Page 75 of Master of Lies

“He sure is, and everything is fine.” Freya’s voice was light. She elbowed her way past me, already dressed in her T-shirt and jeans, wrapping her arm around my waist. She smiled at Trina reassuringly. “It’s just the two of us, and everything is absolutely great, but thanks for checking. That’s very good of you.” She gave me a sunny smile, and dropped a quick kiss onto my bare shoulder.

Trina nodded, still frowning but looking mollified. “Okay, then. So if you folks want to just call me to come and take your money again, feel free whenever.”

“You bet, and thanks so much,” Freya said warmly. “I’m so sorry we got you up so early.”

Trina stowed her equipment in a hatchback Mazda. I turned to Freya as she pulled away. “What the hell?” I said. “Don’t just pop out of nowhere without warning!”

“You were scaring her,” Freya scolded. “You needed me to do my Chatty Cathy thing and make it all look normal. The poor woman probably thought something kinky was going on in the bedroom. Like, you know, somebody being handcuffed to the bed.”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “Or drugged against their will. Very sordid.”

Freya cast a sultry look over her shoulder as she headed back into the bedroom. “If we were trying not to be noticed by the hotel staff, too bad,” she said, sitting back down on the bed. “I think that ship has sailed.”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” I said, defensive. “I needed to be sure you’d be found quickly in case Boer got a ping from one of the surgeons and had someone come after me. I needed to cover your ass. Everything comes at a cost.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Freya murmured. “Speaking of what things cost. I need to ask you a really embarrassing question, Jed.”

I braced myself. “Okay. Hit me.”

Her smile faded, and she looked down at her lap, twisting a piece of her sweatshirt. “So, would you say that you are, as of this moment, no longer in any way under the influence of Tamloxid?”

My mind took off trying to figure out where the fuck she was going with this line of questioning while I did a swift but thorough inventory of my body and mind.

“Yes,” I told her. “I’m hung over, and I have a stiff neck, and a sour stomach, and probably my breath is really foul, but I’m in more or less my right mind. Or whatever passes for that on a good day.”

A smile flashed over her face, but she didn’t meet my eyes. “Okay, then I’ll move on to the next question. When we had our talk last night, a lot of things were said. Bold, life-changing pronouncements. I just wanted to let you know that I’m, ah…not holding you to what you said. I mean, you were extremely stoned. It wouldn’t be fair.”

I felt my body go ice cold. My hands went clammy. I exhaled slowly, and chose my words with extreme care. “And the things you said to me?” I asked. “You were just as wasted as I was. Do you want to be released from responsibility for that too?”

She bit her lip. “Ah…not exactly.”

“So what do you mean? Was it just the drug talking, for you?” My voice was hard. “I thought that shit was a truth drug. So I took you at your word last night.”

“So, ah…how do you feel? About…us?” Her voice was small.

Fuck it. I just went for it. “I meant every last word I said,” I told her. “I still do. More, even. A thousand percent. How about you, Frey? Did the truth drug work on you? Or are you just a better liar than I am?”

She pressed her trembling lips together. “I’m not a liar,” she said. “And neither are you. I meant what I said. It was real for me. Always has been.”

Thank God. I was so relieved, my knees sagged. I sank onto the bed and took a second to get my face in order. “So marry me,” I said roughly.

Freya sucked in a sharp breath. “Are you serious?”

“Serious as death. If you’re in, I’m in. All the way.”

“But…but it’s only been three days, and we’re still running for our lives! It hardly seems like the time or place to make a decision like that!”

“Why not? I’m sure. You said you were, too, right?”

Freya’s eyes were wet with startled tears. “Yes! It’s just that from having really powerful feelings for each other to promising to get married…it’s a really big jump.”

She was not wrong. But I was so buzzed on that feeling inside my chest. So warm and bright and soft, this glow, as if the sun were rising right inside me.

I took her hand. So slim and strong in mine. “It is a big jump, but what the fuck,” I said. “Let’s take a run at it. We’ll jump together. Maybe we’ll get lucky and make it all the way across. We won’t know unless we try. I vote for trying. Forever.”

Freya’s face was rosy and her eyes shone, glimmering with tears. But she wound her fingers through mine and squeezed. “Let’s deal with Boer first, okay?” she urged. “With things so dangerous, it seems premature to, you know…pick out china patterns and argue about kids’ names.” She glanced up at me, warily. “You do want kids, right?”

“As many as you want,” I said swiftly. “Bring ’em on.”

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