He opened the passports, looking at the various stamps already filled in as he flipped through the pages. No one on the Canadian border would question the documents’ validity.
“Want to see your wedding photos?” Donovan asked.
“Our...what?” Nick glanced up. “How would we have wedding photos?”
“Maddie’s idea. I told you my guy was good.” Donovan handed over an 8 x 10 picture.
Nick and Carlie stood in wedding clothes, the happy smiles Nick sent Donovan for the passports and IDs looked out at him. Flanking them on either side stood Donovan and Madeline.
“I don’t understand.” The only thing Nick could think about was the wedding photo he had in his hotel room. The one proving Carlie wasn’t Stephanie. However, if Nick didn’t know for sure he and Carlie never posed for this photo, he’d think it was real. Was there any chance the one Paul sent him was faked? Could Carlie be Stephanie?
“Skilled people can do marvelous things with photos. This is actually my wedding picture. Great, right?” Donovan wore a wide smile, but it faltered slowly. “What’s wrong?”
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Nick quickly accessed his e-mail account and opened the message containing the photos. He uploaded the wedding picture. It was harder to see on the small screen of his phone, but he tapped to enlarge it and passed it to Donovan. “This is what convinced me Carlie was lying.”
Donovan whistled. “Where’d this come from?”
“The committee in charge of S.A.T.O. dug it up. Paul forwarded this and the newspaper clippings talking about the wedding.” Nick quickly explained Carlie’s story about being married to Prince Rayhan and the man’s murder, leading to her being on the run for six years at the urging of her mother-in-law. “I assumed she lied once I saw these pictures. The photo from the paper is grainy and hard to really tell, but Carlie is clearly the bridesmaid here, not the bride.”
“Unless someone did the same thing to this picture that my guy did for your wedding photo.”
“How can I tell?” Nick shook his head, wondering why he hadn’t examined the pictures more closely. It made him so angry when he thought Carlie lied; thought she kept lying. He hadn’t really questioned the authenticity of the photo. “Why would someone do this? I couldn’t find much on the internet about Rayhan and Stephanie, but someone obviously found this stuff.”
“Nothing is really erased once it’s been put on the internet. I’m really not good with technology.” Donovan shrugged. “From what I understand, even if Rayhan’s family paid big bucks to get pictures removed from common public consumption, a good hacker could find it. If they didn’t want their enemies to know Carlie was still alive or maybe even that Rayhan was dead, they might have paid for that, don’t you think?”
That made sense, actually. Maybe Rayhan’s family even had the pictures changed so no one would know who Carlie was, even if they found the photos. And all this time he’d been accusing Carlie of not being who she said.
Nick rubbed his temples again, nausea turning his stomach. He’d even gone so far as to be angry with her reaction to the children, thinking she’d just played him with the story about Gabi. If she truly lost her daughter, lost any chance to have children, he’d been so insensitive.
“I wonder if she’ll forgive me.”
Next to him, Donovan nodded. “She loves you. Women have long known they have to forgive us for being idiots on occasion.” He laughed. “Maddie regularly reminds me of that fact. I’m sure Carlie knows it too.”
“I hope you’re right.” Fear gripped his spine, causing him to shiver as Nick considered how dangerous things had become. “No matter what I believe, Paul and President Sharp think she’s guilty. S.A.T.O. intends for her to die tomorrow. I have to get her away from here before they realize I won’t make that happen.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Once the men returned with beer, Nick was subdued and kept staring at Carlie with a peculiar look she didn’t understand. Donovan must have conspired with Madeline to talk to Nick about their relationship problems.
The football game ended and while the men argued over a bad call that decided the winner, Carlie packed up the cupcakes that hadn’t been eaten. She walked into the dining room where Madeline gave Josephine a bottle and set them on the table in front of her. “Something for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Breakfast?” Madeline quirked an eyebrow and set the bottle down, slinging the baby over her shoulder and patting her back. “That’ll make my guys happy. I think we’ll head back to the hotel. It was a great dinner, but everyone’s getting tired. Besides, you and Nick need to talk.”
“Talk, huh?” Carlie shook her head, doubtful they could find a way to work things out. “Lately we fight instead of talk. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”
“It’ll be okay.” Surprising Carlie, Madeline stood and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “You guys love each other. Don’t be afraid of that. Give Nick a chance, and most important, let yourself forgive him. Love always finds a way.”
Easy for the happily married woman to say. “I hope you’re right.”
She stepped back and smiled. “Of course I am.”
Carlie helped Madeline gather all the things necessary to travel with a baby, and Madeline put Josephine in the car seat.
The men entered the room, still grumbling about the game, but a sweet smile lit up Donovan’s face when he saw Madeline. “All packed and ready to go?”
“Yep.” She jerked her chin Nick’s direction and slipped the diaper bag strap over her shoulder. “These two have some stuff to work out, and I think Colton’s ready to play a few video games on his handheld and relax.”
Nick crossed the remaining distance to stand next to Carlie. He grasped her hand without looking at her. She didn’t pull away, happy at this signal that they were, indeed, going to try and work things out.
“Thanks for spending the day with us.” He looked at Donovan. “And thank you for talking sense into me.” Nick squeezed Carlie’s hand tighter. “I was on my way to making the biggest mistake of my life.”
That sounds promising.
Donovan nodded. “We’ll be over to Carlie’s Creations for some lunch and to say goodbye tomorrow before we leave. Thanks for having us.”
They gave hugs all around. Colton thanked Carlie again for letting him help make cupcakes. Nick reclaimed her hand as soon as hugs were given, and they stood in the doorway, waving back at Colton’s wildly swinging hand.
It was odd. Despite the tension with Nick, this had been one of the better holidays Carlie spent for a while. A sadness descended on her as she watched them pull away. She hadn’t waved goodbye to friends or family in longer than six years. Normally when it was time for her to leave she took off in the middle of the night without telling anyone where she was going. As much as she wanted a stable life where she stayed in one place and kept her shop open, she wondered if that dream would actually happen.
How long until she was forced to run again? Especially if Nick wasn’t around to keep Ryan’s enemies away.
Nope. I can’t think that way. I’ve been on my own a long time. If we can’t work out our problems, I wouldn’t want Nick around just for protection. She glanced at him, then closed and locked the front door. But I do want him around. I hope Madeline’s right.
Nick grabbed her hand and led her to the couch, sitting and pulling her beside him. Carlie’s heart beat fast with anticipation, not certain what Donovan told him or what he decided. If he still thought she could possibly be a terrorist, it would never work.
“There are a few things I need to clear up,” he said, his dark eyes capturing hers. “First, I know I’m an idiot.”
She opened her mouth, uncertain whether she was going to agree or argue, but Nick’s index finger rested against her lips before anything came out.
“Shhhh.” He shook his head. “Don’t argue. We both know it’s true. How could I think that you’d ever...?” He sighed. “I hope you can
forgive me. I’m so sorry.”
“And you don’t think I’m a terrorist anymore?”
“No. I shouldn’t have believed it to begin with.” He stroked his calloused thumb lightly across her cheek. “There’s one more thing I want to tell you.”
She chewed on her lower lip, nerves fluttering with anxiety as Nick shifted his body a fraction closer to hers and continued caressing her face. It was overwhelming. All she wanted was to kiss him again, but she knew that wouldn’t solve their problems. They really needed to talk this out, not just hop into bed together again.
“What is it?” The breathless quality of her voice irritated her, but she couldn’t stop the way she responded to him.
Shifting closer still, Nick slid his hand around the back of her neck, curling his fingers in her hair. “I love you with every part of who I am. I never want to fight with you again.” His lips whispered across her mouth, light and feathery, just enough to make her want more. “And I will do anything to be with you.”
He kissed her again, but this time it wasn’t sweet. His lips pressed firmly into hers and his tongue licked at her mouth, demanding entry. At the same time his other arm wrapped around her back, crushing her tight against him.
Unable to stop herself, and not really wanting to, Carlie circled her arms around his neck, parting her lips and sucking his tongue into her mouth. He groaned and his hand stroked down her neck to her torso. His talented fingers found her nipple through the fabric of her shirt, tweaking it into a stiff peak.
With great reluctance, Carlie placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed him away. “Wait, Nick, we have to talk. We can’t do this yet.”
He dropped his hand away from her chest and pressed his forehead into hers, closing his eyes. His breathing was as rapid as hers, but desire for each other had never been their problem. “The ‘yet’ sounds promising,” he finally said, scooting slightly away and folding his hands in his lap. “We do have a lot of things to discuss.”
Nodding, Carlie cleared her throat and willed her heart rate to slow. “Starting with why you thought I could be a terrorist and why you didn’t trust me.”
He tilted his head slightly, a calculating look passing behind his eyes. “I don’t think you’ll like my answers.”
“If you don’t tell me, as much as I love you, I’ll have to end things.” She reached across and gripped his hand. “Please. I want to be in a relationship with a man who trusts me and who I can trust. Ryan lied almost the entire time I was with him. I can handle anything, as long as I know we’re in this together.”
“The truth?” He sighed. “The truth is, the FBI suspects you and showed me pictures that seemed to support that. They said if I didn’t help them catch you, they’d send me to jail for what I did in the past.”
It became hard to breathe for a different reason than passion. “You were going to turn me over to them if I confessed?”
“No! Of course not.” Despite her demand that they talk and not touch, Nick pulled her to him. He hugged her to his chest and kissed her forehead. “I thought if you told me what was going on, I could talk you out of it. Then we could leave the country together. We’d get away from the FBI and the assassins after you, all in one move.”
Reassured, Carlie relaxed against him. “So this was your way of making sure we could stay together?”
“Exactly, but that agent’s after me now. I have to leave Sayle. I know it’s asking a lot, but I want you to come with me. Let’s start a new life together, somewhere none of our enemies can find us.”
“You want me to move away?” It would mean giving up everything and running again, which she promised herself she wouldn’t do. “But I’m innocent. There’s no reason to leave. We can stay here and be together. I don’t want to leave Sayle or give up my business.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t stay, Carlie. I have to leave. Don’t you love me enough to come with me?”
She tried to think rationally and not be overwhelmed by her need for Nick. This was a big decision. “I do love you, but I don’t understand why you have to leave. Certainly that FBI guy won’t arrest you once he realizes I’m innocent and you can’t help him.”
He puffed out a breath and the hot air bathed her forehead. “It’s more complicated than that. I made some bad choices in the past. I’m afraid it’s about to catch up with me.”
She cocked her head sideways, considering that statement. “What did you do?”
“I only tried to protect someone I care about, but that doesn’t matter now. I have no choice. I have to leave.”
“There’s no other way?”
“No.” He tilted her head back and kissed her once again. “Please, my lady. You are what makes my life complete. Let’s leave for Canada tomorrow. I have a house there no one in our government knows about. I have money saved up—a lot of money. We can start a new sandwich shop there and still live your dream.” His lips pressed into hers again. “Please. All I need is you. Tell me I’m all you need.”
***
Nick held his breath, waiting for Carlie to respond. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the instantaneous reassurance he’d hoped for. Her eyes narrowed and she pouted her lips together, obviously deep in thought.
Maybe he should have told her the entire truth. Then again, the FBI story sounded a lot more plausible than telling her he worked for a secret agency she’d never heard of. Especially since he’d already put such a distance between them. If she thought he was in danger, instead of herself, hopefully that would be enough to get her to come along. Carlie was very motivated to help others. It was one of the things he loved about her.
“Tomorrow’s too fast. I need more time to arrange things,” she finally answered.
“You can’t arrange anything. They’re watching us.” Of that, he was certain. Paul’s other agents would be looking for any mistake on Nick’s part—that was how S.A.T.O. worked now.
Donovan agreed to go to the bank in the morning on Nick’s behalf and exchange enough cash to Canadian money for them to get to Nick’s house, which was about an hour north of Vancouver. It wouldn’t take a lot to get there, but they needed to leave as soon as Carlie closed the shop. “Donovan didn’t just come here for Thanksgiving. He brought fake IDs and documentation to get us out of the country.”
Carlie’s eyes widened. “So, you’ve known about this for a while?”
“I didn’t know for sure we’d have to leave until a few days ago, and then I tried to talk to you about Muhammad.” He sighed, wishing he knew what she was thinking. “I’ve known for a while there was a chance I’d have to run, so Donovan put things in motion, just in case. I had him get documents for you, too, because I already knew I was falling for you and I hoped you’d come with me.”
Her eyelids fluttered closed and she chewed on her bottom lip, shaking her head slightly. “What about my friend Bradley? I can’t just leave the shop and stick him with everything. I owe him the profits I promised.”
“I’m well off from my business investments. Money is not a problem. Once it’s safe, I’ll send him whatever you think is fair.”
She looked up, her eyes dark with emotion. “I don’t want you paying my way.”
“It wouldn’t be like that.” He smoothed her blond hair down her back, aching with his need for her. How he could have doubted her honesty or thought those pictures were real, he didn’t know. As soon as Donovan showed him the doctored photos his friend produced, everything made sense. Carlie was exactly what she appeared to be, and he needed her in his life. “I’d be paying our way...so we can be together. I’m looking for forever, and I want it with you.”
Moisture gleamed in her eyes, but she kept her gaze steady on him. “I want that too.”
“Then come with me. Take a chance on happiness.” He kissed her again, hoping the no touching rule had expired. “Take a chance on love.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
It was crazy. Carlie couldn’t understand why Nick didn’t tell her all t
his from the beginning. She spent the last few days in a haze of hurt and pain, thinking he didn’t want her. Now he wanted her, but to keep him she had to leave everything else behind.
However, the assassins knew where she was now. Even if she insisted on staying and Nick left by himself, how much longer until she had to run again? If the people of Maharla saw her as a threat and wanted her dead, she knew they’d stop at nothing to get her. After all, they blew up Ryan’s car. Even though she didn’t want to be a princess, that didn’t change the facts. They would kill her as soon as they got a chance. Only her willingness to drop everything important and leave each time they found her had kept her alive.
At least this time she wouldn’t have to run alone. Even with their problems, she loved Nick. If she was going to have to run eventually anyway, she really risked nothing by going with him.
She wrapped her arm across his waist. “Okay.”
“Okay? Really?” Suddenly his mouth was everywhere—on top of her hair, on her cheek, down her neck, and finally against her lips. “I was so worried I screwed things up. I haven’t allowed myself to count on anyone or feel anything deep since my mom was killed.” He held her close, his stubble-covered cheek pressed against her face. “I need you, but that’s hard for me.”
“I come with a lot of problems,” Carlie said softly, hating to point it out, but knowing they had to consider everything rationally and not just with their emotions. “Are you sure you want to deal with all that? The assassins, my being a princess on the run?” She sucked in a deep breath upon thinking of her last issue, a fist of tight pain clenching her heart. “I can never have children. If we stay together long term, that’s something you have to consider. Can you give up fatherhood?”
“Being with you is worth anything.” Nick’s lips found her ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth and sending shivers racing down her spine. “We’ll outrun the assassins and any other enemy we have.” He kissed the sensitive skin just below her ear. “And if we want children, Donovan and Madeline have shown how rewarding it can be to adopt. Once we’re ready.”
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