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“I know,” I tell her. “I’m half asleep already. It’s perfect, just being here with you, but soon.”
“What aboutThe Answer?” she asks. “What about that awful place?”
I sigh darkly. “I had a hunch it was a tech billionaire who’d somehow hacked the site. Turns out I was right. I’ve got Russel on the case, making the connection between the mark and butcher. It’ll raise some questions.”
“Will people learn who you are?” she swallows.
“Some already know. Once this is over…” I swallow. “The smart thing to do would be to burn my identity. Move across the country, maybe to Cali, like when I was a kid. I’d have to become a different man. A regular man. No military background. No stock trades.”
“Could you do that?” she asks quietly.
“Yes,” I reply. “I’ve had contingencies in place for years, but I’d only do it if you came with me. I can’t leave you.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t say you’d justtakeme anyway, Mr. Kidnapper,” she teases.
I tickle her side again, drifting in and out of sleep, close to the edge of unconsciousness. Sleep has always been just a necessity for me. I lie down, close my eyes, and recharge my batteries. Falling asleep with Lena is like slowly falling into a warm, calm place. “I was being nice. I’m taking you. I just need a few weeks to build a custom house out west with reinforced steel doors.”
“You don’t need to take me prisoner this time,” she whispers. “I’m not going anywhere.”
We sit together for a long time. My eyes fall closed, then open. I’m not sure if I sleep or if she does. It’s enough just to be here with her.
“I think I have an idea,” she whispers, her voice as dreamy as I feel.
“Hmm?” I reply.
“I’ll start a charity. I’ll help teenagers whose parents have, you know, checked out like Mom did. I’ll help them so they can be kids a little longer.”
I turn, kiss her head, and inhale her scent, addicted all the way through. “There’s nobody who’d be better at that than you.”
She cuddles closer. She’s lying on the couch now. I’ve put my foot on the coffee table without even realizing it, stretching out. We should go upstairs, but we’re both too comfortable here. “Will Demon be okay?” she asks.
“He’s a tough pup,” I tell her. “Plus, I’ll be home soon.”
“A pup.” She laughs quietly. “Yeah, right.”
“That’s how I still see him. He was the runt of the litter, believe it or not. He’s four now. I thought it was just going to be him and me for years. Years of not really living. Just working. Just existing. Buying flashy watches to feel like it all means something.”
“You made a difference,” she says firmly. “You helped people.”
“The only people I want to help now are me, you, your mom, and our kids. That’s it. That’s all the family I need.”
She squeezes onto my arm. “Jamie, what if Mom doesn’t agree to move to California?”
I stroke her shoulder. “We have to take this one step at a time. Right now, we’re together. You’re safe. You’re mine. That’s all I care about.”
We don’t say anything else, drifting into a deeper sleep. It’s the most at peace I’ve ever felt in my life.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Lena
“Lena…” Jamie is sitting on the end of the bed, the sunlight flooding the room, glistening in the silver streaks in his hair. I can hear the children laughing in the next room. I can feel the love welling inside me. “Lena…”
Opening my eyes, Dream Jamie disappears. I find real Jamie leaning over me. The pale morning sun brightens the room a little, but not much. It’s still mostly dark. “I have to go before it gets too light. Too many questions if the cops see us together, but soon, we won’t have to hide.”
“Not from Mom. Not from the cops.” I sit up sleepily and touch his face, being gentle because he’s hurt. Last night, I kept forgetting, holding him tightly, digging my nails in. He never complained. “It’s going to be bright and warm all the time.”
“That’s fitting.” He smiles, leans in, and kisses me gently. Yesterday, he was exhausted. I could feel his tiredness even as his animal nature flared awake, but now, he groans and presses against me.
