Page 22 of Saving Texas

Allen

I woke up feeling like a new man. The past week had been a nightmare as we’d worked to break up a human trafficking ring. When I’d gotten back to Houston, my only thought was finding Clara and holding her tight.

I was alone in bed, and based on the way the sun was shining, I’d slept in. I spotted my cell phone on the bedside table, plugged into Clara’s charger. Ten a.m. Wow, I never slept this late.

I pulled on my pants and wandered downstairs in search of my girlfriend. I found her sitting at the table staring into space. She looked exhausted. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head before moving to the counter to pour myself a cup of coffee.

“What’s the matter, darlin’? You look exhausted.”

Clara’s gaze was distant. Unfocused.

“I’ve been having a hard time sleeping,” she said dully.

Sliding into the chair across from her, I studied Clara’s face. Her face was blank and her eyes distant, the same way she’d been when we’d first gotten back together. They way she’d been until the day we went to my family’s ranch for the first time. I hadn’t realized how jolting that blankness was until it was back again.

“What happened?”

Clara just shook her head. I sipped my coffee, watching her with what she called my “cop stare” until she spoke.

“We’re spending too much time together.”

I cocked my head. “This is the first time we’ve seen each other in almost a week,” I reminded her, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach.

“I mean, in general. I need to focus on my job.”

Her twisting fingers were the only sign of the emotions roiling beneath the surface. I covered her hands with one of mine.

“What’s really going on here Clara?”

She shook her head sadly. “I never meant for this thing between us to go on this long.”

“What does that even mean? We’re single, we live in the same city for the first time since we met, and we have a lot of fun together. Why would there be an expiration date?”

“You’re getting too serious.”

“Do you mean we’re getting too serious?”

Clara pulled her hands away, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “I can’t be in a relationship with you Allen.”

“You’re already in a relationship with me.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. I had a lot of fun but I’m breaking up with you now.”

“I don’t accept that.”

Her eyes shot to mine. “You don’t accept that?” she asked incredulously. “It’s not just up to you.”

“If you’re gonna break up with me, I’ll be needing more of an explanation than it’s getting too serious.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation!”

The blank look was gone, an angry expression in its place. I welcomed her anger, it was better than the blankness. I’d come to realize over our four months together that Clara had experienced some kind of trauma, the kind that left her with two bullet scars on her arm. Whatever was going on with her right now was connected to whatever happened in Ukraine. I knew it as sure as I knew my own name.

“What happened on your last assignment in Ukraine?” I asked softly.

She flinched like I’d hit her.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t want to talk about it.”