Page 22 of The Spy

He reached an arm back and pulled her to his side. “No. I worry sometimes that I’m letting people down. But I was done. Just felt finished. You?” His intense, sincere eyes searched her own until she wanted to bare her whole life to him.

“I do. I miss it. I quit because mother was sick. I was feeling like it was almost time, like I might have one more mission in me, but that day in Egypt was my last.” She sighed. “But I wouldn’t go back. Not with you here, and of course, the monarchy, father and everything. I just never got any closure.”

“I understand. My last mission in Thailand was enough for me.” He pulled her close. “Associating with the worst in society weighs on me. Even though I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I can’t believe people like that exist in the world.”

“Nor I.”

He hesitated. Opened his mouth and then closed it. She waited. Finally he spoke. “Why did you push me away?”

She rolled into his front and put her arms around his back. “It killed me to do it. I ached inside and tortured myself for years.”

“But why? We were great, at least I thought so.”

“I just didn’t see us ever making it work. I knew where my life was headed. I knew where you were.”

“There’s something else.”

“What? No, why do you think that?”

“Sammy.”

“Look. Trust me. It was for the best and now it’s for the best we’re together.” She stopped. Suddenly shy. “At least I think so.”

“You know I do.” He rested his chin on her head. “You do know, right?”

“I hope so. I hope our life would be enough for you, that I would be.”

“Is that why you broke us off?”

“Partly. Don’t ask me. Some things are better off not being discussed.”

“Oh ho. You know that’s not going to sit well with me. I’m the guy who knows.”

A loud banging interrupted them, from down the hall. “Open up. Police.”

“What?”

Anna ran to their door. “That sounded like Barlow.”

“Do you think he sent in a team?”

Anna cracked open her door.

“You there. Back away from the door.” A group of men gathered around the door of the man she and Lucan had come to take in. She didn’t recognize any of them but one of them was shouting and pointing at her.

She shut the door and locked it.

“That’s not going to do anything.” Lucan smirked.

“Habit. I don’t recognize them, but I didn’t see everyone either.”

Lucan shook his head. “I heard Barlow.”

The pounding on the door increased. And then the ripping of wood and slamming of a door perhaps to the ground? Lucan and Anna moved to their door and Anna unlatched it. She waited, listening. Lucan held up his gun. No noise alerted them for about ten breaths and then two gun shots, lots of shouting, pounding of feet in the hall and then their own door slammed open into her head.

She saw black for a moment, staggering back from the pain. Then a rough pair of hands grabbed a handful of hair and shouted, “back off or she dies.” The barrel of a gun pressed against her temple. Her hair covered half of her face and fell down around where his hand still held a firm clump.

“Back off, leave her be.”

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