Maren laughed and cried at the same time.
Colin bent again and swept Juni up with one arm. He put his other arm around Maren and she leaned into him.
Family,he thought.
My family.
THIRTY-ONE
They flewto San Diego first thing in the morning, hoping they weren’t flying into a trap.
Kyle had responded to the email the day before:
Re: Suitability Review
Ms. Walsh has been made aware of the situation and has agreed to cooperate fully. Given the circumstances, and her prior withholding of information about the child for some time, I will be sending one of my people to accompany her to ensure that she has completed the assignment—consider it a professional courtesy on my end.
Once this matter is resolved, Ms. Walsh will have no further association with this organization. I trust that is acceptable.
I’ll defer to your preferred arrangements for the exchange. Let me know how you’d like to proceed.
Now Voss believed that Kyle was giving up Maren to him. Voss was using Lynn as his go-between, not realizing she’d contacted Gina already. Lynn told Voss she would deliver theevidence to him, but that she would lie and tell whoever delivered Maren that she was going to the authorities instead. Watchdog LA would take over from there and secure her until she could testify.
It was a good plan.
Maren had been telling herself that since they left the ranch and drove to DIA. Since they went through security—with additional steps since Colin was bringing his weapon—and boarded the train for the terminal. Since they boarded the plane and the flight attendants all smiled at her and she smiled back when all she wanted to do was scream.
She looked out the window at the Rockies below, impossibly small from this altitude. To the north was a little girl who had made a man promise to bring her mama home.
HerMama. Maren.
Don’t cry on the plane, she told herself.You can cry later. Much later, when this is all over and you’re safe back home.
Home being Colorado now. With Sean’s family.
But especially with Colin. Colin washome.
Her brothers were going to have a field day with him when they came to meet him.
Poor guy.
Colin had made love with her the night before. Thoughts of him between her legs, his tongue finding all her softest, most sensitive places crept in, making her shiver. She loved the way he felt inside her, his heat and weight over her, watching her face to make sure she was right with him, that he was giving her pleasure, until they both came at the same time.
“This is only the beginning, baby,” he’d told her as he cradled her in his arms. “Please say you’ll stay here with me when this is all over.”
“Yes. I’ll stay. We’ll stay.”
“Promise.”
“I promise, Colin.”
He’d needed her reassurance and she understood why. She was happy to give it to him, as many times as he needed. He could ask her every day for the rest of her life and her answer would never change.
“I promise, Colin. You are my home.”
Colin’s hand covered hers on the armrest.
She turned her palm up and held on without looking at him. If she looked at him right now she would absolutely cry on the plane.
