Page 98 of Burdens
Jamal huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, I think that applies to all of us,” he said, glancing over at Noah.
I laced my fingers with Noah’s hand, which dangled over my shoulder, and did the same, trying to read him after what had just transpired.
He hadn’t seemed fazed after pulling the trigger, but Noah always buried his emotions deep down, afraid to let anyone see them. Barerra’s death was all of our end goal, but he’d still been his father.
I hated my parents, but I had no idea what losing them permanently would do to me. Would I feel relief that they were finally gone for good or would I grieve their loss?
Noah met Jamal’s gaze, a calmness gracing his features. “Yeah, we can finally move on,” Noah added, a hint of relief in his voice. His body relaxed under my fingertips, and solace washed over me at that.
Nassim had a faint smile playing on his lips as his gaze drifted to me. “It’s been a long time coming.”
I gave him a curt nod of agreement. We’d been working toward this for almost two years and it was finally over.
As the reality sank in, a mix of emotions swirled within me. Relief and uncertainty both battled each other. On one hand, Iwasrelieved that our operation had ended with the outcome we’d worked for, but on the other, I felt a little lost.
For the last five years, I’d morphed myself into Ines Bensaid, a ruthless and unwavering hitmen who had reigned terror across the majority of Morocco’s regions.
But now that my assignment had concluded, I was faced with the daunting task of leaving this life behind and returning to a moral and structured routine at the Bureau.
I knew they’d offer me time off to adjust after being embedded in this world for so long, but I questioned whether I could rid myself of who I’d become.
Could I simply relentlessly work to erase it, or should I just accept it because, in some way, a part of Ines had become ingrained in me?
On top of that, another question nagged and lingered in the back of my mind even if it had no valid foundation because I knew Noah wouldn’t care. Still, I couldn’t shake this uncertain feeling about whether or not he’d love this new version of me.
While I’d find a way to move forward if he decided he couldn’t, I didn’t want to do life without him.
I wanted to do itwithhim.
“We should get going,” Valentina interjected as she finished typing whatever she had been, breaking the silence that had ensued and pulling me out of my thoughts.
She crouched down and slid her tablet into the bag. She then grabbed the duffel at her feet, only for Kai to step forward and take it from her. She pulled it back, silently indicating that she had it covered but he persisted, taking it from her regardless of her protests.
She groaned and rolled her eyes, before securing her sniper across her body, the gun on her back.
“We really should,” I began, shifting my attention to Nassim. “Do you need any help before we leave?”
He shook his head. “We should be able to manage, but I’ll be in touch.”
I gave Nassim a curt nod and glanced up at Noah, only to find him already watching me.
There was something special about the way he always looked at me and it made me feel…
Complete.
“I’ll be right back,” Noah said to me before planting a swift kiss on my forehead and moving his arm from over my shoulder.
It was only as he walked over to Jamal that I remembered Gabriel was still standing behind us. “Shit, I forgot,” I cursed, spinning around to face him.
But when I did, I found him frozen in place, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his eyes wide in disbelief as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, hurrying over to him, but he remained unresponsive, his gaze still fixed ahead. I grasped his bicep firmly, shaking him gently. “Gabriel, what’s wrong?” I urged, my heart racing with worry.
Still no response from him.
Concerned, I followed where Gabriel’s gaze was directed, only to find Valentina standing there with the same stunned expression mirrored on her features.
My brows furrowed in confusion.What the hell is going on?
