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wouldn’t be very proud of either and…”
                  “Doesn’t matter. It was all for the job, right?” Luke asked. He stood and walked towards us.
                  “Yeah,” I sighed.
                  “And in the end, did it benefit others? Did you do what you had to do in order to help someone else?”
                  “Yeah,” I sighed again. “But it doesn’t excuse…”
                  “It excuses everything,” Lauren interjected. She came to where I was sitting and knelt down. Taking my hand in hers she said, “You helped me, Billy. What you did for me, what you did for Luke; a bad man wouldn’t have done those things. I know who you are, and it isn’t the man you think. What did you once tell me? Don’t let your past define you. ”
                  “Yeah, I did. But I chose that life. I chose to let it affect me, and now Heather…”
                  Luke practically did a double-take as he looked back at me, wearing a puzzled look on his face. “What about Heather?”
                  “Wait! Heather as in your ex-girlfriend? The love of your life that walked out on you when you needed her the most? That Heather?” Lauren’s bitter tone surprised me. Even though I knew she loathed Heather for what she’d done to me, surely she wouldn’t be so callous as to expect me to throw her to the wolves.
                  “Yeah, that Heather.” I sighed and rubbed my hands down my face. “But she’s in trouble now because of my past, because of my job. I have to help her. Bring her back here or somethin’. Hell if I know.” I threw my hands in the air and let out a disgruntled breath. I should’ve known that at some point all the bad shit would catch up with me. It always does.
                  “What’s going on?” Luke asked, concerned.
                  “Raul. The dirt bag I “ worked ” for,” I said, making quotation marks with my fingers. “He’s got it out for her, according to my old partner Blake. He paid me a visit earlier and filled me in.”
                  “So what? You’re just gonna take off and go rescue her after what she did to you?” Lauren asked in disbelief. I was surprised at her callousness. It was completely out of character.
                  “You don’t understand. Raul will kill her. No matter what she did or didn’t do, she shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes. Raul’s pissed because I’m alive. I should’ve died that night. It sure would’ve been a helluva lot better for everybody.”
                  “That’s a cowardly thing to say,” Lauren stated. “The Billy I know doesn’t run away.”
                  She was right. I didn’t run away. At least I didn’t use to. But that’s all I’d been doing since I quit the agency….running. I’d been running from my past, from Raul, from my friends, my responsibilities. Everything .
                  “What do you need us to do?” Lauren asked, quietly. “Whatever you need, Billy, we’re here for you.” She was still kneeling beside me as she turned her face to Luke.
                  “Want me to go with you?” he asked. It was just like him to offer, but it was too dangerous and he had a family that needed him. No one needed me.
                  “Nah, man. You stay here and protect your girls. This is somethin’ I gotta do alone.”
                  “Okay, but call if you need me. I can be here in fifteen,” he retorted.
                  “I know.”
                  Lauren finally stood, as did I. Luke shook my hand and Lauren gave me a tight squeeze around my neck and a kiss on my cheek. “We’ll be here when you get back,” she whispered.
                  “Okay.”
                  As they reached the