Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Quiet.
No alarms.
No popping gunfire.
No computers humming in the background.
Just the soft whisper of someone breathing, and the heavy silence that accompanied closure.
Sloane focused on the ceiling, studied the swirling pattern for a few moments while her memories slotted into place — the nurse trying to kill them. Hill’s team hunting them through the wing. Nick risking it all to save her life.
The images were fuzzy, like a photo that was out of focus, but she remembered the main parts.
Remembered Nick.
He’d faced Hill — been willing to die to keep her safe. And she knew she’d never look at him without seeing the love shining in his eyes when he’d turned to her, mouthed that he loved her.
She took a soothing breath, wincing as the simple motion pulled on her stitches. She remembered that, too. How Nick had stood there, all but threatening the doctor if he so much as made her twitch.
Pain teased her senses as she shifted on the bed, staring off to her right. Nick sat in the chair, head lolled off to one side, eyes closed. He looked older, with a weight about him that spoke of unending worry and stress. Not for himself.
For her.
She rolled toward him, and he woke, his predatory instinct still firing on a hair trigger. He bolted upright, searching the corners of the room before focusing on her.
Her breath lodged tight in her chest as they stared at each other, his heart practically beating on his sleeve. He smiled, leaned forward and hers stopped. Just froze inside her chest as heat bubbled beneath her skin, a warm feeling settling in her gut.
Nick reached for her, tucking some hair behind her ear. “You’re back.”
She smiled. “You were the one who kept telling me to sleep.”
He stared at her, no filters, just raw, terrifying relief washing over his expression. “Had to. You looked like death.”
“Wow, were you always this charming?”
That earned her a chuckle that warmed her down to her toes. “Part of the reason you love me, sweetheart.”
Sloane stilled as one word hung in the air. The preverbal elephant in the room she wanted to quash. “I suppose it is.”
Nick inhaled, his cocky bravado falling around him like glass. “You do realize you just implied that you love me.”
She nodded. “I do. Realize,” she added. “Though, I do love you, too.”
The truth sounded loud in the quiet room, the words echoing over and over until she thought she’d fade from the added weight, when Nick grinned, leaned in and kissed her.
Not a no-holds-barred kiss, but not gentle, either. A mix of love and lust that kicked her pulse into triple digits, had her wishing on a future she’d never allowed herself to picture.
He rested his forehead on hers. “Say it again.”
She smiled, lifted one hand and slid it behind his neck, anchoring them together. “I love you, Nick.”
“Hell yeah, you do.” Another kiss. Softer. As if he thought she might break. “And I love you more, Sloane.”
“It’s not a competition, baby.”
He laughed. “Everything’s a competition, sweetheart. You just don’t notice because you’re usually winning.”
“Is that your way of telling me I should just let you have this one?”
“How about we settle for a tie?”
“Kiss me again, and you’ve got a deal.”
He grinned, brushed his thumb along her jaw, then captured her mouth, leaving her feeling as if the room was spinning, only not from blood loss.
A throat cleared behind them, Dalton tsking as he sauntered in, a tray of coffee cups in his hands. “Jesus, we can’t leave you two alone for a moment.”
He stopped on the other side of the bed, waited until Nick had raised the back, stuffed some pillows behind her, before handing them both a cup, watching her take a cautious sip as if he expected her to drop the cup in her lap or maybe just randomly pass out.
She hummed her approval. “God, I needed the hit. Thanks.”
“Just don’t hit anything else until you two are alone.”
Sloane rolled her eyes as Bodie, Avery, and Buck walked in. Avery headed over, glared at Nick as she crossed in front of him, hugged Sloane, then circled the bed, smiling at Dalton when he handed her some coffee.
Nick reclaimed her hand, took what looked like a fortifying breath, then turned to his teammates. “While I appreciate the coffee, something tells me this isn’t just a check-in visit.”
Bodie laughed. “Glad we can always count on you to cut through the bullshit, Nick. And yeah, we thought we’d bring you both up-to-speed before you spirit Sloane away.”
“Can’t keep her safe if I can’t guarantee the venue.”
“Spoken like a true spy.” Bodie gestured toward Avery. “The floor’s yours.”
Avery took a sip, looking like she needed an IV of the stuff hooked up to her arm.
“I know you’re both anxious for an update on Hill’s situation.
As of this morning, the U.S. Attorney for DC has filed a multi-count federal indictment against him for conspiracy to commit murder, embezzlement of Agency funds, and treason to name the top contenders.
He’s being held in an undisclosed military brig until his arraignment. And the bastard’s been denied bail.”
Nick grunted. “Still better than he deserves, but it’s a start. And the merger?”
“It cratered five minutes after my colleagues walked into the board meeting with a sample of Kessler’s ledgers. The company’s in a death spiral to put it mildly.”
Sloane straightened. “What about Kessler? I assume Tierney didn’t end up killing him for breathing her air.”
Avery laughed. “Thankfully, unlike you two, she has restraint. Kessler’s been funneled into a high security pipeline until the trial. But he’ll definitely be given the option to join WITSEC. And based on how pale he was when I handed him off, he’ll accept.”
“Are we sure he’s going to talk? Because he didn’t seem that motivated back in Prague.”
“I guess nearly getting killed by a shadow team, then having to shack up with a bunch of former operatives changed his mind. The guy’s singing, and the DOJ’s recording every note.”
Bodie cleared his throat. “Now, before you start asking for a laptop so you can bust through a bunch of firewalls and cruise all those dark web ledger sites, we’ve confirmed that directive seven was officially purged once Hill’s funds were frozen.
The post was removed a few days ago. And the CIA had their cyber unit rescind the burn orders.
They’re citing an intelligence error, which we know is just a coverup for one of their own going rogue. ”
Sloane sighed. “Sounds like it’s all wrapped up.”
Bodie glanced at Nick, then back to her. “Just one loose end.”
Sloane swallowed, coughed. “Me.”
Nick huffed. “You’re not a loose end, sweetheart. You’re proof that they screwed up. And you know how the Agency is.”
She nodded. “They don’t like their mistakes staring back at them from across a briefing room.”
“Which is why I’m not in the same position. You can go back. I personally talked to Director Swanson, and he agrees that they’d be foolish to lose someone with your skill set. So, if that’s where your heart still lies, all I need to do is make one phone call.”
“You’d do that? After everything?”
Nick snorted. “Do I want you to leave? Fuck, no. We’ve both been living on borrowed time as far as the CIA is concerned. Pushing the boundaries a bit too far with every mission. But if you need the Agency to be happy…”
“I need you, jackass. And more coffee, but mostly you.”
Bodie groaned. “God, you’re worse than Greer and Chase.”
Nick arched a brow. “You mean, you and Rowan because we catch you two making out all the damn time.”
“Then, stop bypassing my security and walking into my loft.” Bodie grinned at Sloane.
“And for what it’s worth, I know you’ll probably have a dozen jobs lined up as soon as you’re cleared to go back to work.
But if you haven’t made up your mind yet, I’d love to have you join the team.
We could use someone with your cyber skills to overhaul our systems, handle all the intel side of the business — hack into a few high-level agencies when warranted.
And I can’t expect Dalton to babysit Nick every time I send him off on a mission.
It’d be nice to have someone else who can handle him without putting a round in his ass. ”
Nick eased back and crossed his arms. “Now, you’re just being mean.”
“The truth hurts sometimes, buddy.” Bodie smiled at her.
“Just, give it some thought. You’ll be sidelined for a few more weeks, so, you’ve got time.
Speaking of which, we’re gonna go grab some food, then we’ll be back with some takeout.
Build up both your strength before the great escape.
” Bodie looked pointedly at Nick. “You are busting her out today, right?” He ignored the way Nick stared at him as if he wanted to throttle the guy.
“Foster’s got plenty of room, and we should be good-to-go at headquarters by the end of the month.
Turns out, most of the damage was cosmetic.
You’re more than welcome to stay in the suite. ”
Nick squeezed her hand. “Thanks, brother, but I think we’re gonna find a place to put down some roots, though, we might need to crash until we can take possession.”
“I’ll tell Rowan to keep changing the metrics on the keypad, just to be safe.”
Nick’s buddies ambled out, Avery giving Nick those creepy “I’m watching you” fingers, the room returning to that quiet calm she’d woken to.
Nick moved in closer, looking at her as if she’d filled in his empty spaces. Caged the demons he’d been fighting for the past five years. “You’re gonna accept Bodie’s proposal, right?”
She grinned. “Probably. I mean, as long as shooting you in the ass isn’t completely off the table.”
“I’m sure he’d make a few concessions.” Nick rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. “And the house thing? I know I should have asked if that was on the table, first, but it kinda just slipped out.”
“You’re a spy. Things don’t just slip out.” She tugged him closer, brushed her lips over his. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t say, I love the idea… On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“The house has one hell of a view, and no glass catwalks.”
“No catwalks period.”
He kissed her, long, deep. The kind that had her wishing he could join her in the bed.
Nick tsked, shaking his head as he eased back. “I know that look, and you’re a week or two away from that kind of fun.” He smiled as he simply stared at her for a moment. “Damn, I love you. I’m just sorry it took a bullet and a bounty for me to say it out loud.”
“I love you, too. But know this…” She fisted his shirt, held him close. “If you ever shove me behind an HVAC unit again, without a solid plan beside sacrificing yourself, I’ll kill you.”
“Understood. Now, are you gonna waste what little time we have glaring at me, or are we gonna make out?”
“I think I can shift my focus. Just, don’t ever leave. Okay?”
“Be careful what you wish for, sweetheart. Because it’s definitely gonna come true.”