Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was after five p.m. when they returned to the Castleton Hotel.
They'd planned to pick up their things and go back to her place, but once she sat down on the soft couch in the living room, Kara didn't think she could get up again any time soon.
"Maybe we can spend one more night here," she said. "It's so much nicer than my apartment."
"I could do that," Max said, sitting down next to her and grabbing her hand.
He'd been holding her hand for most of the day. After they'd left the warehouse, they'd gone back to her office, where they'd met up with the rest of her team for a lengthy debrief.
Qadir's men, who had not been killed at the warehouse, were already talking, giving names and contact information for those who had escaped after setting up the bomb on the bridge.
There would be a long investigation into everything else that had happened, including Hartford's original revenge plot, including the café bomb, and the explosion that had killed James Cooper as well as Dominic's shady deal with Qadir.
There was a lot to be sorted out over the next several weeks, and her team would be on it.
Kara had also been relieved to hear that the safe house leak had been tied to a low-level analyst at 26 Fed, who happened to be David Hartford's cousin, and who owned Hartford a great deal of money for canceling his gambling debts.
That analyst had been Hartford's eyes inside the investigation.
Thankfully, most of the investigation had been done by her team, but the analyst had been able to access the safe house location, which was used by the New York field office.
Kara was thrilled that no one on her team had been responsible.
The most important update had come from Tyler, who had escorted Qadir's body back to New York City for confirmation of his death.
Then he'd told them what had happened. Once he'd learned Qadir's escape plan, he'd slipped out of the warehouse, taken out the guard at the helipad, knocked out the pilot, and put on his clothes and flight gear.
He'd been waiting in the helicopter when Jason had escorted Qadir to the helipad.
He'd wondered if Jason had recognized him.
Jason said he had, and he was on board with the idea and with Tyler's initiative to think that quickly. He was also impressed that Tyler knew how to fly a helicopter.
Kara had been impressed by that, too. Apparently, Tyler had a lot of talents, and she was happy that he was not only someone she could trust but someone she could count on to be extremely good at his job.
After Qadir sent the codes, Tyler said he'd landed the helicopter in the field instead of the small airport where Qadir had wanted to go. Qadir attacked him with a knife that he'd hidden in his shoe, and he shot him in self-defense.
She wondered about that part of the story, but no one had seemed interested in discussing the details of Tyler's actions since he'd killed one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.
"Kara?"
She suddenly realized how long she'd been lost in thought. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"Just wondering what you're thinking about?"
"Everything," she said with a helpless shrug. "There's a lot to process."
"You don't have to do that tonight."
"I know." She paused. "What did you think about Tyler's actions?"
"I thought he was brilliant," Max admitted. "And I was impressed Jason let him do it. There was a lot at stake."
"We had more control with Tyler in the pilot's seat. If Qadir hadn't sent the codes, if the bombs hadn't been disarmed, he was going to kill him."
"He was always going to kill him," Max said, meeting her gaze. "Maybe that won't be the official story, but I think it's the truth."
"So do I. Are you sorry you didn't get to be the one to do that?"
"Absolutely not. I was where I wanted to be—with you."
"You should have left. You are too brave and too protective for your own good." She paused, gazing into his eyes. "Thank you."
He squeezed her hand. "I didn't want to live without you."
"Not even to hunt down Qadir if he got away?"
"I wasn't thinking about him. But I'm very glad he's dead, and that the Azrani brothers are also deceased. Qadir's organization will splinter now. They'll be far less lethal."
"But more will come in his place."
"Let's not think about that now." He paused. "Do you want to call your mom or your brother? I couldn't help noticing your phone has been lighting up all day."
"Whenever my family hears bad news in the city, they text me. I told them I was fine. I didn't tell them what happened. They don't need to know. But they still keep texting."
"I don't blame them. They love you. And they should, because you are an incredible woman."
She felt touched and flattered by the admiration and respect in his gaze. "I just survived. You and Tyler and Jason did the hard work."
"Are you kidding? None of us were trapped in a suicide vest. I can't imagine how that felt."
"You don't want to imagine it, and I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm actually feeling hungry."
"Room service," he said with a smile. "I say we order everything on the menu."
"Including dessert. And then I want to try out that Jacuzzi tub. I'm hoping you'll join me."
"Well, considering I can't seem to let go of your hand, I'd say that's going to happen," he said dryly.
"It's funny. I didn't think you would be a hand-holder."
"I never have been."
"I haven't either. But this feels right." She licked her lips. "We said a lot of things to each other in the heat of the moment, Max. It's going to be okay if you want to back off on any of them."
"Do you want to back off?" he challenged.
"No, but I'm pragmatic enough to know that people say things when they're scared, and then when they're not—"
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true or that I didn't mean," he said with certainty in his voice. "But we can go as fast or as slow as you want. I just want to be with you, figure things out together."
"I like the sound of that. And there will be things to figure out for you, like whether you ever work for Dominic again. I wonder what's going to happen to him."
"Probably not much," he said. "I doubt there's any evidence linking him to some deal with Qadir that involved me.
And bribes in that part of the world are so common, it would be stranger if Dominic hadn't paid people for protection.
But we'll see what happens. I'd like to make sure that every part of his organization is investigated. "
She laughed at his wicked smile. "Put him through hell."
"It's only right, don't you think?"
"I absolutely do think it's right."
"Even if you don't believe in revenge?" he challenged.
"I don't believe in revenge that includes killing people. Making their life miserable…I'm okay with that."
"We'll see how it plays out. Revenge is no longer a priority for me. I don't want to wake up every day filled with anger."
"How do you want to wake up?"
"I want to wake up with you, Kara."
She leaned her head against his good shoulder as he put his arm around her. "That sounds wonderful. I never thought I'd meet someone I could really count on to be there for me. But you blew that thought out of the water."
"And I never thought I'd want to commit to anyone, but I can't imagine not seeing you every day of my life."
"What if our life becomes ordinary after the adrenaline wears off?"
"Ordinary sounds amazing to me. And I want to get to know your family for real. I don't want to be your fake boyfriend. I want to go to your uncle's poker games, let your mother feed me too much food, and ask when we're going to get married."
"She will ask—a lot."
He laughed. "I can handle your mother."
"We'll see. I'd like to meet your dad, too, Max."
"We have time for everything now."
"Time," she murmured. "What a beautiful thing." She lifted her head from his shoulder and gave him a kiss that drove all thoughts of dinner and Jacuzzi tubs out of her head. "Maybe we'll eat later," she said.
"Much later," he agreed as he pulled her into his arms.