“I’m not in the least calm.”Emberly pressed her hands to her head.“It could have easily been both of us sleeping in that cottage today.And what if they’d decided not to burn it down but just to walk in and drop us with a couple shots to the head?”
Nimue blinked at her.
“Sorry, but...I did mention themob, right?”She pulled out her most recent burner phone.“I need to call Mystique and warn her.You need to burn your dark-web trail.”
Nimue turned back to her computer.
Mystique’s phone went to voicemail.Emberly pulled open the balcony door and stepped outside.Caught Stein on a call.
“Listen, Colt, you need to tell Logan.Luis can’t be trusted.And Declan may have a tainted virus.I don’t know—right.Yes.I’ll be there.”
He glanced at Emberly, drew in a breath.“No, she’s safe.”He stilled.“No way.”
She raised an eyebrow.
He turned away.“No.They just tried to kill—I don’t care!”
“Steinbeck.”She touched his arm.It tensed under her grip.
“Over my dead—I know!”
“I’m going with you.”
He glanced at her, his eyes narrowing.“Hold on, Colt.”He pulled the phone away.“No.You’re not.”
She laughed, shook her head.“You’ve met me, right?”
His mouth tightened and he shook his head, turned back.“You still there?”
He sighed, listening, his mouth pulling.
“Tell him—and yourself—that Mystique isn’t answering,” Emberly said.“Which means I’m the only one who can identify Tomas.”
Steinbeck turned, leaning against the balcony, a knot of frustration.“And you should check on Logan.Mystique isn’t answering.”
He met her eyes as he nodded to something Colt said.Then, “No, I’ll call Declan.I’m going to need a plane anyway.”He shut the phone almost violently.
She stood there in the darkness, just the light from the moon and the glow from inside illuminating his scowl.“You remind me of a very upset sailor I once met.”
He pocketed the phone and reached out, pulling her to himself by her belt loops.Set her in front of him.“This very upsetformersailor nearly lost pieces of himself today when I thought...”He looked away, shook his head.Sighed.Turned back to her.“I was really hoping you meant it when you said you’d quit the Swans.”
She pressed her hands against his chest, her fingers at the nape of his neck.“And what are you doing to do, Jason Bourne?Sell real estate?”
He huffed, but let himself smile.Then, quietly, “What am I going to do with you?”He pulled her in, his arms around her waist, and she stepped close, her hands to his face, her thumbs running along his whiskers.
“Maybe...don’t let go?”The words tumbled out, a risk, her breath catching.
But he nodded, his eyes shiny.“Nope.I’ve learned enough to hang on.”
Then he kissed her, his mouth sweet and soft and gentle.She sank into his embrace, the waves shushing against the sand, the stars blinking down.She let him deepen his kiss, moved in closer until finally he raised his head, breathing a little hard.
“We need to go to New York.So here’s the deal.We save the freakin’ world from Skynet and then...we walk off into the sunset, hand in hand.”
“And we’re back in the romance movie.”She smiled.
“It feels more like a thriller.The Terminator.”
She laughed.“Which was aromance.”
