good way. Maybe this time, with the right partner, sex was the answer.
Luke pushed through the door, tip-toeing with the trays of food in hand.
“Hope you’re still hungry.” He handed over her dinner and she settled it on her thighs.
“It’s still hot.” Luke shed his pants and slid in next to her.
She was starving. After the day packed with stress, then four rounds of sex, she could probably eat three times this much.
“Coast Guard?” Luke asked between bites.
“What makes you say that?”
“The way you walk.”
“No.” She chuckled and ate another bite, but it tasted bitter.
She didn’t like lying to Luke, but what choice did she have?
There was no way she could tell him the truth, could she? He was looking into the Smiths. He knew their real names. How much more would it take before he stepped into this shit with her?
“Luke?”
“Hm?”
“I need you to stop digging on the Smiths. Please?”
Luke set his fork and knife on his plate. His jaw worked slowly while he stared at her. She couldn’t tell him everything, but she could make him understand.
“Think about everything you know, and now take into consideration everything you don’t know.” Did he understand? “The Smiths, under any name, are dangerous people. Do you think they’ll hesitate to kill us if they think we are a threat to them?”
“What do you know, Abigail?”
Enough.
She knew they were brokering a deal on four fronts for an old, almost forgotten, nuclear warhead that dated back to World War II buried outside of the US capital. She knew, because it’d been her job to assess it, keep an eye on it, protect it. And now these people wanted to sell it to the highest bidder.
Luke couldn’t know.
If he did, he would have to report it. She wouldn’t expect him to keep it a secret. But if she told him? That was an act of treason on her part for divulging state secrets. Except the two countries were allies, so she shouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place. But she was.
It was complicated.
“Abigail?”
“Luke, please stop digging. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He studied her for several more moments. Was he reading between the lines? Did he understand she was involved in this? Or was he still convinced she was like him?
“What if we can stop them?” he asked.
“Is it worth your life?”
“You tell me.”
“No.”
His hand wrapped around hers, lifting her fingers to his lips.
“Okay. Only if you tell me a secret. That’s my going price these days.” He squeezed her hand.
She snorted.
This man…
He made her want to be different.
“A secret…” She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. A lie would be easy to fabricate, but she wanted to gift him a truth. Something real. “I’m Jewish.”
“Really?”
“And I like bacon.”
“You rebel, you.”
“My mother is the most important person in my life, and because of…circumstances, I haven’t been able to see her in two years.” Her throat tightened. What she wouldn’t give to see her mom. Hug her.
“Oh, stop it.” Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Why haven’t you talked to her?”
“I can’t talk about it.” Abigail rested her head against his shoulder and curled her arms around him.
“You can’t or you won’t ?”
“Can’t. It’s not safe.”
Luke squeezed her a little tighter. Probably because he understood just how important a mother could be. How much it killed her to be apart from her mother. Luke pushed their trays down the bed, then pulled her into his lap, cradling her, offering what he could. A human’s touch was a precious thing after so long alone.
5.
“They’re planning a party,” the voice whispered through the line.
“Perfect,” Hassan replied.
He jotted down notes as his source recounted the details of the party, the dinner, and the guests. The next few hours were crucial to his plan. Things had to be done, put into place. Hassan had made a wise
Luke pushed through the door, tip-toeing with the trays of food in hand.
“Hope you’re still hungry.” He handed over her dinner and she settled it on her thighs.
“It’s still hot.” Luke shed his pants and slid in next to her.
She was starving. After the day packed with stress, then four rounds of sex, she could probably eat three times this much.
“Coast Guard?” Luke asked between bites.
“What makes you say that?”
“The way you walk.”
“No.” She chuckled and ate another bite, but it tasted bitter.
She didn’t like lying to Luke, but what choice did she have?
There was no way she could tell him the truth, could she? He was looking into the Smiths. He knew their real names. How much more would it take before he stepped into this shit with her?
“Luke?”
“Hm?”
“I need you to stop digging on the Smiths. Please?”
Luke set his fork and knife on his plate. His jaw worked slowly while he stared at her. She couldn’t tell him everything, but she could make him understand.
“Think about everything you know, and now take into consideration everything you don’t know.” Did he understand? “The Smiths, under any name, are dangerous people. Do you think they’ll hesitate to kill us if they think we are a threat to them?”
“What do you know, Abigail?”
Enough.
She knew they were brokering a deal on four fronts for an old, almost forgotten, nuclear warhead that dated back to World War II buried outside of the US capital. She knew, because it’d been her job to assess it, keep an eye on it, protect it. And now these people wanted to sell it to the highest bidder.
Luke couldn’t know.
If he did, he would have to report it. She wouldn’t expect him to keep it a secret. But if she told him? That was an act of treason on her part for divulging state secrets. Except the two countries were allies, so she shouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place. But she was.
It was complicated.
“Abigail?”
“Luke, please stop digging. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
He studied her for several more moments. Was he reading between the lines? Did he understand she was involved in this? Or was he still convinced she was like him?
“What if we can stop them?” he asked.
“Is it worth your life?”
“You tell me.”
“No.”
His hand wrapped around hers, lifting her fingers to his lips.
“Okay. Only if you tell me a secret. That’s my going price these days.” He squeezed her hand.
She snorted.
This man…
He made her want to be different.
“A secret…” She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. A lie would be easy to fabricate, but she wanted to gift him a truth. Something real. “I’m Jewish.”
“Really?”
“And I like bacon.”
“You rebel, you.”
“My mother is the most important person in my life, and because of…circumstances, I haven’t been able to see her in two years.” Her throat tightened. What she wouldn’t give to see her mom. Hug her.
“Oh, stop it.” Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Why haven’t you talked to her?”
“I can’t talk about it.” Abigail rested her head against his shoulder and curled her arms around him.
“You can’t or you won’t ?”
“Can’t. It’s not safe.”
Luke squeezed her a little tighter. Probably because he understood just how important a mother could be. How much it killed her to be apart from her mother. Luke pushed their trays down the bed, then pulled her into his lap, cradling her, offering what he could. A human’s touch was a precious thing after so long alone.
5.
“They’re planning a party,” the voice whispered through the line.
“Perfect,” Hassan replied.
He jotted down notes as his source recounted the details of the party, the dinner, and the guests. The next few hours were crucial to his plan. Things had to be done, put into place. Hassan had made a wise
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