54. daegan

TWO MONTHS LATER

54

DAEGAN

Stella and I officially divorced. I am fully healed and cleared to go back to work. Everything is back to normal. I'm set to deploy soon as the head sniper and go back out on missions with my team. This time, we're all going back out together. Grim, Cobra, Texas, and Bane.

Everything is falling back into place…except that I haven't seen Alessia since I held her in my arms as I bled out. I've gone to her house and her mother's and even asked if Ravenmore knew where she was. But no one will tell me. They don't want me in her life.

I can't find her. She won't answer her phone, and she has no social media presence. So, I've asked Graves to help me.

Ever since she left me, I've been wanting to do something I've been holding off since my mother's passing. My faith has been tested over and over all my life. But she makes me want to start praying again.

I close the door to my guest room. Everything has been emptied out. All the photos of when I looked into her when she was first assigned to me are gone. Still, I carry the piece of her hair in my pocket.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, my heart jolts, and my chest tightens. Every time my phone alerts me, I'm a frantic mess, hoping I see Alessia's name pop up. She needs time, I get that. I'll give her time, but I need to see with my own eyes that she's okay.

I stop in my tracks after putting the last photo of Alessia in my drawer. I pull it out, and Grave's name reflects back. I sigh with a hint of disappointment and hit the green button.

"What's up?"

"I got Gabe, and he's singing like a damn canary."

Sure enough, I can hear Gabe's screams of agony in the background as Graves chuckles darkly.

"Keep it down, will you? I'm on the phone with the person you failed to kill." Graves shouts in the distance. My step-brother and I have the same humor.

A big weight comes off my shoulders. I roll my shoulders and swing my neck side-to-side until the bones pop. Motherfucker will rot in prison now. Still, I'm quiet, and my silence always speaks volumes to my step-brother.

"Do you want a piece of him before I turn him over to the police?"

I hesitate.

The thought of getting a hold of Gabe is thrilling and vengeful, but I don't want to give any more time to hatred. I'm saving it all. I'm saving all my energy until I see Alessia again.

"No."

I'm about to hang up, letting it almost fall off my ear, but then he encapsulates my full attention again when he shouts.

"Daegan, don't hang up…I also found Alessia."