Page 53 of Radar

Xander grinned at her. Yeah, he heard Elyssa add him to their circle. This was good. Tomorrow, he’d hopefully get another shot at trying to find his breadcrumbs, unless, of course, Paca was heading back to Fairbanks in the morning with Orest. “I’ve always loved reading science fiction. It seems to me that a creative person imagines something, describes it, and then it becomes a possibility in the minds of the scientific community. They start to talk amongst themselves, wondering if that something were feasible. They begin to ask the question, how would you get there? And in their wondering, the baton is passed, and the idea comes to fruition.”

Paca closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again, he said, “That was poetic. And so very true.”

Eddie clapped his hands on his thighs and suddenly stood. “All right. That’s it for me. I was in Paris a couple of days ago, then D.C. to Fairbanks yesterday, and in Lumberjack, Alaska tonight. This has been very hard on me, as I am a man who adores his sleep. And so, I bid you all a good night.” He gave a kind of jovial bow. As he came back upright, Eddie shot Paca a look.

Paca obviously understood the meaning because he immediately stood, too. “Time to call home and read the kiddos their bedtime stories, or something. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

Elyssa stood. “Nope. I’m going to say goodbye to you now, remember? I hired a car to pick me up pretty early. I hope you guys have a cozy night and a lot of fun at the races.”

As she hugged them both, Xander thought that, intelligence-wise, he was walking away empty-handed, having learned nothing from Paca. Honestly, he didn’t think there was any intel to mine. It didn’t seem that any of the three were involved with the doomsday machine, or they wouldn’t be this relaxed and convivial.

Once the friends left, Elyssa turned to Xander, who stood to the side. “I should get to bed, too.” She reached for her purse. “I heard you give your room number to the waiter. I’m in the room next to yours. And I was just wondering if your cottage is as cute as mine is.”

Xander bent to gather Radar’s lead. “Why don’t you come take a look and tell me what you think?”

They pulled on their coats, and Elyssa tucked comfortably and naturally under his arm as they walked to his room.

What are you thinking, Xander?he asked himself.I’m thinking that if these are my last few days on Earth, I deserve a taste of heaven.

Chapter Eighteen

Xander

Sunday

Lumberjack, Alaska

Xander lay on his back, his arms splayed wide, his chest heaving, and he felt sublime.

Euphoric.

Was there even a word to describe this sensation?

Being with Elyssa had been a drug.

“Holy shit,” he chuckled, then swept Elyssa’s long hair into his hand, lifting it off her face, and bent to kiss her. “Shit.” He dropped back down and ran his hand down his face, letting it fall off to the side.

She tipped her head to kiss his chest. “Same.”

And as with any new addict, Xander had to make sure he had a way to get his next hit.

“Elyssa, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She eased back on the pillow, so they were looking into each other’s eyes.

Xander reached down and laced his fingers with hers. “When we were talking at the Lodge, I said that I wasn’t looking for someone while I was here because there were only three scenarios, and all of them had bad outcomes.”

She rolled her lips in and seemed to hold her breath.

He lifted a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “There’s a fourth that I hadn’t envisioned. And that was meeting someone with whom I felt a connection, and who might live near me. You said you were from Virginia?”

“Alexandria.”

“I’m north of you in Arlington near the Pentagon.”

“Close then,” she said.

“I’m working away from home for the next bit. But I’d like to stay in touch. And when I’m back on the East Coast, I’d very much like to spend more time getting to know you. But if your job is like mine, that might become a challenge.” He gave her an out that would suck, but might leave his heart intact.

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