“She treasured it, son.” His dad’s voice was raw with the same emotions swirling through him.
When the man stood, Sinjin rose too and let the guy pull him in for a tight hug. “I never wanted to disappoint you, Sinjin. I just wanted to honor your mother.”
He swallowed and hugged his father back. “I see that now, Dad. I’m sorry. I wish I’d realized it sooner. I’ve been such an ass. I’m sorry.”
“You always were stubborn like me,” his dad joked, drawing back and swiping the tears from his face like Sinjin. “It’s a cross we bear.”
Nodding, he chuckled and retook his seat, feeling as if a seventy-pound load had disappeared from his shoulders. He knew not everything was fixed, that he and his father still had a lot of years and baggage to get through, but they were definitely on the right path and in a much better place.
“So, what made you come to see me?”
“Not a what, a who.” Warmth seeped into his chest and eased the stiffness from his shoulders and spine. “Isla.”
“Ahh, yes. Isla,” his dad said, and it took Sinjin a second to remember that she’d gone after his father and had talked to him. “She’s a good woman, son. Her eyes tell a story, though. She’s been through our hell, hasn’t she?”
He nodded and told his father about the mall shooting and about her father.
His dad closed his eyes a moment then opened them. “Never more grateful that I listened to your mother. Just sorry that Isla’s father couldn’t see past his grief.”
Sinjin nodded then frowned when his phone vibrated in his pocket and the ringtone echoed through the kitchen. Maybe it was Isla. His frown turned upside down…until he saw Hunter’s name on the screen.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, unease already clamping down on his recently vacated shoulders.
“Turn on the TV,” his buddy said.
Sinjin glanced at the screen behind his father and his heart lurched as the live feed of the Harland County Hospital and Active Shooter headline on the ticker at the bottom of the screen.
“Wait, it’s Sunday,” he said to Hunter, placing him on speaker because his damn hands were shaking. “Her clinicals are on Fridays. Isla is at home working on her assessment. I’m in El Paso. Can you go get her and take her to ESI?”
The place was built for lockdown. No one could get in once Carter’s protocols were put into place. Well, no one except maybe him…and Hunter, but that was due to their extra training from the colonel.
“I’ll use my dad’s phone and tell her you’re coming,” he said, already reaching for the phone his father held out to him.
“Don’t bother,” Hunter replied. “Sheisat the hospital, Sinjin. Lyndsey told us. Apparently, she went there to pick up a recommendation or something. We’ve got all the women up in Carter’s fortress. Gabe is on the scene, of course. So is Mac, and I’m heading there now.”
And he was three fucking hours away.
“Wait. Can you have Mac fly his bird to El Paso to get me?” His boss was an ace when it came to helicopters, and even owned a beauty that ESI used for certain jobs.
“No need,” his dad said, rising to his feet, phone back in his hand. “Station has a chopper. We’ll get you there. You’ll get to your woman.”
“Okay,” Hunter said, having heard the conversation. “Then I’ll see you when you arrive.”
Sinjin took his friend off the speaker and shoved the phone to his ear as he raced out the door behind his father. “Hunter, get eyes on the shooter. You know what to do.”
“Roger that,” his buddy replied before the line went dead.
He didn’t care who took the person or persons out, he just wanted to get to Isla. This wasn’t about slaying monsters. No, it was about keeping Isa safe.
That line of thinking was new, and it was thanks to her.
Damn, he should be there with her. Why hadn’t he waitedon her doorstep last night? Then he would’ve been with her this morning and possibly would’ve gone with her to the hospital.
“Don’t play thewhat ifs, son. They’ll eat you up. You know that.” His father’s voice came through the headset as they flew toward Harland County a little while later. His father rode shotgun next to the pilot while Sinjin sat in the back, chomping at the bit, feeling helpless. Useless.
He was grateful his father had pull and good friends in the department. And a chopper waiting for them when they arrived.
He knew the man was right about playing thewhat ifgame.
