Betrayal Read Online Free

at a pace Cassidy had only seen once before; the first night the agent awoke from nightmares about her time in Iraq. Cassidy kept her pace steady as Alex finally lifted her gaze to see her lover approaching.
    “Alex?” Cassidy spoke nervously.
    The agent forced a heavyhearted smile. “Go climb, Dylan,” Alex suggested. He looked at her, not wanting to leave her side. “Go ahead, Speed. I’m just happy to see you. Go on.” Reluctantly he turned, continually looking back at the two women he loved. Alex reached for her lover’s face as her tears began to fall again.
    “Alex?”
    The agent shook her head. “He’s gone.”
    It felt to Cassidy as if someone had hit her in the chest. “When?”
    “Jane just called. It hasn’t been released yet.”
    “Alex,” Cassidy managed as Alex’s hands caressed her cheeks.
    “I don’t understand, Cassidy,” Alex’s voice cracked and Cassidy stilled herself as she felt the strong woman collapse into her. She held her close as Alex was unable to suppress her emotion.
    “I love you,” Cassidy assured. “I’m so sorry, Alex.”
    “Cass…”
    “It’s okay, Alex. It’s all right.” Alex held onto Cassidy so tightly that she was sure she was supporting them both fully. “Let’s go inside, okay?”
    “I’m sorry…Dylan…”
    “Dylan will be fine. He just loves you. Come on. I’ll have him come inside for now. Let’s just go in.” Alex nodded. “Dylan!” Cassidy called him over. “Come on, we’re going to go in for a bit, okay?” Cassidy smiled as her son willingly complied. She could see the concern on his small face. He loved Alex, and Cassidy could not help but think how proud she was to have a child with such a kind and gentle heart.
    Dylan ran up beside the two women and looked up at his hero’s face. Alex smiled at him broadly and gestured to him to climb onto her back for a ride. She felt Cassidy’s hand slip into hers and she silently spoke to her friend as they headed for the front door. “Yes, Colonel, they are easy to love.”

assidy sat beside Alex tenderly rubbing her back as the agent held her cell phone to her ear. “Taylor?” Alex asked.
    “Alex? Did you see him?”
    Alex took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “He’s,” she paused allowing Cassidy’s touch to steady her for a moment. “Jane just called me. He’s gone.” The silence on the phone was deafening. “Not long after I left. Announcement soon.”
    “Alex, I don’t know what to say,” Michael Taylor confessed with a stress and sadness in his voice that was palpable.
    “There’s more. He, he told me…Follow Brackett and Krause, something about Mutanabbi Street that day. I don’t know.”
    Michael Taylor shifted in his chair. Alex Toles was seldom agitated. John Merrow held a place in both their lives that few could understand. “Okay. Let’s just deal with that later. Alex, how are
you
?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Are you home?” he asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Is Cassidy with you?”
    “Yeah. She’s here.” Cassidy kept vigil, gently caressing Alex and silently watching her struggle. Her heart was breaking at the sight before her. “I’m all right,” the agent said softly. Cassidy sighed at Alex’s words. That was a lie. The heartbreak seemed to pour off the woman beside her.
    “Do you know,” Taylor began.
    “You know what I know right now,” the agent said plainly.
    Taylor blew out an audible breath. “Let me know…”
    “Of course. I promised Jane I would be there. But,” Alex looked at her lover and tried to smile.
    “Alex?” Taylor called to her gently.
    “Yeah…I need to talk to Cass.”
    “Of course.”
    “I’ll call you later.”
    “All right. Alex, whatever it is….He loved you; you know that?”
    Alex felt as if she were being pressed by heavy weights. It was difficult just to allow air to fill her lungs. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’ll….”
    “Go,” he said as he hung up the phone, closing his eyes in