“Understood.” She leaned forward and propped her elbows on her knees. “But here’s the thing, Roman. We like working with you. You’re top-shelf. The real deal. HEAT material. And X wants you in our house full-time.”
They’d made this offer to me before. I’d turned them down cold, and they’d countered with a lucrative subcontract, all negotiated through my higher-ups. “You know I’m not interested.”
Kat smiled. “And you know when X wants something, I have to ask.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out. I’d spent the twenty-four hours—since Cara had told me that super-spy Nick couldn’t have future with her—thinking about my life. I’d spent the sleepless hours in her arms last night weighing what did and didn’t still work for me. Somewhere before I’d dosed off in the wee hours of the morning, I’d made a decision. I’d had to bury it while I focused on the day’s dangerous work, but now that the hard part of this assignment was over, it was time for my next step.
“Kat, I want out.”
She sat back, her eyes wide. “Of HEAT? Please tell me that’s not what you mean.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Nick, you know how important our work is. With your help, we’ve saved a lot of lives over the years.”
“Thanks for saying that,” I said, “but I think I’ve saved as many as I can here. Now it’s time to save myself.”
She whistled. “You’re that serious about her.”
“It’s not only about Cara.” It was also about recovering from my past and getting over my need to save the whole world, about having more priorities than being a hero to strangers, about falling in love with Christmas again. Although, come to think of it, Cara was at the root of all those revelations. “It’s time, Kat. I know there are outs buried somewhere in my contract.”
“There are. But out is out. You’ve made peace with completely cutting ties with the agency?”
“I have.”
She studied my face for a long moment, then let out a long sigh. “Then consider it done.” She stood and held out her hand and we shook. “The next time I see you, I expect it to be because I’m on the West Coast and you and Cara invite me to dinner to meet your cat.”
“Who says I’m going to have a cat?”
She grinned. “The lady wants a cat. You want the lady. Trust me, Nick, you’re going to have a cat.”
CHAPTER 24
CARA
Before I’d driven away from my parents’ house, my brother had promised he would deliver my luggage to my hotel. So, when the room phone rang like I was stuck in a bad eighties’ movie, I knew the reason.
“Miss Spencer, your brother is here to see you,” the man at the front desk told me.
“Please send him up.”
A few minutes later, Jake knocked and I pulled open the door.
“Ta da!” He said as he rolled my suitcase inside the room and handed me my backpack.
“Finally, my computer! Now I can edit my photo shoots and get my posts ready for the day after tomorrow.” I stepped back. “Would you like to come in? I’m willing to spring for drinks from the mini bar.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, there’s somewhere I need to be.”
My heart sank. Being alone for the holiday was harder than I’d thought it would be. “Sure.”
“But I did bring you a consolation prize.” Jake grinned and stepped sideways.
“Merry Christmas.” Nick stood in front of me, in the doorway of my hotel room, wearing his date clothes.
My heart was in my throat when I tried to speak. “What are you...?”
“I told you you’d be the first person I’d call if my line of work changed, but it turns out your phone is broken.”
