Just before I got there?'
'Yes.'
'How did you know where to find me? Was it Jay?'
'No. You left a public trail. You weren't trying to hide.
I'm not totally inept on the net.'
'Why did you come?'
She looked at him.
'Are you sorry I did?'
He shook his head.
'I'd have to be a fool to say that, given the circumstances. I can't
remember the last time I was so glad to see somebody as when you
knocked Bubba down. Thank you.'
'I was acting in my capacity as liaison, you know.'
'Uh-huh.'
'Why are you so pigheaded, Alex? You know that I love you. And you
love me just as much.'
'Yeah.'
'It was going bad for us. And work was the problem, you know that,
too. I'd rather lose the job than the relationship.'
He nodded.
'Yeah. Me, too.'
She looked at the firemen hauling away Ventura's body.
'It's going to be a long night before we're done here. Do you have a
place to stay?'
'No.'
'I've got a room at a bed-and-breakfast at the far end of town. What
say we go there and take a long nap when this is done?'
He thought about it for a second. She was right. He did love her, and
he would rather save their personal relationship than either of their
jobs. He gave her a small grin.
'Okay,' he said.
'You twisted my arm.'
EPILOGUE
Friday, July 29th, 2011 Washington, D.C.
Michaels walked into the condo, saw that the snail mail was on the
table in the kitchen.
'Toni?' he yelled.
'You home?'
'In here,' she called back.
'Where is 'here'?'
'The living room.'
He walked into the room. She was sitting on the couch, folding
towels.
'I dried the laundry,' she said.
'You mixed the dark towels with the light ones again.'
'What can I say? I'm evil through and through. Shoot me.'
He moved to where she sat, bent, and kissed her.
'How was your day?'
'Not bad,' she said.
'I had to do a presentation on what a wonderful job Net Force is doing
