asked, “Is there anything else you want me to mention to Kat?”
He was sitting next to her on the sofa while Mouse worked furiously on his laptop.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’d prefer to talk to her myself. It can’t get any worse than it already is, and I don’t want you implicated in any way. Let me take the heat.”
He turned toward her, his eyes hard and his shoulders tense. “Not only would I take the heat for you, handle anything that falls out from this, but I’d take a bullet for you, Anna. Make no mistake. I’m not keen on this course of action… Are you going to turn yourself in?”
She didn’t say anything. He had to know that was what had to happen. She wasn’t going to run away from this. She had done nothing wrong and she was completely innocent.
“Oh, bollocks. You are going to turn yourself in.” He dropped his eyes, fiddling with his phone.
The way he said it made her throat ache and she watched him try to swallow, her heart heavy. Closing her eyes, she brushed her lips against his rigid jaw.
“I won’t run and hide when I did nothing wrong,” she whispered. “It will all work itself out.”
He finally raised his eyes and looked at her, his expression bleak. “I admire your courage, Anna. I admire you. You know that I don’t want this for you, but I will respect your decision.”
She somehow managed an unsteady smile. “If things don’t go my way, you can visit me in prison and crack all the orange jokes you want.”
“Oh, right then, let’s get you incarcerated,” he said, his face like granite. Drawing a deep, ragged breath, he slipped both arms around her and gathered her against him, his hold almost savage. His voice was hoarse as he whispered against her hair, “Having you in my life has made a grand impact. I’ll never be the same again.”
Holding him tightly, she slipped her hand up his neck until her fingers were buried in his thick hair. She closed her eyes, her lashes matting wetly together as she pressed her face against his, her words wobbling. “Me, either.”
“I wish I could make everything better, Anna,” he whispered, his voice just as wobbly as hers. “I hate the thought of you even accused of betraying your country.”
She closed her eyes tighter as tears slipped down. “I know you do.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I know that, too.” She stroked his head, overwhelmed by the incredible feelings she had for him. “I care so much for you, Oliver Graham. Don’t you ever forget it.”
He shuddered and pressed his mouth against the hollow of her throat, his stubble rough, his face wet against her skin. She swallowed hard and continued to stroke his head, waiting for the strangling pressure in her chest to ease. Finally, the contraction settled, and she smiled.
“Who knows,” she whispered, “maybe I’ll study to become a lawyer or something while being a jailbird.”
That wrung a shaky laugh out of him, and he raised his head and gazed down at her. “Then the lawyer jokes will abound.”
She grinned and kissed him. “Are you sure you’re up to that challenge?”
There was a mesmerizing quality to his lopsided smile. “I endeavor to make them worth your while.”
She cupped his bristled cheek and kissed him again. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She rose and walked into their bedroom and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, she entered Kat’s number and pressed the send icon.
“Kat Cross.”
“Kat. It’s Anna Keegan.”
“Anna. We’re looking for you. It would be best if you came in. You know what will happen if you stay in the field…”
“Yes, I’ve got a lot to tell you, so bear with me.”
“I already know you’re innocent. I know it in my heart. But we can’t begin to decipher all this noise surrounding you until you come in and talk to us.”
“I can’t right now.”
“Anna—”
“Kat, I’m going to send you an email between Darko Stjepanić and Muhammad Angar Said. Read it through.” She accessed the email file and sent it to Kat. “Oh, and don’t worry about starwars, my original mission. It was completed successfully.”
“I’d have expected nothing less.” After about a minute, Kat said, “It was you who was involved in the Rhodes House incident.”
“Yes. That threat was neutralized, but apparently the timeline for Fort Bragg, which is coded as fatalvision, and the New York Stock Exchange, which is coded as thebell, is being accelerated. I can’t handle those threats. My