Page 34 of Shadow

The bed frame creaked as he shifted into a more comfortable position and thought about her observation. “It could, but it won’t. I promise.”

The truth was, he didn’t resent anyone for him being pushed out. But he was still wrestling with it. Military service and government work had been his entire life for nearly two decades. The fact that much of what he did he could never talk about made processing it all a little harder. Yes, there were government approved therapists he could see, but even that felt like he was spilling state secrets.

“So, you were pushed out?”

He sighed and pulled her closer. “I’m not allowed to talk much about it, Liv. But the short answer is yes. I didn’t mess up an op or anything, but someone who thought I did things a little too… unconventionally made their way to the top and decided my time was up. And that’s really all I can say.”

She nodded and laid her head against him again. “Your turn.”

“For a question?”

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “Yeah. You must have plenty. And I know I said I didn’t want to talk about him, but I’m sure you want to know some things.”

He brushed hair away from her forehead and kissed her. “I do. But you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

She huffed. “Just ask, Cannon.”

He gripped her chin. “Hey. Watch the attitude. I brought the brush with me. I’m just letting you know I don’t feel entitled to answers.”

She tore her gaze away from his. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I kind of turn into a bitch when I’m talking about him.”

“As long as you don’t have a problem with the fact that I want to punch something every time I think about him, we should be fine. How did you meet? You said it was a roundabout way.”

“After I got on the dating app, I started seeing a man who worked as a sous chef in Mario’s D.C. restaurant. I met Mario when he came in one night while I was eating dinner there. I found him interesting, and things were cooling off between me and the sous chef. Then I attended a mixology convention. Mario was teaching a workshop on cocktails and menu pairings, and I sat at the station right at the front, so he ended up using me as his assistant. When the workshop was over, he asked if he could buy me a drink.”

“And when you got married, he moved to D.C.?”

She laughed. “Not exactly. He rented a fancy apartment, and I moved into it. But he was gone more than he was home, kind of like you, only I knew his cell phone number. His absence was why I was so surprised that he made the divorce such a battle. I can’t prove it. Don’t want to prove it. But I’m sure he had a girlfriend the entire time we were married.”

That made Ripley want to smash something with his fist even more. The thought of anyone hurting her was enough to make him want to track the guy down and beat the shit out of him.

“Stop,” she whispered, cupping his jaw.

“Stop what?”

“Obsessing. I can see it in your eyes.”

He closed them and let the warmth from her hand soothe him. “Sorry. I warned you. What about the divorce was so painful?”

She sighed. “He tried to take my bar from me. Both of them. I was still in the buying phase of the second one when I decided I’d had enough. For some reason, he thought he was entitled to my stuff. But our finances stayed separate the entire marriage, so I was able to prove in court that he didn’t have a rightful claim to my property.”

“Peter said he got involved. What happened?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not sure I’m ready to answer that.”

He narrowed his eyes but did his best to remember he’d told her she didn’t have to answer anything she didn’t want to.

“OK. But you will tell me at some point.”

She nodded. “I will. If I ever decide, I want Mario dead. I’ll tell you.”

Ripley laughed but inside he was boiling mad. He knew he’d only hit her once, and that alone made him want to kill the man. If there was more, she was probably right not to tell him right now. “That bad, huh?” He pulled her close. “Baby girl, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.”

“I’m sure you were saving the world.”

He leaned over and picked up the remote. “Saving you should have always been my number one priority.”

They were silent for a minute as his admission hung between them. Then he cleared his throat and passed the remote to her. “Let’s find something to watch while we fall asleep.”

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