“Of course you did.”
“Then I guess I chose before I realized it.”
Andy leaned toward her and she met him halfway, sealing the moment with a kiss.
He loved this woman, and he’d take on the whole damn CIA if it meant keeping her safe—and alive. Because now that he’d found love, he didn’t plan on giving it up.
Epilogue
Six months later, Greece
Carol checked the latest intel upload to ensure the data was going out smoothly. It would be the last one for nearly three weeks, so there couldn’t be any hiccups. In two more months the summit would convene, people from all over the world would need this data, and then the war could really begin. They were making progress, them and their clandestine army. She had hope there would be an end in the future.
For now, she was headed into three weeks of blissful rest. She couldn’t wait.
Their local contacts would be here before nightfall to pack up the containers and ship them out to a holding facility, where they would serve as bait. SICA would ideally strike sometime in the next sixty hours or less. It was all about measuring their response times, figuring out their weaknesses.
It was another trap in the web they were building around the globe.
So far, so good.
She powered off the laptop and shoved it into her carry-on.
Things were about to move very fast, and she’d never been more ready.
Carol checked her watch.
Andy should be getting off the boat in the next thirty minutes, which meant she was late.
She grabbed her rolling bag and slung the carry-on over her shoulder. She grinned and laughed to herself.
Black nylon so did not go with white, but the whole ensemble had been thrown together in a matter of a day. She couldn’t be too picky.
As a little girl, she’d never really seen herself getting married. As an adult, she’d mostly written the idea off. Work came first, and always would.
And then she met Andy, and he changed everything.
Carol flipped the lights off and glanced around the flat. She had to be gone by the time the crew arrived. They couldn’t see her, and she had a date on the beach to make.
She set the big floppy hat on her head and pushed the sunglasses on. Or tried to. She hadn’t adjusted to the nose job or shorter, dark hair. Sometimes she passed a mirror and startled herself. Andy still swore he saw the same woman he’d met when he looked at her. She didn’t detect any of his subtle tells that he was lying, so she needed to give up and just accept that—this was her now. Brown hair and all.
And very shortly, she’d be a new woman.
What names were they getting married under again?
She paused to check the cipher.
Tyler. Right.
If she showed up and gave the wrong name that would be rather awkward.
Carol stepped out on the street, her eyes working double-time behind the large sunglasses to check the pedestrians, ensure everything was as it should be.
It’d been a month or so since they’d had a close call. They’d been careful since then, bordering on obsessive during their pass through China using Sarah’s Wishing Well contacts. Which was why they were leaving Greece tonight.
Such a pity.
But she was alive, and with the man she loved.
Carol nearly skipped down to the docks.
Andy was the one who’d mentioned marriage first, which shocked her. She’d put it off a good two months, but when she’d disembarked from the little boat and seen the two elderly grandmas sitting under their white awning overlooking the ocean surrounded by flowers…Carol had known this was it. The moment they solidified the rest of their lives.
She let herself through the gate and stopped short.
“You weren’t supposed to be here for another hour.” She just about stomped her foot in frustration.
Andy turned, his smile as easy and relaxed as it’d ever been.
“I couldn’t wait,” he said and her insides melted. “Besides, the captain had to get back sooner.”
Carol couldn’t fault that. Every moment apart made her think of those harrowing hours when she hadn’t known if Andy was alive or not. She wanted him with her, always, until the end of her life, however short or long it was.
…
Andy wrapped his arm around Carol—his wife—and kissed the top of her head.
They watched the Greek coast fade from view under the night sky.
She made him want a future, a real one. And for that, they’d have to fight.
“Did you see Rand and Sarah?” Carol asked.
“I did. Sarah’s pregnant.”
“What?” Carol gaped up at him. “She didn’t say anything.”
“Probably because that’s going to be a very difficult thing to work with. Unless it’s a smooth birth she will have to be in the hospital, and that will make her an easy target. Having a baby under these circumstances…” Andy shook his head. He wouldn’t want to put a child through that, but he also understood that there was no perfect time to fall in love or have a family.
Just because they were fighting a secret war didn’t mean their lives stopped.
“What else did they say?” Carol asked.
“No one has heard from Mitch or Irene, but they were headed out to that hacker camp in Siberia, so I’m not surprised. They’ll be back in time for the summit.” Andy had been to one or two in his time. They weren’t friendly places.
Carol hummed.
They were both of the mind that Irene and Mitch had plenty to work out between them. It’d taken Andy falling in love to see it at work in others. Even in the shadows, life went on.
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About the Author
It can never be said that NYT & USA Today bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a “normal” life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, tattoo addict, and board game enthusiast. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she spends her time writing, reading, hunting Pokémon, playing board games, and catering to her furry overlords, a.k.a. the cats.
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