Chapter 33

-Jianna-

**2007**

"That was mind-blowing." I thought as I took another shower. I closed my eyes and touched the places that he touched. It gave me a shiver. Not a cold shiver but an arousal.

I heard the door open.

"James?" I said through the shower curtain. No answer.

"James?" I called again. Still no answer.

I got scared. I clutched the shower handle that's firmly installed at the wall and tensed up.

"Hello?" I called out. When I still didn't get an answer, I crouched down in the tub and readied myself to pounce. I heard the door open again and then suddenly shut. I got up and peeked through the shower curtain, to find James.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"About to kill you apparently." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" he chuckled.

"I heard someone open the door earlier. Was it you?" I wondered.

"No but the door was ajar already before I came in," he immediately sounded concerned. "and you thought someone was in here?"

I continued my shower but kept talking to James. It calmed me down and it made me feel safe.

"I thought so. Maybe I just didn't close the door all the way. I don't know." I turned the shower off and tried to feel for the towel. I kept feeling around until my fingers ran across something.

I opened the shower curtain and my hands were feeling his abs. "Dammit James!" I laughed.

"Hey. You were the one who started feeling me up." he retorted.

I grabbed the towel and dried myself off. I felt a little shy and covered more of my body.

He looked at me and snickered.

"I think we're pretty much past that don't you think?" he taunted.

"Well...Yeah but still." I covered some more. How small are these fucking towels? They seem to be only covering a minuscule amount of my body.

"Why are you in here anyway?" I tried to push him out of the bathroom.

"I needed to...ummm...I don't even remember now." he laughed.

We both got dressed and headed out. The crisp air of the Italian mountainside hit my face with a sudden jolt. I shivered and folded my arms across my body in an attempt to warm up a bit.

James must have noticed because I felt him put his arm around me and placed his jacket on my shoulders.

"I don't need it. I'm fine." I reassured him and tried to take off the jacket to give it back to him.

"It's fine, J. It's a little cold," he said.

As we walked, I couldn't help but feel grateful for James' presence. He always knew how to make me feel safe and cared for. We walked in silence for a while, taking in the scenery and enjoying the fresh air. The mountains were stunning, with their snow-capped peaks and lush green forests, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at their beauty.

After a while, we came across a small village nestled in the valley. It was quaint and charming, with cobblestone streets and colorful buildings. We decided to explore, and soon found ourselves in a small café, sipping on espresso and nibbling on pastries.

He looked at me from across the table and I could feel his gaze lingering on me. I got a little nervous and tried to divert my gaze.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing," he said, smiling. "Just admiring the view."

I blushed, feeling a little embarrassed but also flattered. I took a sip of my espresso, trying to hide my smile.

We chatted about the village and the locals, enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the café.

Then he got serious. I felt his mood change.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked him.

He looked at me and his expression looked worried.

"J we have to start making a plan. I wish we could stay here but we have to disappear," he said in a low voice.

I felt a knot form in my stomach. I knew this was coming, but I didn't want to believe it. We were on the run from dangerous people, and we agreed that this was just a quick stop.

"I know," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But where do we go from here?"

"We can start heading north and keep going from there," he said. "Carlos's cabin shouldn't be too far out from Bern in Switzerland. Dense forests, and a country that wouldn't extradite. Gotta give it to Carlos."

He chuckled and there was a look in his eyes of fondness. Like talking about a brother or a best friend.

"Ok, James. You and me. Besides, I kinda don't have a choice now don't I?" I chuckled.

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrows and looked at me with a grin.

"Well yeah. I'm pretty sure your people are not the only ones that noticed you're missing. And not to brag, but I'm one of the best agents in my organization so they're going to notice once the bodies stop dropping." I said in a low but confident tone.

James let out a hearty laugh. One I haven't heard before. It made me smile. He looked at me and tilted his head.

"What?" he stopped laughing but he was still smiling. A smile that reached his eyes.

"Nothing. I just haven't seen this side of you yet." I gushed. "I guess I wasn't expecting that people in our line of work can be genuinely happy."

James nodded, his smile fading slightly.

"Yeah, I guess it's hard to maintain any sort of happiness when you're constantly surrounded with loss and death, mostly caused by our hands," he said, his voice tinged with sadness.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Yeah, it's not all bad I guess." he paused and thought for a while.

"We've got to keep moving, J. We can't stay in one place for too long," he said softly.

I reached across the table and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"But we have each other now, right?" I said, trying to reassure him.

He looked up at me, his eyes softening. "Yeah, we do," he said, giving my hand a squeeze in return.

We finished our coffee and pastries in relative silence, lost in our thoughts. As we stepped out of the café and back onto the cobblestone streets, James put his arm around me again, pulling me close to his side.

"I'm scared, J," he whispered.

"I know, me too," I said, leaning into him. "But we'll get through this together."

He nodded, his grip on me tightening slightly.

"Together," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.