Page 74 of Under Control

Carrick stood firm, staring his friend down—daring him to say it.

“Yeah, I paid Andriy a goddamn visit,” Carrick said, cold and hard. “Thanks for letting me know where he was.”

Delta’s expression grew incredulous. “I told you we would be putting lives in jeopardy if we acted on that intel. You told me it was to make sure your girl was safe. Itrustedyou.”

“I didn’t lie. You misunderstood,” Carrick sneered at him. “And maybe it’s time for you to cough up who the fuck is your intel source?”

It was the one question Carrick knew would have the effect he wanted. Delta backed off. Immediately, the man stepped away, crunching more on the broken glass. His face said it all.

“Doesn’t matter.” Delta exhaled, his eyes wild.

“You’re not getting it from your cop girl, are you?” Carrick growled, stepping forward, determined. “You’re bad news for her. She’s a good girl. Leave her alone.”

Aggression felt fucking good.

Delta bellowed, “That’s a little rich coming from you!”

Carrick cocked his head and threatened Delta to say more. He was just looking for a reason to fight.

Delta carried on, his voice breaking with anger as he stepped closer to his friend. “Are you fucking awake? Do you realize what you’ve done to your company?”

“I don’t give a shit,” Carrick countered, and he turned to glare out over the water again. “I did what I had to do.”

“You don’t give a shit?” Delta lashed out, now yelling. “Aside from the mob hits now on both of our heads, aside from the girl you’ve let run away, despite the threats she’s facing, let me get this straight. You don’t give a shit that we’ve got Petrov’s lawyers threatening to sue the shit out of you for breach of contract? You don’t give a shit that you’re at risk of losing millions? I don’t know if you remember, but the last time I saved your ass, I said it was going to be the last time.”

Carrick whipped toward his friend and snarled, “I remember a lot, buddy—too much. I don’t want to remember anymore.”

Delta looked down, kicking at the broken glass. “Yeah, that’s what you said when Lauren died—when you quit the SEALs and started drinking booze like water. And now, you’re hitting the bottle again?”

“I retired. I didn’t quit.” Carrick jumped forward, ready to punch his friend. “And it’s none of your damn business.”

“You need to wake up, brother. Life is moving on without you.” Delta lunged forward as well and pushed Carrick hard on the chest. But since they were both tall and strong, neither of them budged.

“You’ve been blind since the beginning,” Delta challenged. “Petrov used you. He didn’t want you to protect her. He wanted you to control her. And that’s exactly what you’ve done, isn’t it?”

Control her—the words hit the back of Carrick’s mind as he flexed his neck and shoulders, still wanting to punch someone. It hit a little too close to home.

“I told you not to try to save this girl,” Delta followed up, his fists up. “I told you this job was nothing but trouble. And here we are. You’ve fucked it up. You’re collapsing. And where is she? Where the fuckisshe, Carrick?”

Carrick heard the words, but he didn’t feel them. He wasnumb. They stared each other down, frustration and old problems rising to the raw surface of their friendship.

“She left,” Delta stated, leaving the words to linger in the stale air. “And so am I.”

Hearing the words, Carrick felt nothing. Whatever man he had once been, he was no more.

Delta turned and headed back down the stairs, furious as all hell. Not only had Carrick lost his girl, but he’d also lost his best friend. And the constant vibrating of his cell in his pocket told him that his problems were just about to climax.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Danica

“Just one ticket—Klamath Falls,” Danica replied in a sullen tone to the attendant at the train station kiosk, handing over her credit card. She’d just transferred in downtown LA to the long-distance line.

“Oregon?” The attendant swiped the card then typing into her terminal. “With the wildfires, expect the trip to take longer than the usual one day, three hours.”

“No problem,” Danica mumbled, holding her clutch wallet tight against her chest. An entire day stuck on the train was the last thing she needed, but her options had run out.

The attendant stopped typing, leaning back from the terminal with a confused face as she gripped Danica’s card. She looked back up at Danica, inquiring, “Do you have ID?”

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