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“I love you,” he said softly.
Her body jolted and her eyes widened. “What?”
“I said I love you.” It wasn’t an overly romantic profession, just a fact. Because they were not promised more time on this earth.
For a moment she gaped at him and he wondered if that was one thing he should have kept to himself. Her brow creased and two fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I love you, too,” she blubbered then shoved her face against his neck. “I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m sorry.”
He chuckled and stroked her hair while ignoring the aches and pains plaguing his body.
There was a whole spiel in his head he’d put together since their poorly planned pause in their relationship. It was about how long-distance would be hard. That people would look down on her for being with him. All points he wanted her to think of, and he’d say them. In time.
Because he already knew what she’d tell him.
Worth the effort.
That was a two-way street.
Epilogue
Zora paced within the privacy of her office. It was late and most people had gone home seeing as their team was safely in the air. They’d land and come straight to the office for rest followed by a debrief in the morning. It was routine. It was normal. And yet she was counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds until Tucker walked through that door and said nothing to her.
She’d watched him take three bullets to the vest.
He was fine.
Logan had reported no injuries.
Tucker himself hadn’t complained.
And yet, she’d had to stand there with all eyes on her and stoically watch the man who held her heart in his hands take three fucking bullets.
Just thinking about it made her knees weak with fear.
A few inches in any direction and he would be seriously injured.
Luck had been on their side this week, that was for damn sure.
Anxiety had her wound up, but her body was exhausted.
There was no way she was going home at this point. Best to just settle in.
Most people didn’t realize how often Zora slept at the office. She’d developed quite the knack for appearing fresh-faced and pressed. But tonight she was run ragged.
Zora shrugged out of the suit jacket and tossed it on her desk then crossed to the futon. She kicked off her heels then lay down, pulling the fuzzy throw blanket over on top of her. It had been a gift from the girls in the lab when they moved offices. It was probably some kind of inside joke between them about how damn cold the place was, but it couldn’t be helped.
She blew out a breath and stared at the ceiling.
Back when this had begun, she’d known it would be big. She’d known it would take part of her soul. She just hadn’t expected it to go on this long or to fight for every bit of support they got. The team wasn’t aware of what a dire situation they were in and she hoped to keep it from them. Because this whole investigation was one spiteful decision away from being closed for good.
Zora reached for her phone and using the climate app reduced the lights to fifteen percent. Dim enough for her to possibly sleep, but also light enough for her to move with a moment’s notice.
She crossed her hands over her stomach and said another silent prayer that Tucker would be okay, then closed her eyes.
Tucker cursed himself under his breath as he stalked through the dim, deserted halls of the headquarters. He should be settling down like the others to catch a little sleep before the day started in earnest. They were all exhausted and worn thin after the last week, but at least they’d all come home. No, they hadn’t accomplished all they’d set out to, but that was the way of things. Not every operation was a winner.
He passed Zora’s office then circled around the back way in. While most people were aware that he and Zora had a particular relationship, he went out of his way to minimize what people saw. Mostly because he didn’t know what the fuck he was doing.
