Page 46 of Joshua's Mistake
Chapter 8
Sleep wasa long time coming and didn’t last long. Even Tessa’s steady breathing didn’t lull him back to sleep. The shit was about to hit the fan. He’d finally found the woman he was meant to spend his life with and they were likely going to be killed in the next twenty-four hours.
That was just his luck.
He kissed her bare shoulder, pulled on his shorts and got out of bed.
The lights were on in the main room of the house. Will was standing in the kitchen in front of the open refrigerator.
“It’s three in the morning, buddy. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Will shrugged and grabbed a bowl of grapes. He popped one in his mouth and put the bowl on the table. “I never could sleep the night before a mission.”
“Me either.” Joshua grabbed a handful of grapes and ate one at a time.
Will studied him for a long time.
Joshua hated that look.
Finally, his friend narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” Joshua lied. “I just couldn’t sleep.”
“No, that’s not it. You look as if you just buried your dog or something.”
“I thought I’m the psychic and you’re the sniper. Don’t try to analyze me.”
Will’s mouth was full of grapes. He chewed and swallowed. “It doesn’t take psi to figure you out. You’re pissy about something.”
He hated to say it out loud. What he was thinking was too terrible. “She’s going to get killed and I don’t think I can stop it.”
Will’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this way in all the years we’ve worked together. You always find a way to win.”
“Banta may be too strong. Who knows how much power he’s amassed? I may not be able to protect her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I may have brought this battle to you and all the others here in Key West and you all could be dead in a few hours.”
“We can take care of ourselves. We know the odds just like we do with every other mission. No one is forcing us to help you, Josh.”
“Look, if this is Banta then the odds are he’s set this entire thing up to get to me or maybe Kane. He’ll use her to hurt me the same way he’d use Lena to hurt Kane. Lena will go underground with the baby and her grandmother and stay safe…”
“But there’s no way you could talk Tessa into hiding.”
“Exactly.”
“She’s a Psi Agent, Josh. She’s tough and smart. I’m sure she can take care of herself.”
“It won’t matter. If Banta has found a way to gather and draw power from psychics, then there’s no telling what he’s capable of.” His gut tightened painfully.
The expression on his friend’s face was open-mouthed shock. “You really don’t think you can beat him.”
Joshua rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m saying we may all end up dead by this time tomorrow and if you wanted to take off for parts unknown I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Nah, I’m with you ‘til this is over.”
“Me too,” Tessa said from a few feet behind the two men.
