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 What if no one cares? What if we tell the truth and it s brushed under the rug?
Gates nodded slowly.  Scoot over.
When he d made as much room on the bed as possible, Gates lay down next to him
and pulled him into a loose embrace.  I care. Your dad cares. And together we ll make
the universe care. He kissed Julian on the temple lightly.  We ll keep talking to
anyone who ll listen until they do.
The reassurance was just what he needed to hear to drift off into a light sleep. He
didn t feel anywhere near rested when he woke up the next morning though. His
muscles were tight with nervous energy and his heart beat fast enough that he was both
lightheaded and sick to his stomach.
 You ready for today? The languid warmth of sleep held in Gates voice made
Julian want to snuggle back into to his chest and spend the day in his arms. But that
wasn t meant to be.
 Yes. Of course it was a lie. He couldn t tell Gates the truth. He doubted he d ever
really be ready for what he was about to do.
Gates must have sensed something, however, because he lifted Julian s chin up
until his mouth was just a breath away from Gates .  We ll make it through this just
fine. I promise. The kiss was soft but it held the warmth of his promise and that was
enough.
They got out of bed and had time to shower and dress before an escort showed up.
He and Gates followed the young soldier down the long corridors in silence. There
really wasn t anything left to say. Except, of course, declaring the reason his heart raced
whenever Gates was near. And he wasn t sure he was ready to do that. Not just yet at
least.
 Thank you. The words slipped out of Julian just as they stopped in front of a
closed door.
 You don t owe me any gratitude. Gates looked away from him before pinching
the bridge of his nose.  This is all my fault. If I d done my job 
He couldn t let Gates finish that sentence.  You did your job. He placed his hand
on Gates shoulder.  And you did everything you could to protect us.
 It wasn t enough.
There probably wasn t any point in arguing with him. He d lost a team. Julian
couldn t change that. But he could put it into perspective.  We were set up to fail,
Gates. But we re still here. This mission isn t over. Not yet. It ends on our terms.
Gates took a deep breath and then nodded.  I don t know what s waiting for us on
the other side of the door, but I m glad I m walking through it with you. Gates paused
as the escort scanned his ID badge.  I know this isn t the time or place but  Gates
froze and his face paled as if he d just been hit.
Julian didn t need to hear the words to know what Gates was about to say. The truth
echoed in his own heart every time he looked at Gates. And he might not have been
ready to say it a second ago but he was now. Seeing Gates scared silent by the truth
made him accept his own fears.  I love you too.
Gates took a slow breath before he smiled and nodded.  Let s end this.
They opened the door and he took a second to steady himself before crossing the
threshold. Julian scanned the people sitting around the large conference table but when
he didn t find his father he was filled with disappointment. Which surprised him. He d
been angry, hurt and had outright hated his father over the years but he d never been
disappointed by him.
 Please, come join us. A man in full dress uniform gestured to two open seats
across from him.  I m Colonel Speck and I ll be officiating the debriefing.
Julian instantly recognized the voice of the man who d come to visit him the day
before but he refused to react to the information. If Colonel Speck wanted to play cloak-
and-dagger Julian would let him think he d won for the moment.  It s nice to meet you,
sir.
He and Gates took their seats and two glasses of water were placed in front of them.
 We re here, as I m sure you all know, to discover what went wrong with mission
Covert Defenders. Speck looked around the table as he spoke, his stare locking with
each and every person s gaze until he reached the end of the table. Julian was intrigued
to find that the man who sat on the outskirts of the group was blatantly ignored by
Speck. Judging by his impeccable suit, Julian was willing to guess he wasn t military.
Which had to make him the government suit Speck had talked about yesterday.  We ll [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]