Say the Word(122)

I’d leaned against the car for some time, lost in my thoughts and half-listening to Agent Gallagher bark orders into his cellphone, until I felt Fae settle in next to me. Her hipbone pressed against mine, our elbows and shoulder blades bumped lightly. Glancing over at her, I’d seen an unfamiliar look in her eyes — it took me a minute to recognize it as worry.

“Are you mad?” she whispered.

“What?” My brow furrowed in confusion.

“I didn’t tell you about any of this.”

I looked over at her. “About your double life?” I smiled faintly. “No, I’m not mad. If you didn’t tell me, I’m guessing you have a pretty good reason.”

She nodded. “Remember that night at the bar a few weeks ago, when Simon said he’d always wanted to know someone in the Witness Protection Program?” Her voice was hesitant and hushed.

I felt my eyes widen.

“Surprise,” she muttered weakly.

“Jesus,” I whispered, my mind whirling with possibilities. “I know you probably can’t tell me much, but I have to know… Are you safe, at least?”

She nodded. “For now, I’m safe enough.”

“You’re hiding from someone,” I guessed.

Fae looked over at me for a moment, her eyes intense and sad. “My husband.”

I felt my eyes well with tears as I leaned over and wrapped my arms around her. “Oh, Fae. I’m sorry, love.”

“It was a long time ago,” she whispered into my neck, her arms coming up to return my embrace. “I’m fine.”

The threads of sadness and regret interwoven in her tone said otherwise, but I didn’t push her.

“No wonder you never date,” I murmured.

Fae laughed lightly and squeezed me tighter until Agent Gallagher ended his phone call and leaned out the open window.

“Alright, ladies, time to break up your little love-fest. It’s four in the morning — I’m beat. I want to get home.”

Fae sighed as she detached from me and turned to face the undeniably handsome, undeniably rude agent. “You could at least ask nicely, Conor,” she muttered.

“It’s Agent Gallagher to you, sweetheart.”

“Lux gets to call you Conor and I don’t?” Fae’s face morphed into a scowl. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Lux is about to hand me a promotion on a silver platter by helping me bring down a group of criminals the Bureau has been after for years,” he said, smiling for the first time since we’d met. Though handsome even with his typical glower, Conor’s entire face lit up when he grinned. If he’d show off that set of pearly whites a little more often, he’d have women lined up around the block for him. “You, on the other hand…” He looked Fae up and down. “Only ever come to me for favors or when things in your life need fixing.”

“You’re an *.” Fae’s eyes shot daggers at him.

“Well, you’re an entitled princess.” Conor didn’t attempt to conceal his look of dislike.

They glared at each other for so long, I began to think they’d forgotten my existence entirely. Wondering what could’ve happened between them to brew a relationship of such anger and animosity, I cleared my throat lightly and took a step in the direction of the elevator. “Well, then, I’m gonna go…”

In sync, their heads swiveled toward me.

“You’ll email me those photos as soon as you get inside, Lux?” Conor reminded me, his eyes once again serious.

I nodded, pushing the button to call the elevator. “I have to get back before Bash wakes up and flips out because I’m not there.”

“Tell him I said hi,” Fae said, winking at me. “And plan on drinks with Simon tomorrow night. He’ll want the low-down — and so do I.”

I waved before boarding the elevator and heading back upstairs to the man waiting in bed for me. I was nearly giddy at the thought, my huge grin unstoppable as it spread across my cheeks. Just as the elevator reached the top floor, I felt an insistent vibration coming from the pocket of Sebastian’s sweatpants — my cellphone. I fished it out as I walked down the hall to Bash’s front door, glancing at the screen just as I came to a stop outside the entrance to his loft. I sighed and slid my finger across the screen to answer the call.

“Hi.”

“Where the hell are you?” His voice was ragged with worry. “I woke up and you were gone.”

“Breathe, Bash.”

“Don’t tell me to breathe. We finally work things out and you f*cking vanish in the middle of the night.” I heard his harsh intake of air as he tried to regain calm. “I thought we were past this, Lux.”

“We are!” I protested.

“Then why did I just wake up in my bed alone?”

“I had to meet someone!”

Silence blasted over the line. “What possible reason could you have for meeting anyone at four in the morning?”

“You don’t exactly say ‘no’ to the FBI, Bash.” I rolled my eyes and tried the doorknob — it was locked.

“You’re with the FBI? Why?”

“It’s a long story. Remember Fae’s guy?” I reached up and knocked lightly on the door.