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Ava shuffles a wee bit closer. "I love you, Thane. That's why I rushed to your rescue." She lifts her head, and her tone turns sour. "I'm a bloody fool. Of course you found someone new, and of course she's far better than I ever was. I'm sorry I lied to you."
"I understand why you lied about being an MI6 operative. But that doesn't explain what happened to the iron-hard intelligence officer I used to know. You panicked when you saw a llama."
"All I can tell you is that I fucked up horribly. It involved a terrible car crash and three deaths." She closes her eyes for a moment. "I lost my nerve. That's the worst thing that can happen to a spy."
Finally, all the pieces have fallen into place. I feel bad for Ava, but it's just the way she said. I have a new life. Ava Marston-Baines has no place here.
I touch her arm. "Go home, Ava, wherever that might be. I have nothing to offer you."
She nods. That's all the response she gives.
"Let me ring for that tow truck, and in the meantime, come inside and get warm."
Ava follows me into the house, shuffling her feet even once we've gone inside. She flops down on the armchair. Rebecca and I take the sofa. And we wait. I turn on the TV, but none of us really watches the home improvement show that's playing on the screen. This has been a bizarre and stressful day, full of unwelcome surprises. All I want right now is to crawl into bed with Rebecca and sleep for three days.
Eventually, the tow truck arrives with two men inside. Once they've gotten her crushed car hooked up to their vehicle, Ava rides into the village with the laddies. I should have called it a "smushed" car. That's the word Rebecca likes. But no, I wouldn't say that to a pair of tow truck drivers.
Rebecca and I go straight to bed, though it's only five in the afternoon.
A wee nap does refresh us, and we collaborate on whipping up a meal. After dinner, we sit on the sofa together to discuss this wild day.
"Your friends are incredible," Rebecca says. "You needed their help, and they flew into action without any hesitation."
"Aye, they did. But that's what we all do for each other whenever someone needs a hand." I rotate toward her, laying an arm across the sofa's back. "What you did for me today, I will never forget that."
"Don't know what you mean."
I smile as I recall the incident. "You set off one of Errol's mines and stopped Holden from getting away."
"First, I got punched in the gut. I'm no hero."
"Of course you are. Not only did you stop Holden from escaping, but you stood up to Ava and never cowered in the face of danger."
She bites her lip, averting her gaze. "It was all instinct."
"You are my hero, Rebecca."
Her cheeks have turned slightly pink.
The house phone rings, and I jump up to retrieve it from the kitchen. Then I glance at the caller ID. "It's Logan. He must have an update about Holden." I answer the call while trotting back to the sofa. "Hello, Logan. What news do you have?"
"Holden De Boer is snug inside his holding cell. The laddie was so shellshocked by the land mine explosion that he won't even speak now." Logan grunts. "I doubt that will last long, though. He seems like the whingeing sort."
"Aye, he loves to complain."
"The Loch Fairbairn police will keep him until someone arrives to arrest him and drag the cacan back to England for trial. He won't bother you or Rebecca again." Logan pauses, then adds, "Your lass is quite the explosives expert. Errol will be proud to hear that."
"Aye, she saved my life."
Logan and I say goodbye, and I turn to Rebecca---who is now grinning. "I'm glad you're happy, gràidh. But what brought about this abrupt change in your mood?"
"You told Logan I saved your life."
"Because it's true."
"I wasn't sure if you'd want everyone to know that a woman saved you. Most men wouldn't like it." She shimmies closer to me. "I should've guessed you wouldn't care. You're the least offendable person I've ever met."
Now my lips curl into a grin. "I don't think 'offendable' is a real word."
