Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
It didn’t take much for Maya to get a long weekend off work, and a week later, Aiden found himself in Knox Castillo’s office at Vantage Security.
During the past forty minutes or so, Knox had shown Aiden around the facility, and they’d discussed the job description, pay, and other expectations. Although the building was still in various phases of renovation, it was all coming together well.
Aiden told Castillo about Maya and her abduction, as well as the possibility of moving down here for a fresh start.
Knox laced his fingers together over his abdomen as he leaned back in the chair. “Lucas Stone just started an assignment at a local health center. His charge is a psychologist. I’ve heard she’s very good if Maya would like to speak with someone.”
“I’ll pass that on to her, thank you.”
Aiden jumped right to the heart of the matter. “What do I need to do? Do you have an application for me to fill out?”
Knox gave an abbreviated shake of his head. “If you want it, the position is yours.”
Aiden should’ve been surprised, but he wasn’t. Knox had probably known everything about him before Aiden had even stepped foot in the door.
He wanted to jump at the opportunity, but he needed to make sure Maya was okay with the change too. They’d spent yesterday exploring Miami, and so far, she’d seemed to enjoy it.
“When would I start?”
“As soon as you’re available. I’ve also got another handful of guys lined up to start as soon as they reach the States.”
Aiden stood and shook Castillo’s hand. “I really appreciate this. Can I have twenty-four hours to think about it, talk it over with Maya?”
“Absolutely.” Knox tipped his head. “Take all the time you need.”
Castillo escorted Aiden back to the lobby, where he found Maya sitting on the couch. She shot a smile his way and stood as he neared.
Knox held out a hand to her. “It was nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“You too.” Maya smiled sweetly. “I really admire what you do.”
“Thank you. I hope to see more of both of you.”
Aiden took Maya’s hand and led her out onto the sidewalk. Once they were settled in the rental car, she turned to him.
“What do you think?”
He started the car, then turned on the air-conditioning. “I think it’s humid as hell down here.”
She let out a tinkling laugh. “It definitely is that.”
He sobered as he stared at her. “Seriously, though… I really like it. Knox is a good guy, and I think he’d be great to work for. I’ll primarily be based out of the office, so I won’t be in the field all the time.”
Maya studied him. “Will you miss it? Not being in the field, I mean. Might be hard to go back to a desk job.”
He definitely wouldn’t miss all the evil and depravity he’d dealt with for the past several years working for the FBI. But the truth was, leaving wasn’t as simple as walking away from a job.
For years, his identity had been tied to the badge, the cases, the chase. Walking away from the FBI should have felt like losing a piece of himself. Instead, sitting here with Maya’s hand in his, he realized he wasn’t giving anything up.
He was choosing something better.
A life.
A future.
Her.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. This gig seems pretty perfect. The pay is good too, so you wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job right away.”
She bit her lower lip and was silent for several seconds before speaking. “What about living arrangements?”
He reached over the console and took her hand. “I think you know how I feel about all that, right? I just want you.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this every waking moment. There are tons of schools down here where I could finish my degree, maybe find a good internship program.”
Hope filled his chest, and excitement surged through him. This could be so good for both of them.
“Are we doing this?” he asked. “Are we moving?”
A huge grin spread over her face. “I think so.”
He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close. “I love you. Thank you for doing this with me.”
“I’d go anywhere for you.”
With that, they headed back to the hotel, where they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time.