Love & Lies
Page 78
“Faith.” The word was hollow, the plea of a broken man.
I closed my eyes when I heard the shot go off, waiting for the burn of the bullet as it tore through me.
It never came.
Instead, I heard a thud and turned to see Benson falling back to the ground, his hand bleeding profusely. The gun he’d grabbed from Bordas’ body fell beside him. I’d been so distracted, I hadn’t even seen him take the gun. If she hadn’t intervened… I’d be dead.
God, I loved that woman.
Leaning down, I collected the gun and shoved it into the back of my jeans. With a disgusted look, I stepped over Benson’s wailing form. Judging by the mangled flesh that was his right hand, he’d never be able to zipper his fly again, let alone fire a gun.
By the time I’d retrieved the handcuffs from my bag and cuffed his uninjured wrist to a table leg, he’d passed out, which was fine by me. His shrieking was getting on my last nerve and it was easier to convince myself to tourniquet his injuries when I didn’t have to listen to his voice.
I wiped my blood-streaked hands on my pant legs before I approached Faith. I moved slowly, my gaze locked on her face. The gun was still wrapped tight in her hands. Hunching, I forced her eyes to meet mine as I slowly tugged it from her grip.
“It’s okay, Red.” My voice was gentle. “It’s over.”
As soon as I took the pistol, she let out a mewl of relief and melted against me. I wrapped my arms around her and held tight.
“He—he was going to hurt you,” she whispered needlessly, panic and shock lacing her tone. “I shot him… I shot him.”
“You saved my life.” My words were fierce, my mouth pressed hard against her hair. “I’d be dead if you hadn’t. And so would a hell of a lot more people, if his scheme for Szekely’s weapon had gone as planned.”
She was trembling, so I tightened my arms around her, crushing her to my chest in an unbreakable hold. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head.
“I have to call this in. The sooner that bastard is locked up, the happier I’ll be,” I growled, casting a glance back at the man who’d been my handler for more than five years. “Will you be okay for a minute, while I call?”
She nodded.
I looked into her eyes and what I saw there worried me — that faraway, distant look told me she was still processing what had happened. I reminded myself she wasn’t used to this kind of violence, that she’d never really been in a situation like this before, except for the Hermes fire.
“Faith Morrissey,” I said, waiting for her to look up and meet my eyes. When she did, I cupped her cheeks in my hands. “You are the bravest person I know. Do you realize that?”
I saw a tiny bit of light return to her eyes and I knew, then, that she’d be okay. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I turned to fish the cellphone out of Benson’s pocket and call Command. It was past time they knew what this prick had been up to.
Chapter 59
Faith
KRYPTONITE
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He came back after a few minutes, that worried look still on his face whenever he glanced in my direction. I could tell he was anxious about me. He thought I was in shock, because I’d seen him kill Bordas, because I’d shot Benson.
I wasn’t.
Neither of those things gave me pause.
It wasn’t Benson’s actions that haunted my thoughts — not the way he’d looked as he casually threatened thousands of innocent lives, or the cavalier tone of his voice when he’d declared Istvan was going to kill me. Instead, it was his words that stalked me, echoing in my mind over and over until I thought I might explode.
Because of you, he didn’t realize what was happening until it was far too late.
You’re responsible for his death.
The one who killed him.
“Red.” Wes was in front of me, his palms warm on my cheeks again. “He can’t hurt you ever again. There are agents on their way here as we speak — they’ll take Benson into custody and this will finally be over. You’re safe, now.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But you aren’t.”
His eyebrows went up. “What?”
“He said I was your fatal flaw. Your kryptonite.” I could feel my eyes watering. “Maybe he’s right — you almost got killed because of me… Maybe it was silly to think we could do this, without one of us getting hurt. Maybe we shouldn’t…”
“Hey.” He cut me off and his eyes were suddenly stormy with emotion. “Don’t say that.”
“But—”
“I used to think like he does — that love is a weakness.” His words were low, full of passion. “You were the one who taught me it’s not. Faith — you aren’t my Achilles heel. You’re not a flaw or a defect or a shortcoming; you’re a salvation. A strength. A cure. A gift.”
A few tears escaped beneath my lashes and slipped down my cheeks.
“You gave my something to live for. Not just exist — live. And that’s not something he can take away from us with a few words of doubt. No one can take that away from us, Red. Not ever.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my body into his, and buried my face against his shoulder.
“I love you,” I said, my words adamant. “Then. Now. Always.”
His lips found mine and he breathed a single word just before his mouth crashed down in a kiss that reassured me, in every possible way, that our love was unshakeable. Immoveable. Unrelenting.
“Always.”
Chapter 60
Faith
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
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“Come on, Red.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“I know.”
He was far too cheerful — something was going on, and I wanted to know what. I grumbled and groaned until we neared the promenade and, abruptly, I knew exactly where he was leading me.
“Our bridge?” I guessed, a smile stretching my lips.
He just grinned and tugged me along.
It was strange and wonderful to be back in Budapest, where it had all started — where we had started. We’d been here a week, retracing the steps we’d walked three years ago, repainting the lies and betrayals which had once clouded my image of this beautiful city with bright new memories — full of love and laughter and the promise of a new life together.
It all felt a little surreal, maybe because it had happened so fast. After I’d shot him, Benson had been airlifted from the cabin to a military hospital and then immediately transferred into agency custody. According to Wes, Benson folded before the interrogation even started, his cowardice unwavering as ever, especially since it was his ass on the line. With the intel he’d provided, the CIA raided Szekely’s underground facilities in Tokaj, as well as two smaller compounds in Romania and Turkey. The illegal arms they’d confiscated there would put Szekely — along with dozens of his men — away for the rest of their lives.
Sometimes, as I wandered the streets of Budapest, seeing it with new eyes, I found myself thinking back to before. Remembering the people I’d known then. Cranky Irenka, slutty Anna, brooding Marko. But, most often, I thought of Konrad. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to that smiling, scrappy teen I’d once known. Wes told me he hadn’t been in any of the compounds during the raid.
I hoped he’d made it out of that life. That he’d get a shot at being his own person.
Everyone deserves that chance, at the very least.
We had another few days in Budapest before we left for Sydney. It was the only part of the trip I’d insisted on. I needed to see the place Margot had loved enough to call home, even for a short time. I needed to lay flowers in that alley, and feel the salt on my cheeks on a windy day outside the opera house.
I needed to say goodbye to my friend.
From there, I had no idea where we’d go. I’d been practically nowhere; Wes had been pre
tty much everywhere. He was determined to show me the world; I was happy to let him.
The minute I heard Szekely was behind bars, I’d officially quit my job and given up the lease on my apartment in New York. That same day, Wes had terminated his contract with the agency. They weren’t happy to see him go, but they couldn’t hold him. Not after he’d given them Benson and Szekely on a silver platter.
So, at long last, we were free.
We didn’t have a plan. We’d blow from place to place, carried by the wind, two fallen leaves in a vortex of possibility. Who knew where we’d land?
I didn’t care, so long as we were together. For me, home was Wes.
“Is there some kind of festival?” I asked, my eyes scanning the bridge. It was often closed to auto traffic on weekends, but this was different. There were no vendor carts parked along the road. No guided walking tours for tourists grouped at the stone lions, snapping photos. No pedestrians clogged the entryway. Besides the solitary man standing guard at the blockaded entrance, the bridge was entirely empty — something I’d never seen, in all my trips across it. My curiosity mounted as we walked ever closer and the railings came into focus.
I thought it was snow, at first.
Thick braided ropes of white flowers had been strung from one side of the bridge to the other — a million blooms, all pure white. They covered every surface like a bizarre floral ice storm had swept across the Danube, leaving nothing but blossoms behind.
I gasped at the beauty of it.
It was nearly Christmas; flowers wouldn’t bloom here for several months, so they must’ve been imported, likely at great expense. But, whatever the cost, the effect was undeniable. Magical. A winter wonderland of snowy petals, blanketing the stonework of the bridge.
The flowers’ beauty was starkly juxtaposed with the harsh metal beneath — a dichotomy in its most basic form.
Hard and soft, grit and grace, winter and spring.
A contradiction.
And, just like that, I knew.
“You did this,” I breathed, my breath puffing visibly in the cold air. My hand squeezed his as we stepped past the guard, who smiled knowingly in our direction, onto the abandoned bridge. I felt not a flicker of fear at the prospect of crossing, as my eyes swept around, taking it all in. I looked over at Wes, wide eyed. His crooked grin confirmed it.
“But… why?” I asked, my voice laced with wonderment.
He stopped and pulled me in for a long, lingering kiss.
“Because I love you,” he said simply. “Now, come on. You’re going to miss your surprise.”
I laughed. “I thought this was the surprise.”
His grin widened, his hand tightened on mine, and he tugged me further out onto the bridge. We walked for several minutes in silence, both admiring the ivory beauty around us, until we reached the exact center. There, Wes stopped and turned to face me, his eyes holding a gravity I’d rarely seen in the past.
“Faith Moon Morrissey,” he said, unable to keep his lips from twisting in a small smile as he said my full name. “Do you remember the first time I brought you here?”
I nodded.
“You didn’t want to walk the bridge. You were terrified — but you did it anyway. You didn’t let the fear stop you from living, from experiencing everything life has to offer. You trusted me, against all logic, against all reason, to keep you safe. That’s when I knew you were brave.” His voice dropped lower. “You counted to five, conquered your fear, and threw your arms around me, even though I was basically a stranger. That’s the moment I knew I loved you.”
I tied to speak, but he wasn’t finished.
“Three years ago, you tied your life to mine accidentally.” My eyes dropped to the cord around his neck and I smiled at the memory. “You didn’t have a choice, then. But you do, now.”
My jaw went slack as I finally realized what was happening.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag. I felt my eyes water as I watched him pour its contents into the calloused palm of his hand — two shining bands of platinum, one large and one small. He stared into my eyes and I felt my heart spill over with love as he took my hand.
“Marry me.” He didn’t ask, because there was no question. “Again. For real. Forever.”
“Yes,” I breathed without a moment’s hesitation, hurling my body against his and kissing him until the air in my lungs ran out and I couldn’t breathe. “Yes.”
His touch was featherlight, delicate, as he slipped the band onto my finger. With shaking hands, I worked his ring past his scarred knuckle and watched breathlessly as it slid into place.
Looking down at our hands, at the gleaming twin loops around our fingers, I knew, for the rest of my life, nothing would ever be as perfect as it was in this moment.
And that was okay.
I didn’t need perfect. I just needed him.
Faith and Wes.
Wes and Faith.
Forever.
As we kissed on the contradictory bridge of splendor and stone, pressed together in our own special paradox, I knew the untamed wolf and the foolish girl had found their happy ending against all odds.
Our love couldn’t be erased.
We were permanent.
* * *
The End
ERASING FAITH PLAYLIST
Songs that inspired Erasing Faith:
Love the Way You Lie (Pt. III) by Skylar Grey
Animals by Maroon Five
Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey
Demons by Imagine Dragons
I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift
Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey
Arms by Christina Perri
All You Never Say by Birdy
Distance by Christina Perri
Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift
Just A Game by Birdy
Titanium by Madilyn Bailey
Sway by The Perishers
Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine
About the Author
JULIE JOHNSON is a twenty-something Boston native suffering from an extreme case of Peter Pan Syndrome and an obsession with fictional characters. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found daydreaming, drinking too much coffee, striving to conquer her Netflix queue, or stalking Goodreads for new books to add to her ever-growing TBR list.
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She published her debut novel LIKE GRAVITY in August 2013, just before her senior year of college, and she's never looked back. Since, she has published four more novels: SAY THE WORD, ERASING FAITH, NOT YOU IT'S ME, and CROSS THE LINE. Her books have appeared on Kindle and iTunes Bestseller lists around the world, as well as in AdWeek and Publisher’s Weekly.
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You can find Julie on Facebook or contact her on her website www.juliejohnsonbooks.com. Sometimes, when she can figure out how Twitter works, she tweets from @AuthorJulie. For major book news and updates, subscribe to Julie's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bnWtHH
Connect with Julie:
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