Page 23 of The Fixer and the Fugitive

“For a time, perhaps. It was an outlet, at least. And the people I hurt were similarly bad people, or so I reasoned.”

“Like Robin Hood,” she said, another familiar path her mind had followed.

“I believe I substituted Batman, but the same basic premise.”

“What changed?” she asked.

He gave another sigh, this one deep and sad. “The girl re-entered the picture.”

“She tracked you down?” Celeste asked, incredulous. Was she impressed or horrified at that stalker level of devotion?

“With the help of the United States Government. She had not been lax in my absence, as it turned out. She became a spy and, as fate would have it, was assigned to my case.”

“Wow,” Celeste mouthed, though he couldn’t see. “The chances of that must be astronomical.”

“One would think. Someone up there either loves or hates me very much.”

They stared at the fire a bit in silence, pondering, each wondering about the Someone up there and His role in their lives. And then they gave a collective shudder, remembering all the things they would rather leave unseen and unknown.

“And then what happened?” she prompted.

“Look who is suddenly interested in my story,” he said.

“I’m a diehard romantic,” she said.

“You only tuned in after the romance was over, everyone was dead, and I became a terrorist,” he complained.

“I smell a new plot for Disney,” she said.

He gave her shoulder a light shove. “What happened was this: My uncles were apprehended, and so was I. And then I was let go, with the caveat that I now work for the people who had saved me.”

“And the girl?”

“Chose to remain with my replacement, the guy who has always definitively been on the side of good.”

“Where’s the romance or adventure in that?” she asked, affronted on his behalf. Clearly he still loved the woman and, from what she could tell, he had a lot going for him, terrorist past notwithstanding.

“Women these days. It’s almost like they prefer men who aren’t murderers and international criminals who ducked out on the wedding.”

“You’re probably better off without someone that shallow,” she said, earning another laugh that abruptly faded.

“I’m not, though. She’s married with a baby, and I’m theoretically happy for her. But for me there’s no one else. Not in all these years have I strayed from my loyalty to her.” He reached for the pie and paused when he realized there was only a bite left.

Celeste shoved it toward him. “You’re pathetic enough to need this.”

“Thank you for realizing,” he said and downed the final bite.

Chapter 15

They woke in the morning in a huddled mass, curled together under the blanket like yin and yang. Celeste came to first, groggy and disoriented, unable to remember how she wound up in her current position. There was pie. Good pie, but was it enough to make her cast aside all her normal reserve and curl up on the couch with a stranger? Apparently.

After they finished the pie in the kitchen, the sun began to emit a hazy gray mist. They decided to watch it rise from the comfort of the couch. As the sun stole over the horizon, giving everything a rosy glow, they studied the landscape, pristine with fresh snow. Everything had felt so…cozy. The house was freezing, the warmth of the kitchen long forgotten and out of reach. But the body heat they generated under the shared blanket pulled them toward sleep, and that was how it happened. Without thought or purpose, they’d ended up…snuggling.Only for warmth,Celeste protested, but she wasn’t certain she believed it. She was drawn to Sam for more than physical warmth, and that scared her. A lot.

“Well, this is awkward,” Sam whispered, but he sounded more amused than sheepish.

“Yes,” she agreed, tone stilted.

“For the record, I did not consciously spoon you,” he said.

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