Page 77 of Cooper

“You’re a girl, you know? That can be tricky in countries like this. Old-fashioned, traditional countries.”

“Well, it sucks.”

“Agreed. But you’re working to change that, right? For your youngest sister and all the young girls growing up now. You’re part of the change. You should be proud. And your parents will either come around or they won’t. You can’t control what they do, only how you react to it. You’re living your life the way you want to, the way that makes sense for you. If they can’t accept that, your choices are to continue the way you have been—avoiding them but dealing with guilt. Or you cut them off.”

“Somewhere deep down I know that. I just keep hoping it will change.”

“Did they know about Logan?”

“No.”

“What about other boyfriends?”

“I dated a nice boy from my town in high school, and they were okay with that, although they didn’t know we were sleeping together. He was my first. But he wanted me to stay home and get married, start making babies. He didn’t want me to join the military. I suggested he join too, so we could both get out of there, but he wouldn’t. And that was the end of that. I dated a few guys when I was in the military and college, but I was doing both at the same time, so I was tired. I didn’t have time for men.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you haven’t actually given them a chance.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Other than your high school boyfriend, you haven’t introduced them to a man you’ve dated as an adult, as awoman. Maybe they’ll surprise you. You’re almost twenty-seven, Natalia. You’re not a kid anymore.”

“When I got shot, my mother got to the hospital within hours. Sandor sent for her, and she was making all the appropriate actions with regard to hoping I survive, sitting at my bedside, things like that. But it turns out she thought this was the nudge I needed to leave my job and move home, do what I should have been doing all along. Because this job is dangerous and inappropriate for a woman.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure deep down my mother hoped the same thing, but she knows I’m going to do what I need to do, whether she’s scared or not. She accepts it. I’ve set those boundaries, although to be fair, it was never really a question. She would never try to stop me from living my life.”

“Right, but my parents would. They tried to physically stop me from leaving when I joined the military. Military police had to come get me and take me from the house when I didn’t show up for basic training. My father tried to say he didn’t give permission, but luckily, I was an adult and once you sign the papers, you’re committed. Thank god.”

“I’m just saying we should give them a chance,” he says quietly. “It doesn’t have to be now, or this trip, I’m saying in general. If the time comes for me to meet them, let’s go into it with an open mind.”

“You’re right. And if I even hint that we want kids in the future, my mother will lose her mind if she thinks there are going to be babies she won’t get to know.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m sorry. It just feels like it’s too soon for this considering we don’t know where we’re going as a couple or what your plans are going to be.”

“True, but is your parents’ opinion of me going to change how you feel about me?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then who cares? We’re good. Let’s just focus on the mission, getting this asshole to the prison, and we can think about the future after we take care of that.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t worry so much.” He reaches across the center console and takes my hand.

“I’ll try.” I glance in the rearview mirror and note a van of some kind coming up fast behind us.

“You see the motorcycle that just came out of the woods?” Cooper asks me, reaching for the walkie-talkie we’re using to communicate with Marcus since we can’t count on internet out here. It’s one of the things Erik is working on.

“I see it.” I look back and realize there are two motorcycles and a van approaching us much faster than is warranted on these roads.

“Marcus, I think we have trouble,” Cooper barks into the walkie-talkie.

“I don’t like it,” Marcus responds.

“I’m going to try and cut off the second bike,” Cooper says, tossing the walkie to me and then yanking the wheel hard to the left, effectively cutting off the motorcycle. The driver weaves right and drops behind the van as the bike on the right tries to make a move.

Cooper makes the same move, but they’re on to us now and they both come up at the same time.

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