I straighten, pulling away to wipe her tears. "Now you go in. Turn yourself into someone you trust. Make copies of that recording, so there's no getting rid of you. You'll be safe. Your sister and nephew can go home. You can go back to your job."
Her lips tremble. "What about you?"
Damn.
I'd rather cut off my arm than leave Annabel. But I'm not safe for her.
"I'll disappear."
Pain creases her forehead. "What does that mean?"
"I need to get this wolf thing figured out. Before anyone else gets hurt." My eyes fall on her blood-soaked shirt, and her fingers reach to lightly touch the bite marks.
"Are there others you can talk to? Find out how to get rid of it? Or what to do to eliminate the effects?"
I think of Jared and the wolf pack in Tucson. "Maybe." I nod. "Yes. that's where I'll go first."
"Where are they?"
I touch her nose. "I'm not telling you that, angel. Disappear means disappear."
Her jaw firms and she lifts her chin. "I might be able to help. I'd like to help."
I'm not sure how I keep standing. The earth seems to shake and crumble beneath my feet. I cup her nape and lean my forehead against hers.
"I'll be sure to ask if I need anything," I promise, but it's a lie.
We both know this is goodbye.
Forever.
"What if I need you?" Her voice rises. "What if I turn into a wolf and start attacking people, too?"
"You know how to get a message to me." All clandestine agents have servers we check for messages. I can keep checking mine even if I stay rogue. "I'll message you with anything I find out that's pertinent to your bite. I promise."
"So, this is it?" Her voice chokes, and I nearly drop to my knees.
I stroke her cheek with my thumb. "I love you, Annabel Gray."
It seems important to tell her. Especially since I'll never see her again. She should know the truth.
"Charlie," she chokes.
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. This wasn't some mission hook up for me. It was about as far from that as it gets."
Tears spill from Annabel's beautiful gray eyes. "Me too."
I cup her face with both hands and thumb away the tears.
"You need me, I'll come. That's a goddamn promise."
"I know," she chokes.
My eyes sting. "Good." I pray to God she never needs me though.
No, that's a lie, but I can't even hope for another shot with Annabel. That fantasy will absolutely kill me.
I move in slowly, my lips hovering above hers. "Goodbye, Annabel."
She darts in for a quick peck, then pulls away, turning her back on me. "Goodbye."
Annabel
I DRIVE out of the woods with my heart on the floor mat. Letting Charlie walk off into the sunrise nearly killed me. I wanted to run after him, offer to drive him someplace, give him a warm meal. But I know he needs none of those things. If there's any guy who can survive on his wits alone, it's Charlie Dune.
It's probably stupid that I'm clinging to hope he'll find some solution to his wolf problem and show back up in my life. Even without the wolf thing, the idea would be ludicrous. It's not who he is. He's a work-alone spy. A deadly government weapon.
He was never going to move in with me and start up a sweet little relationship. He was never going to stick around.
And I knew that from the get-go.
So, why then do I feel like I just jumped off a cliff and am lying flat on the desert floor below?
I grab a burner phone and call Sarah.
"Annabel!" she cries. "Please tell me we can leave this godforsaken cabin."
"Yep. You're free."
"Hallelujah! Grady and I are going nuts here. Not that I wasn't totally freaked out about your safety. Except I was only a little freaked out because I knew you had your super agent with you. How is that hunk of man-chest, anyway?"
"Um, okay." My voice wavers.
"Oh shit, Bel, what happened?"
"Nothing. He just had to go."
"Asshole."
"No, it's not like that. Really. Not at all." I touch the wounds on my shoulder. "He just has his own personal demons he has to deal with."
Then I'm crying like a freaking baby.
"Oh Bel, I'm so sorry. He seemed like a great guy. And really into you."
I swipe at my tears. "Yeah. Definitely a great guy. Exactly what I'd want in a partner. Too bad I always want the kind of guys who can't be partners."
"Like Dad," Sarah says softly. She picked a military man for a husband, too. And she lost him to the military. He never wanted to come home and be a dad.
"Yeah, I guess you know all about that, too."
We're silent together, just acknowledging each other's pain. Our own pain.
"Well, I found out who really killed dad."
Sarah draws in a sharp breath. "Tell me."
I tell her the entire story, leaving nothing out which takes me the length of the drive back to Washington, D. C.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"I think I'm going to call Senator Flack. Bring him the recording and see if he can tell me where to go from here. Right after I check into a hotel and have a really long cry."
"You want me to come out there? A real shoulder to cry on? Grady and I will be on a plane in a second."
I tear up again, my chest squeezing. "No, you and Grady need to get home. But thank you. I love you."
And like a crazy woman, I burst into tears again. "He said he loved me," I tell her. "And I didn't say it back."