Page 97 of No Time Off

“It scared me, too.” He took my hand, running his thumb across my engagement and wedding rings. “You know, sometimes the bad guys win. But not this time. You were amazing and patient with me even as we navigated the bumps on our honeymoon, the evolving marriage code, and facing Shi once again. We make a good team.”

“The best team.” I sat up again, wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my head on my knees. Slash propped himself up on one arm, the gold cross that had belonged to his father sliding down his chest. He looked at me for a long moment before his gaze drifted to the open doors and the sea beyond.

“Candace is over the moon we’re bringing Shi home,” he said. “We gave them a coup of their own—an intelligence one. Shi will spill immediately, and he’ll have a lot of valuable information we can use.”

“It’s nice that Candace sent a plane so fast,” I said.

“Apparently, we had one in Australia we were able to divert. I gave her a brief rundown of the outcome of the plan this morning, and she was pleased. She’s sitting on a wealth of evidence if the Chinese ever protest, but I don’t think they will. It’s in their best interest to cut their losses with Shi and the islands in this region for now. Candace did say the president, the CIA, and the State Department are looking forward to my full debrief.”

“That makes for a busy Monday for you when we get home.”

A smile played at his lips as he tugged me back toward him. I fell to the sheets, and he rolled over me, his dark hair falling forward from his face. “Let’s not talk any more about going home and focus on what we’re doing right now. We deserve several more days of peace and quiet on our honeymoon.”

“We do,” I agreed. “I think we’ve earned it.”

“We have,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

“As far as I’m concerned, the only real adventure we need now is time alone on the beach to drink another bottle or two of that banana wine,” I added.

“Agreed,” Slash said, his tone light, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes. He adjusted down to his elbows, using his hands to cup my face. “I just want you to know I love you with every fiber of my being,cara. You’ve changed my life forever.”

“I feel the same,” I said. “Without you, I’d still be eating Cheerios and trying to battle orcs on my weekends.”

“It would have been a lot safer.”

“No way. Have you seen how vicious those orcs can be?”

He laughed, we kissed, and for a gloriously long moment, we lay in silence listening to our heartbeats. The pressure and danger of the previous days were finally behind us. I sighed, savoring the safety and intimacy of his arms. No matter what came next, we’d face it together…as husband and wife.

And we always would.

FORTY-SIX

Lexi

After we got dressed, we stepped out onto the bungalow’s veranda to enjoy the morning breeze and the spectacular view of the ocean. It seemed like weeks instead of days since we were last here. The water sparkled under the gentle rays of the sun, promising a beautiful day and giving me a sense of peace and gratitude. Slash stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. For a few glorious minutes, we said nothing, just took in the gorgeous scene in contented silence. Unfortunately, we couldn’t linger, as we’d been summoned to the prime minister’s house.

But first, we had friends to thank.

Slash and I settled into the living room with our laptops open and I connected the video call. It rang twice before Elvis’s face appeared on the screen, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, look who finally found the time to check in,” Elvis said, and I saw everyone behind him jostling each other to see us. “What’s up, lovebirds? You guys just get up?”

“Hey, we had a tough day yesterday,” I said, twisting my hair up into a ponytail and then leaning back on the couch. “We almost died a couple of times, but we’re still alive, thanks to you guys.”

There were sounds of whooping and hollering, and I exchanged a smiling glance with Slash.

Xavier muscled in next to his twin on the screen, his face practically touching Elvis’s. “We got your message late last night with word the plan was successful. You also promised us a debrief, so, of course, we called the entire gang in to hear it.”

There were more shrieking and excited whooping. I saw glimpses of Angel, Frankie, Wally, Basia, Brandon, and others as they fist pumped and gave each other high fives.

“So, what happened?” Elvis asked, raising his voice to be heard over the others. “Did everything work as planned? Any glitches?”

“You’re not going to be disappointed,” Slash said, leaning back and stretching his legs out. “Everything went off without a hitch. Sheer perfection, down to the second.”

Angel stuck her head in between Xavier and Elvis. Her red hair fell like a curtain over Elvis’s shoulder. “The social media blast. Was it effective? Did the audio work properly?”

“It was perfect,” I said. “You and Wally did a fantastic job on that front. The blast did exactly what it needed to. Riled up the people and got them marching to the television station. And, Frankie, we would have been lost without you. The translations were critical, and your work was flawless. You guys were absolutely amazing.”

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