Page 81 of Being Bold
He might’ve been fighting against the waves of a storm for the last few years, but she’d thrown him a life preserver and pulled him to dry land. The deluge had stopped, allowing the sunlight to shine through and create a beautiful, ocean-eyed rainbow.
“That’s all I want.” She cupped his face, her hands gentle against the scrape of his beard. “Forever with you.”
Forever didn’t scare him anymore. It didn’t fill him with guilt or anger. Not when he couldn’t face the alternative—not having her in his life. Taking her hand, he kissed her palm, promising, “Forever.”
The van doors flew open, nearly hitting them. Duke yelled from the driver’s seat, “As touching as this is, it’s time to go, love birds.”
Selene touched the comms device in her ear and giggled. It was adorable. “Oops.”
When they climbed inside, everyone started to rib or congratulate him. For once, Duke’s jabs didn’t get on his nerves.Nothing they said could touch him. Not while he had the best part of his life snuggled in his arms. He didn’t know if he’d ever been this happy. His chest had certainly never felt so warm. The pit lingered, but the sun shone on it, keeping the gloom at bay.
He hugged Selene to his side and nodded to Herc. “Glad you’re not dead.”
Herc’s grin took in him and Selene, then he shifted with a wince, and Bo met him halfway, releasing Selene to slap Herc on the back as they quickly hugged. “Likewise, man.” The hug didn’t just mean ‘glad you made it out of there with only a graze.’ It also conveyed his thanks to Herc for protecting the woman he loved.
Romeo said something in Spanish that Bo didn’t catch, but Selene glanced at the SEAL and smiled, responding in the same language.
When Bo sat down, he pulled her close again and asked, “What did he say?”
Her head rested on his shoulder, so he felt the smile spread across her face. “Love is a rainbow with gold at both ends.”
“What is that? A Spanish proverb?”
She chuckled. “I think it’s a Romeo proverb.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t need gold. I just need you.” He kissed the top of her head, and her wildflower scent wafted over him. He was going to buy a case of her shampoo and shower with her every day. His blood stirred just thinking about it.
“Lucky for you, you have me.” She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his.
Hewaslucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to have found her. Lucky to have a second shot at living. He’d spend the rest of his days being grateful for that.
She squeezed the hand she gripped. “I found my next adventure, Bo. It’s you.”
Words of love filled his heart. Before he could spout them at her, something vibrated against his leg. He grumbled whenSelene shifted away, reaching into her pants pocket for her phone. “What is it?” he asked, trying to read the text.
“It’s Yumi.” Her head lifted to meet the stares of his team. “She found the servers.”
Chapter 22
Sixteen Hours Earlier
Yumi
Yumi had gone dark. She didn’t know whom to trust after her last conversation with her case officer. Other than Selene—the one friend she knew wouldn’t stab her in the back or ever trade her loyalty. The night Dao had tried to kill her, Yumi had been sent on a wild-goose chase. After that, she’d blown up at her immediate superior over the agency’s lackadaisical attitude regarding Selene’s safety. Then, they’d fed her erroneous intel about Taipei, and when her case officer told her to retrieve the AI model, she’d sealed her fate by refusing.
Her life had become a sad state of affairs. Too many people wanted her dead, and that list would multiply after tonight.
When she destroyed Sentient Shadow.
She snorted, disgusted with herself. For the pity party she seemed to be throwing, and for the alarm she’d nearly tripped.
Find your calm. Be like the water.
She cautioned herself as she stepped out of view of the guard she’d almost missed. Checking for an alternate route, she backtracked. For once, the water in her mind wasn’t calm. It rippled with waves and crashed against the shore of a lakeduring a thunderstorm. She’d given the agency ten years of her life, and they’d turned their backs on her in an instant.
The CIA wanted Sentient Shadow. She refused to deliver it.
It would only be a matter of time before they sent someone in her place who didn’t realize that anyone possessing that kind of weapon was a catastrophic idea.
