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“He said all the right things.”
“His story makes sense, Max. I did tell him about Cody because Adrian is a snowboarder, too. He must’ve heard about the massacre at the lab and somehow knew I escaped. He ditched his phone to go off the grid and then figured he might find us here. It all adds up.”
“I repeat—too convenient.”
She stretched out on the bed, raising her arms above her head and grasping the headboard. “I believe him.”
He dusted his hands together. “If you believe Agent Adrian Bessler, so do I.”
“Really? That was easy.”
“We’ll find out if he’s legit one way or the other tomorrow, and I’m not gonna lie, I care more about getting back to you than I do about Bessler because you look totally irresistible like this.” He ran the flat of one hand down from her neck to her belly, and she shimmied beneath his touch.
The worry lines around her mouth and eyes dissolved, and the knots in his own gut loosened just a little. He had no idea if Bessler would try to kill him or if he’d have to take out Bessler.
It didn’t matter right now. Regardless of what Bessler had to offer, he had limited time with Ava and he wasn’t going to waste another minute of it discussing Tempest.
Or how he’d have to leave her in two days to protect her from the inevitable rage that would take over his mind and body.
She wiggled her toes. “We still need to eat dinner, but I’m all for room service in bed.”
“With reality TV?” He flipped open the room service menu.
“What else?”
They ordered cheeseburgers and French fries and chocolate cake and spent the evening in bed eating and talking and laughing. And he’d never felt so alive.
Then he popped a blue pill, leaving one in the tin, and made love to Ava again as if it was his last night on earth.
* * *
MAX STOOD IN front of a mirror in the hotel’s ski shop and wrapped the scarf around his neck. “Why did I pick green?”
“Probably because it stands out in the crowd.” She adjusted the ends of his scarf and patted his chest.
“It stands out in the crowd because nobody wears it.” The matching hat Ava held in her hands brought out the emerald color of her eyes, and he knew why he’d chosen the color—he’d been thinking about her eyes.
He took the hat from her and pulled it onto his head. “Bessler will definitely be able to pick me out.”
“And you him, but wait for the signal from me first. If I see him at the skating rink and he’s not wearing green, that’s a sure sign he’s planning to ambush you.”
“He could just be the lure with someone else waiting there to ambush me. That’s why you stay out of sight and keep your distance from me.”
“Got it.”
He swept the cap from his head and yanked the scarf from his neck. “I guess these will do.”
He paid for the hat and scarf and took Ava’s hand as they walked out of the store. “Are you hungry? You hardly touched your breakfast.”
“I’m too nervous to eat. I hope...” She lifted her shoulders and then dropped them.
“You hope what?” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle, one by one.
“I don’t know. I just hope Adrian has a plan, that he’s discovered something we haven’t.” Her green eyes sparkled with tears. “You have one pill left, Max.”
“I know that, Ava.”
She rounded on him and dug her fingers into his shoulder. “What do you plan to do when it’s gone?”
“I’m not going to subject you to another Simon. I’m not going to subject anyone to that.”
She bit her lip and one tear trembled on the edge of her long lashes. “We can get you help.”
“A padded cell?” He shook his head. “T-101 is not exactly an FDA-approved drug. No doctor is going to know what to do with me, and they won’t have a chance to even experiment. Tempest wouldn’t allow that.”
“What about the CIA? Prospero?”
“I told you, Ava.” He caught the tear on the end of his thumb. “I don’t know who I can trust, except you. I trust you.”
She stared past him bleakly, her eyes dead. “I love you, Max.”
