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“That’s all you have to say, McBride? Not, ‘You did it, Corbray,’ or ‘Way to kick ass, Corbray,’ or ‘You were right, Corbray.’”
“I don’t need to feed your ego when you’re so good at doing it yourself.” Zach gri
It suddenly occurred to Laura to wonder
why
Javier was wet.
She glanced to her left and felt a hitch behind her breastbone when she realized what he’d done. “You swam across the lake.”
The water must have been ice cold, deathly cold.
“It was the fastest way to reach you.”
He didn’t have to finish the thought. Laura understood.
If he hadn’t done it, she would be dead.
* * *
THE NEXT FEW hours passed in a blur of medical checks and debriefing. The two of them were treated by paramedics on-site and released. Zach drove them back to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, where they each offered a written statement and then answered questions separately. The U.S. Marshal Service, the Adams County sheriffs, the Denver police, and the FBI—everyone seemed to have questions for them, especially for Laura.
It was dark by the time they found themselves in Zach’s SUV once again as he drove them back to Denver, filling them in on what had happened this afternoon when they’d been busy.
Laura’s car was totaled and now sitting in the marshals’ impound yard, where she could get whatever she needed from it in the next few days.
A deputy had already returned Carmichael’s vehicle to him at the newspaper.
A forensic team had been sent back to Sean Michael Edwards’s apartment to see whether they could gather any additional evidence that might help them understand what had transpired there.
Zach had paid a personal visit to the Al Zahrani home to bring the kid’s parents up to date. “I made sure to tell them that you were the one who first suspected their son had been framed.”
“Thank you, Zach.” It was clear from Laura’s face that this meant a lot to her. “Now they’ll finally be able to mourn him in peace.”
Javier leaned in and kissed her temple, careful to avoid her bruised and swollen cheek. “Your compassion is one of the most beautiful things about you,
bella
. Have I told you that?”
Her lips curved in a tired smile, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Javier knew she must be exhausted, but she insisted they stop by the paper.
“They’re going to need to interview me. You can head back to the loft if you want. If you’re in the newsroom, they’ll ask you questions.”
“Don’t worry about me. I think I can handle a few reporters.” He’d almost lost her today. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
“Your name is in the police report. It’s going to wind up in the media again.”
Javier nodded. “I know.”
He’d already called the Boss to tell him what had happened. He’d expected the lieutenant to rip his head off and stuff shit down his neck.
Instead, O’Co
A few days. A few precious days with Laura.
And then Javier would have some big decisions to make.
* * *
SEX WAS THE furthest thing from Laura’s mind when they finally got back to the loft. All she wanted was a hot shower, something to eat that she didn’t have to cook, and the feel of Javier’s arms around her.
They ended up taking a shower together, Laura washing lake water and mud from Javier’s body, Javier washing the scent of horror from Laura’s. But as they smoothed soap over soft skin, Laura felt a need for Javier that was so much more than sexual. Touching turned to kissing until at last Javier backed her against the tile wall, wrapped one of her legs around his waist, and slid inside her.
They made love face-to-face, eyes open, both of them knowing how lucky they were to be alive—and together. It felt to Laura like a celebration of love and life, and when she came, pleasure shimmering through in liquid waves, she couldn’t stop tears from spilling down her cheeks.
Afterward, Laura called her mother and grandmother, waking them to tell them what had happened. They listened, their faces showing Swedish stoicism until she finished. Then her mother insisted on speaking with Javier.
“Thank you once more for saving my daughter,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Laura and Javier made a supper of eggs and bacon together, then snuggled on the sofa, Laura still in her bathrobe, Javier in his fla
“I feel sick when I think of all the people who died because of
him
.” Laura couldn’t say his name. “Drew, my cameraman. Nico, Cody, and Tim, my security team. Sabira Mukhari, the safe house director. Ali Al Zahrani. Sean Michael Edwards. They all died because he wanted to kill
me
, to get back at me for doing my job.”
“Believe it or not,
bella
, the person he hated most was himself. He wanted to believe he was Special Forces material, when some part of him knew you were right—he was just a loser.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a true sociopath until today. I should have known from that first interview that something was wrong with him. He got so . . .
personal
.”
“Nah, how could you? You genuinely care about people. He was a manipulator. Hell, that
mamabicho
used me to commit murder. I thought it was strange that Edwards was laughing, but I never would have thought . . .” Javier’s eyes closed for a moment, and Laura knew he felt remorse. “I wish I’d kicked the shit out of the poor guy instead of pulling the trigger and killing him.”
The conversation drifted, and soon Laura found herself telling him about those last terrifying minutes when she thought she was going to die.
“Random thoughts started ru
Javier stroked Laura’s hair. “One day, you will.”
Oh, she hoped so.
“It wasn’t all regrets. I felt so grateful for every moment that I’ve spent with you. It might sound strange, but I was glad I was going to die as myself and not as Al-Nassar’s victim.”
“It makes sense to me.” Javier held her closer. “Strength of the spirit is harder to build than physical strength, and you fought a battle of spirit today. I heard what you said to him. You kept your fear under control. You were a warrior.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“A hunch.”
She listened as he told her how he’d remembered that the dynamite had been stolen from a construction site in Adams County. When Zach had told him the construction site was just to the north of him, he’d decided it couldn’t be a coincidence. Kimball hadn’t had much time to plan and was falling back on something familiar.
“Your hunch was right. Lucky for me.”
“Lucky for us both. When I saw your car . . .
Ay dios mio.
” He swore softly in Spanish. “I haven’t felt that way since the State Department declared you dead. It hit me in the gut so hard that I . . . All I knew was that I had to get to you. I can’t imagine my life without you.”