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I grab his chest, meaning to push him away, but then I pull him closer. I kiss him with more passion.
“Oh, sorry.” We stop, turning to find Mom standing in the doorway. “I couldn’t sleep.” She turns as if to run away. “I’ll, uh, leave you to it.”
“Mom, we weren’t, uh, you know…”
Jamie steps back, adjusting his shirt. I tug at my T-shirt. Mom glances between us awkwardly. Then she walks over to me slowly and places her hands on my shoulders. “You looked sohappy, Lena. Just now. So happy. After everything… after what you were forced to do. So, so happy. That’s magic. That’s a miracle. A real miracle.” She looks at Jamie. “Always take care of her. Always do right by her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jamie says. Mom nods and turns to leave. Jamie clears his throat. “I’m leaving now. Anyway, I’d never kick you out of your own living room. Stay in the house. Call me if you change locations, but I prefer you don’t until this is sorted out.”
Jamie walks toward the back door. I follow. We stand alone in the low light coming through the kitchen window, holding hands like we will beneath the altar.
“When will I see you again?” I ask.
“Tonight,” he replies. “I wish I could be here with you all day. I wish I could spend every damn second with you. You’re the only woman I want. The only one I ever need. I own you. You’remine. That’s why I took you. I had that goddamn right.”
He’s getting that fierce, possessive growl in his voice, leaning close to me. “I have to finish this. I may have to visit a few people if Russel can’t make the connection. We need evidence.”
“This tech guy, you think he took overThe Answer?He hacked it?” Every word sounds so surreal. “Just to what, prove a sick point? Prove he could make people do bad things?”
“I’ve heard rumors about this sort of twisted stuff. People with too much cash and too few morals play high-stakes games. The whole thing’s going to come falling down. It’s a shame. We didgoodthings, but there’s no avoiding it. It’s been compromised. It’s time to move on.”
I hold on to his shirt. We kiss briefly, but I want it to last forever. I want to hold on to him and never let it end. “Can I ask Mom about Cali?” I murmur. “I want her there with us.”
“It’s happening,” he says fiercely. “You can ask her. No, youshouldask her. Depending on how quickly things move, you’ll need to be ready. It’ll be suspicious if you move right away, but I’ll have to disappear. We’ll…” He swallows. “We’ll be apart for a while. Maybe a couple of weeks. Long enough for you to move without the cops giving a damn.”
“Would they care anyway?” I ask.
“It depends. They might have more questions. They might find the timing suspicious, especially this one officer, Ramirez. If Jamie King ceases to exist, and I become a new man, and within days, you decide to move, too, she might connect the dots. It’s better not to risk it.”
“So tonight could be one of our last nights together.” My thoughts return darkly to the bunker, wondering if he would be waiting for me, praying he didn’t die in the forest. “For a while.”
He nods, leans down, and kisses the edge of my mouth. “If I could, I’d have you at my place.”
“But the cops would get suspicious if I just waltzed into your building.” I nod. “I want to see you, though. Even if, you know, we have to wait. Is that okay?”
That familiar look flashes across his eyes. He gets it when he’s on the verge of snapping into primal mode. It’s like he’s going to throw me against the wall and start kissing me hard. He’s going to spank me. My ass, my belly. He’s going to own me.
Then he nods and kisses me again. “I’ll see you soon. Don’t goanywherewithout telling me.”
He turns, opens the door, slips out, and disappears into the early morning. I return to the living room, sitting next to Mom, glancing at her as she squeezes her hands tightly and prays quietly. It’s peaceful, even if I feel like there’s a hole in my chest without Jamie, leaning back and listening to her muttering.
“Please, God, give me the strength to tell my daughter the truth, to tell myself the truth…”
I sit up and gently touch her hand. She flinches and looks at me as if she’s shocked I’m here. “You can tell me, Mom,” I whisper. “Whatever it is.”
She blinks, eyes glistening. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Anything,” I say. “Nothing could make me love you any less.”
“I left you to grow up alone. I failed you. You should hate me.”
“But Idon’t,” I blurt out. “I love you. I don’t blame you. I know you were hit hard by Dad’s death. I know it tore you up!”
She suddenly stands and waves a hand. “It wasn’t that. It wasn’tjustthat. It’s more complicated.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She groans, running a hand through her hair. She shivers, looking at her hand as if she expects it to be covered in blood. “It’s… You know about my parents.”
