Page 16 of Dead Drift

“Thanks,” she said as she shifted to sit cross-legged at the foot of the bed. He handed her the treats, and she wasted no time opening them. She started with the Mountain Dew, which fizzed as she popped it open, and then she took a long, slow sip.

He moved to sit on the floor, his back to the bed, but she shifted to the side and patted the spot next to her. “It’s fine.”

He looked up at her. “You sure?”

“Don’t worry. My hands are occupied.” She smirked, dipping her hand back into the Doritos bag. She’d smacked him the night of their reunion, right after they’d shared the most amazing kiss. He’d never gone from a moment of pleasure to one of pain quite so quickly before.

He sat on the bed beside her, not worried about receiving another slap, but rather trying to be conscious of what made her comfortable or, more so, uncomfortable.

He longed for nothing more than to be close to her, to comfort her. She’d just lost her home and all her belongings, and she was taking it in stride. She was one strong lady, but she’d always been so.

It was a huge part of what attracted him to her. Her mix of strength and vulnerability, which stirred his soul like nothing else. It was why he’d believed she could weather his leaving—and Malcolm had promised him it was only to be for a short period of time. One assignment on a team that needed “a man like him.” Malcolm had played to his ego and pride, and Luke allowed the persuasion and flattery to work, not to mention Luke’s own certainty that he could negate a threat to the country he loved. But time passed rapidly, and the longer he was gone, the harder it seemed to return. After a while, and after who the job had turned him into, he thought it might be better for Kate if he didn’t come back at all. Besides, until Ebeid was behind bars, no one was safe. He’d stayed in the Agency to protect her and their country, and yet he longed for nothing more than to be back at her side.

He glanced at the TV screen. “I Love Lucy,” he said, popping his soda open. “Still one of your favorites?”

“Yep, and Green Acres, of course.”

That show was what she’d fallen asleep to pretty much every night at UMD. She’d crash, and he’d cover her up, kiss her forehead, and head back to his dorm room.

Gratitude welled in his heart for this time together, this moment that felt frozen in time, a gift from God.

The chocolate factory episode ended, and the next began. In it, Lucy headed to the dress store with Ethel in tow. He’d seen this one too. Seen them all. He’d embarrassingly enough bought the entire I Love Lucy DVD collection and carried a single season in his laptop DVD drive wherever he went, so he could fall asleep—when he’d actually been able to fall asleep—with thoughts of Kate and better times dancing through his mind.

“I guess I have a good excuse to go shopping now that all my clothes are gone,” she said, a hint of laughter forced into her voice, but he saw past the façade—he always had—to her underlying sadness.

“I’m sorry, Katie.”

She shrugged. “They were just things.”

Kate had never been big on material things, but it’d always been her dream to live on a boat and to sail around the world. She’d accomplished the first part of that dream, and now it was gone. That had to be crushing. Yet one more thing Ebeid had taken away.

Anger flared, and he pumped out his fists to release the adrenaline suddenly surging through him. He’d ask if she had insurance but didn’t want to open that can of worms in case she didn’t, and even if she did, it wasn’t the same. You couldn’t just replace a lifetime’s worth of belongings, no matter how badly you ached to.

“I guess I’ll stay with Tanner and Declan until I can find a new home,” she said before popping a Dorito in her mouth, the smell of cheese filling the air.

“You’re staying with me until this op is over.”

She looked at him with raised brows. “One, I can handle myself. And, two, Declan and Tanner aren’t slackers in the protection area either.”

“And I respect their skills, but they aren’t me.”

“Okay, Mr. Cocky. . . .”

“It’s not cocky if it’s true.” His training was on a far higher level than what the Bureau provided. He wasn’t trying to be arrogant.

She fluttered her eyes in that way only she could. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous or not, you’re at my side until I see this finished.”

A knock rapped on Khaled Ebeid’s bedroom door, jarring him awake.

He sat up, blinking the bleariness from his eyes, and glanced at the clock. 5:13 a.m.

He clicked on the bedside lamp. “Yes?” he called, knowing in his gut Cyrus had failed or he’d still be sound asleep.

Cyrus cracked the door open and poked his head in with apprehension. “I apologize, sir, for waking you. . . .”

“But you failed.”