Defenseless (Salvation, #5)(81)

“Okay, if you say so.” He sits back against the couch. He looks much better today. The swelling has gone down significantly, and it’s clear his eye won’t have any permanent damage. He is eating a very restricted diet, walking a little sturdier, and has been able to wean off the painkillers a little. Both of us are able to take a deep sigh of relief.

“Just for now, don’t worry about what’s going on. Once we have something concrete, we’ll talk.”

“Damn right we will.”

We settle in together and watch the news. There are always clues that the public misses. I await the story of the CIA Director stepping down. That will be when I relax. For now, I tuck my legs under me and curl up against Mark. He flinches but holds me so I can’t move. I just want to be close to him.

“Charlie.” Mark’s voice has an edge to it.

I glance over at him. “Yeah?”

“I’m serious about marrying you.”

“If that’s a proposal, you suck.”

“I’m giving you some time to get over whatever crap excuses you’re forming. I’m telling you it’s going to happen. I’m going to ask you, you’re going to say yes, and we’re going have a wedding.”

I shake my head and turn my attention back to the television. “When will you learn that demanding me to do something doesn’t work? Also, I’m not even sure I like you enough.”

“You love me.”

I sit with my arms crossed over my chest. “I’m not denying that. I said like you. You’re a pain in the ass, you’re messy, you boss me around, you argue with everything I say—”

“And you’re just as argumentative and frustrating, but it’s going to happen. You’ll get over all that crap you mentioned.”

“So you say.”

“Come here.” He opens his arms wide. I scoot over and he pulls me against his side. “I’m done with games, babe. I’m not going to live the rest of my life without you here by my side. Our lives aren’t a guarantee. So I’m going to marry you and impregnate you many more times. Also, we don’t have to pay a minister.”

I shift so I can see his face. “Oh, hell no. I’m not marrying you as my priest.”

He rolls his eyes, “I’m not a priest. I’m a reverend.”

“No, you’re a jackass.”

He smirks. “Keep it up, and I’ll tell your mother you want her to plan the wedding.”

My eyes bulge as I debate whether he’s healthy enough to endure me beating the hell out of him. “I haven’t agreed to marry you yet, and that’s so not funny.”

He leans forward. “Not joking. And you will agree when I ask you.”

Before I can say a word, a noise at the door stops us both. Neither of us breathes or moves.

Knock, knock. Pause. Knock, knock.

Mandi is here.

“You’re lucky. That’s Mandi’s code.” I head to the door and check the peephole. Thank God.

I open the door and she smiles. “It’s done.”

“Done?”

“Yeah, he’s in custody. He admitted to quite a bit, but Aaron really figured out the missing clues.”

She enters the room, and I close the door behind her. We head to the couch and Mark shifts forward.

I’m dying to know how this all went down. Being sidelined hasn’t been easy for me, but it was necessary. “What happened?” I nearly bounce in my seat. “I want all the details.”

“After I got back, Christopher refused to speak to anyone until your father’s old partner, Dean Tubb, came. He was working with Dominic to uncover some of the pieces you and I couldn’t make fit. Like the photo your dad had of the building we couldn’t place and the fact he had notes of dates and initials that you weren’t able to decipher. Turns out Dean and Gerald used a code during their early years. As soon as he saw it, Christopher’s tune changed.”

She gives me a second to let that sink in. My dad and Dean had to talk in what was almost their own language back then. The CIA wasn’t as advanced as it is now, but I never realized it could be a code. It makes sense that if my father had been suspicious of people, he’d revert to something that couldn’t be traced. How the hell did I miss that? Oh, I know. The sexy blonde next to me had my mind preoccupied. “What did the code say?”

“Well, as soon as Dean saw it, he knew, and wouldn’t allow anyone else to speak. He took Christopher into custody and is now the Interim Director. I still didn’t understand the connection with Mark, though. That was the part that kept confusing me, and Dean still wasn’t forthcoming with the meaning of the code.” Her eyes come alive as she grows more excited. “But Charlie, when I mentioned how you were threatened because of the file, that Mark was taken, and that there was a correlation with Cole Security Forces, it all clicked.”

“What clicked?” Mark snaps.

“Mazir is Christopher Asher!”

“What?” I’m confused.

“Don’t you see it? It was obvious. You both had to be tied to the investigation. There was a reason things got desperate once you joined Cole Security Forces. It’s the only connection between Cole Security’s stolen ammunition and you being the agent investigating Mazir, who was trading weapons.”