Page 121 of Polestar
On arriving, Kane went inside the main building to meet with the lead of the forensics crew.
Magnus and Ana hung back, staring at the place.Carson, Lirikai, Aaron, Raya, and Ian joined them.Perpetrators were clustered in one area with their wrists bound behind them, while victims gathered in another as GPSA prepared to transport them out of Barentian territory for the next steps.
“We did it,” Carson said, shoulders relaxed.
“Now we can enjoy that vacation that keeps getting interrupted,” Lirikai said, slipping her arm around Carson’s waist.
He squeezed her to him, then looked at the rest of his team.“Vacation at my place?”
“I’ve never seen your island.As long as it’s some place warm, I’m happy to crash,” Ana grinned, her excitement clear.
Fingers linked, Raya looked up at Ian’s quirked smile and said, “We’d be happy to join you.”
“Perfect.Bring your apron, Ian.You’re making us all scones.”Mischief glinted in Carson’s eyes.“Aaron?”
“I have some family matters I need to attend to back in Toronto, but yeah, I’ll join for a few days.”
“Awesome.We’ll sort out the details later.Back to work, folks!”Carson tilted his head toward the activity and strode toward it.The others followed.
Ana pulled Magnus’ fingers, hanging back.
He looked down into her concerned face and brushed his fingers over her creased brow, then along the discolored skin of her cheek and throat.
“This case ended, as I knew it would.Just not how I expected it should.”
The corner of her mouth lifted.“Same here.I expected to be in Iceland.”
“Disappointed?We could go there if you wish—.”
Her forefinger shot up, pressing his lips together.“Hush!I wish for no such thing.I’ve had more than enough snow and ice and sub-zero temperatures for a lifetime.”
He frowned as his heart sank.“You won’t come back to Barentia?”
She searched his face and smiled.“I will.I recall you said you wanted many children.If we are so blessed, we will have to register them, won’t we?”
He nodded as his heart buoyed again.“We will.”
“Come on, you two, we have work to do,” Carson called, hands cupped around his mouth.
Ana sighed.“I love him, I do…”
“Do you now?”Magnus lifted a brow.
“I do but not as much as I love you, I think.”She poked his chest.
He threw his head back and laughed at the sky as he squeezed her close.“She thinks.”
Ana rose on tiptoe to kiss Magnus.
He met her smiling lips with unspoken promises of their future.
With a final nibble, she broke the kiss, squeezed his hand, and said, “Let’s go.The man says we have work to do.”
EPILOGUE
ThesunblazedandAnaliese Ortega basked in it like a contented cat, eyes closed, face upturned, worshipping the heat.
Stretched out on a lounge chair on Carson Perenga’s tropical island terrace, she enjoyed vacation time with her GPSA teammates.
