched into her mind, but not for the same reasons.

She’d been running late because she had paused to cry in the car. A patient was close to the end. Some deaths hit her harder than others. She’d parked a few houses down to dry her face and try to get rid of the splotchy color. When she’d finally arrived, it was all she could do to not turn and run. He’d stood there, arms crossed over his chest with that stony stare.

“I’m going for honesty here,” he said.

“I didn’t like you anywhere near that fast. I think I went home after meeting you and told my roommates I was never going back.” It was a refrain she said at least once a month about someone, so harder to recall exactly.

“Ouch. Was Dad that bad?”

“It was you. You had that...look you get. The I’m-scary-and-intimidating look.”

“Damn.” He winced. “What made you stay?”

“I came back because my supervisor begged me to. I came by late that day.”

“After dinner. I was damn glad to see you. I thought you weren’t coming at all.”

“I think I sat in my car and gave myself a pep talk.” She chuckled. “Afterward I had to go to the car to get some forms they needed you to sign. I came back and saw you putting your dad to bed. He said something to you and you just took it in stride. That’s when I wondered if the look wasn’t for me, it was for him.”

Kyle’s face changed. It wasn’t an obvious change. He didn’t frown or glare at her. It was as if he drew himself up into a tight, little ball, leaving the rest of him cold.

“That’s when I realized we were kind of the same. I decided it didn’t matter what your dad did or said to me, I was going to stay on until the end. Because no one should have to go through that, but you didn’t get a choice. I know that sounds like...”

“Charity.”

“Yes, but—hurting people hurt people. I wanted to make the end easier for both of you. And along the way I realized you weren’t that scary guy. You were nice. Caring and compassionate, even for a man who didn’t deserve you. And sometime after realizing that I started to have a little crush on you.”

“A little one?”

“Hey, I’m not supposed to crush on anyone right now.”

He paused, his mouth open as if he were about to speak, but his gaze was distant.

“What?” she asked.

“I want to continue having this conversation, but...” He pointed at his ear. “I’ve got to go do my job. You can come to the office with me if you want. I’m on shift with Shane until two.”

“Oh.” She pulled her arms from around his waist. They weren’t just two people ironing out the wrinkles between them.

Kyle cupped her face in his hand and lifted her chin. He pressed his mouth to hers in a warm, soft kiss. She sighed and leaned into it.

A kiss didn’t break the rules according to the others. It wasn’t a date.