Page 52 of Sniper

Guilt turned my stomach to acid. This was all my fault. I reacted like an overheated dickhead and in response, she ran away. Again. It never occurred to me that she would leave and now that she was gone, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about the worst. “I gave him the fucking perfect chance.” I shook my head. “He’s been watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and I sent her running out into the world alone and without protection.”

“You fucked up,” Rocky agreed. “But beating yourself up about it right now ain’t exactly gonna help us find Katey, is it?”

“No,” I answered, still sulking.

“Then put that shit on the backburner so we can focus on finding your woman.”

I could do that. Compartmentalizing was my specialty. It was the only way to focus on a mission. You couldn’t think clearly if you thought too hard about what a kidnapped soldier was going through. Emotions clouded things so the best thing I could do for Katey right now was to focus on finding her.

Whether she hated me or not.

Chapter Thirty-One

Katey

Iwas exhausted. Not just the way that people say they’re exhausted when they really mean they’re just tired. Oh no, I’d logged the symptoms—tired and aching muscles, headache, slowed reflexes, and possibly impaired judgment—and I diagnosed myself. Not that it took a medical genius to figure it out. I hadn’t slept for the past three days, moving from cheap motel to cheap motel could do that to a girl. Which, including the night Sniper didn’t come back to our room, pretty much put me at about ten hours sleep for the past ninety six hours.

So yeah, I was exhausted.

On top of the stress of jumping and holding my breath every time a car pulled into the parking lot, I was low on food and cash. Hungry and exhausted, was a terrible combination especially when you’re on the run. Or a sitting duck. At this point I wasn’t sure what I was. I considered calling Cal, but I couldn’t bring him into this.

He’d get my letter when the time was right.

Tears pricked my eyes just thinking about my brother and how devastated he would be if I didn’t make it out of this. He would blame himself, which he shouldn’t, but he’d always felt responsible for me. I made sure he knew that this was my fault, my choice, and my problem.

He was probably worried sick right now. I was sure Sniper had gone to Cal with the letter I’d left for him, and hewas probably already beating himself over my actions. Again. I promised myself I’d make it up to him if I survived Ethan, and then I tried to sleep.

Tried and failed.

Soon enough the sun began to rise and though much of it didn’t filter in through the old polyester curtains, just enough came in to tell me what time of day it was. Early morning. A few of the people in this hotel were long term residents and they were responsible for the slamming car doors and low hum of music in the parking lot. The highway just beyond provided a low but steady hum. It was too early to be up if you didn’t have someplace to be, but it wasn’t as if I could get any sleep with the noise outside my room.

I stayed in bed and under the covers even though the hope for sleep was nothing but a distant fantasy. The warm cocoon of the blanket gave me an illusion of safety that I wasn’t too exhausted to believe, but I remained on my back with my eyes glued to the ceiling. Time moved but I wasn’t aware of how much time had passed because the blinds remained closed, and the highway symphony was near constant. It could be noon or ten at night and I would never know.

What did it matter anyway? I knew it was only a matter of time before Ethan found me. I used cash for the rooms and the food at the gas station, and I turned my phone off when I wasn’t using it. I had no idea how Ethan kept finding me, so I covered my tracks the best I could.

Lying in bed did nothing to keep my heart rate under control. I was still an anxious mess but with nothing else to do, I opted to stay in bed and think. Overthink. Obsess.

A rapid knock sounded on the door, and I froze under the blanket. My breath stopped and I strained my ears to listen for any signs of trouble. A full minute passed before another knock sounded, this one a fist banging on the door.

Ignore it, I told myself as another round of knocking began. They would go away eventually. But after the fourth round of knocking I slowly crept from the bed and knelt beside it. I reached inside my backpack until I found the wooden box from Sniper, and pulled out the gun before loading it and getting to my feet. My heart raced so fast I was dizzy with fear and anticipation.

Standing about five feet from the door, I raised my gun and aimed it.

“Katey open up, dammit. I know you’re in there.” Sniper was here.

I had questions. So many questions, the first was how the hell had he found me? I weighed my options while I stared at the door. The last thing I wanted was to keep fighting with him over things that couldn’t be changed, but I also couldn’t face him knowing the truth of my feelings for him. I needed time and distance to avoid making another massive mistake.

I needed to be careful, that was all. I tucked the gun into the back of my belt and walked to the door as if I was walking the plank. I checked the peephole just to be sure and then I slowly unlocked the door. The minute it opened Sniper rushed past me, nearly shoulder checking me in the process. “Sure, come on in.” My voice was low, barely above a whisper.

Sniper turned to face me, and I gasped at the sight. His facial hair was overgrown, his eyes looked tired, and his short hair shot up in all directions. “I’m sorry Katey. I’m so sorry.” Hescrubbed one hand over his face while his other hand remained fisted at his side.

I waved away his words. “You don’t need to apologize. It doesn’t matter.”

His brows dipped as his face darkened to a frown. “It damn well does matter,” he shot back angrily.

“No Sniper, it doesn’t. I’m dealing with this the way I should have from the beginning. On my own.” I folded my arms around my waist. “I was scared and not thinking clearly when I called Cal for help. I shouldn’t have. It was a mistake.”

“Because we had a fight?”

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