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Her eyes flew open. Blinking the tears away, she stared up at him.

He looked down at her, solid and intense and kind. The quirk to his mouth that she loved. The warm expression in his eyes that she didn't always see, but which touched her to her soul.

"Come here. Come shower,” she said.

He stepped inside, and his embrace felt warm.

There was an alternative now, to the abyss that yawned. And not just an alternative, not just a choice for now, to muffle the pain.

If she took it, Cora knew it would be more than that. It would mean something different, something that wouldn’t be dark and would not be temporary.

Closing her eyes she let the tears mix with the water, letting herself feel the pain that she'd been pushing away, while he held her.

Her heart was leaden, but the weight felt more bearable with Gabe's arms around her. She had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but for tonight, at least, she knew she had found what she needed. And more.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Cora woke, with gray light filtering in through the window, and the sound of Gabe's breathing in her ear. She lay down for a moment, thinking about how things had changed. Telling herself to live in the moment. This wasn't the time to worry about the future, or about what had happened last night.

It had been good. It had felt right. She'd felt that she trusted Gabe completely, that he was a friend first, and a lover second, and somehow, that was reassuring to her. Friendship was their foundation.

Stirring, Gabe pulled her closer and she lay for a moment in the warmth of his arms, stroking her fingers over his hand, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing next to her. This felt right. Cora didn't often feel as if her heart was at peace. It was unusual and comforting. She wondered if this feeling might end up being as addictive as those other, bad things had been. There was a strong chance it would.

“You okay?” he murmured.

“I’m more than okay. How about you?”

“Yeah. All’s good. I wish we could stay like this forever. At least, all day,” he said.

“Me, too.” She meant the words with all her heart. If only she could.

And then, shrilly, her phone started ringing, shattering the moment, reminding her about all her worries. The weight of the case landed in her mind again and she sat bolt upright, grasping her phone as Gabe jumped out of bed.

It was an unfamiliar number, and she picked up the call feeling suspicious. But as soon as she heard the voice, she recognized it. It was Trisha, her contact. The recruiter who'd met her in the bar.

Now, Trisha was calling her, and Cora knew that had to be bad news.

"Hey," she said. "What's up?"

"There's been another murder." Trisha’s voice was stressed. She was speaking rapidly. "They've found another body on the base this morning. I just got the call. I'm borrowing a phone to call you. I don't want them to know I told you."

Cora grimaced. This was a crisis situation. She needed, desperately, to get on to the base. She had to talk to the people who had seen this. And she was all out of options as to how.

"Are there any further details?"

"I know it's a man, a relatively new recruit. I don't know more than that. He's been on base about six months."

"Look, I need help here," Cora said. "I can't get on to the base. Not now. They're going to be in strict lockdown, and on the alert for anyone who shouldn’t be there. I got in last night, and only just got out again. There’s no way I can get in again, fast. I need some cover to do this. I need someone's ID or authorization that I can use." She glanced at Gabe. "Even a man's one would work. If one of us can get in there, we can see what's going on."

There was silence for a while. Then Trisha replied.

"Okay. I get you. I see your problem. I'm going to call around and see what I can do. There are people in and out, with this happening. It's actually going to be easier, I think, for now at any rate. Give me five minutes."

While she waited, Cora got dressed, scooping her hair up under a woolen hat, getting her long sleeves on, doing everything she could to look neutral and inconspicuous. Gabe did likewise.

"You think she'll find one of us a way in?" he asked, as he pulled on a pair of black jeans. His phone beeped. “Rental car is arriving in five minutes. So that’s good.”

"She has to get us some ID," Cora said. "We can't get in again without it. One of us has to be there legitimately."

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