Countdown

after, or during. I would be just fine. But still, that was what I was: a thief.

Rogan was a powerful billionaire who'd had a bit of an unfortunate glitch in his life.

I'd been a part of that glitch.

The glitch had been resolved.

I didn't expect anything from him. I wouldn't ask him or beg him to come with me, or even to stay in touch. That simply wasn't me.

But I would miss him so much. It felt like my heart was splintering in my chest just thinking about it.

Don't look at him, I told myself, but I couldn't help it.

The shuttle came to a slow stop right next to me.

'Thanks for everything, guys,' I mumbled, and, without turning and looking at the men next to me, I began to move toward it.

I felt a hand on my arm. It was Rogan.

'Hey.' He was frowning. 'I hope you have a safe trip.'

'Thank you.' My smile was as natural as I could make it. 'Well, I guess this is good-bye, huh?'

'I… I guess so.'

Gareth extended his hand. I took it and he pulled me into a fierce hug. 'Thank you, Kira. Thank you for everything you've done. For me and Rogan.'

'You're welcome.' I pulled back to look into his eyes. This Gareth looked the same as the other, but it was like night and day. There was such warmth and gentleness to this version of Gareth.

I turned to Rogan. His jaw was tense. He now wore black pants and a cream turtleneck that fit him perfectly. I could see the outline of his muscular frame through it. I bit my lip as I remembered what it felt like to hold him, touch him.

'I'll miss you,' I said, and a tear splashed down my cheek. Dammit. So much for being all cool and collected.

'I'll miss you, too.' He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine.

'Good-bye,' I said, and then turned away and slipped onto the shuttle. The conductor took my ticket, and I walked blindly down the aisle to my seat. I didn't have any luggage. A wife of one of the Ellis employees was my size, and she'd brought me some nice threads to wear at the hospital. I would buy new clothes when I arrived in Offworld.

New clothes for my new life.

I took in a breath and it shuddered through me.

It was for the best. Me and Rogan? We were too different. Way too different. He was a freaking billionaire who ran a huge business that was going to make a difference to two different worlds. I was a girl who could do a little bit of mind-reading.

It was better this way for both of us.

End of story.

I turned to look at the platform. Nobody was there. They'd already left.

Good, I thought. It was over. We all had what we wanted.

I leaned my head against the cool glass and waited for the shuttle to start moving.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw somebody take the seat next to me. I pushed the tears off my cheeks and turned to look. My eyes widened.

It was Rogan.

'Rogan-' I said.

He held up a hand to stop me. 'You know, it's the strangest thing.'

'What? What are you doing here?'

'I have a company to help run. Everything's been destroyed. There is a ton of work to do, but…'

'But what?'

'It's the implants, you see,' he explained.

'The… the implants?'

'The ones that Jonathan removed.'

I still stared at him blankly. 'You're going to have to help me out a little more than that.'

He shook his head and frowned, bringing a finger up to his temple. 'When they were in our heads we couldn't go more than ninety feet apart or else we would die.'

'That's right.'

'Well, even now that they're out, I feel like I still shouldn't be more than ninety feet away from you or I might die. Isn't that strange?'

I raised an eyebrow. 'That is strange.'

'Maybe it's just me. Maybe there was something wrong with mine.'

I shook my head. 'No. When we're more than ninety feet apart I feel like I'm dying, too.'

He shrugged. 'So that's why I'm here. I really don't like feeling that way.'

'I totally agree,' I said solemnly.

'Plus, the fact that I'm completely head over heels in love with you.' He said it with such a straight face that I would have laughed if my heart weren't swelling up to the size of a big balloon.

'I feel very much the same way.' A smile was trying very hard to burst free on my face.

'I'm glad to hear it.' He smiled and kissed me hard on my mouth. 'I can still help my brother, but I'll do it from Offworld.'

I nodded. 'I think that's the best idea I've heard in a really long time.'

'Goddammit, Kira, I love you so much.'

The grin was spreading wide across my face. 'So, not just a postprison piece of ass is what you're saying.'

He shook his head. 'Definitely not'

I touched his face and looked deeply into those ocean-colored eyes of his. 'I love you, too, Rogan. I thought I'd lost you forever.'

'It's kind of hard to lose somebody who's never more than ninety feet away,' he said.

'I think I can definitely live with that.'

'Glad to hear it.'

He kissed me again as the shuttle pulled away from the station and slowly began to gather speed.