He refused to think of what would happen when it was over. Both of them had known from the beginning how this would end.
“All right, if you’re sure that’s what you want. We’ll do it together.”
Her features relaxed. She had made her case and prevailed. “Then it’s settled. We go back to Denver and figure out what we need to do. Then we head south.”
Edge just nodded. There was something in her voice, a note of resignation that hadn’t been there before. It made his chest feel tight. Once he brought Markham to justice, he would go back into the army. It would be over between them. He could already feel the loss.
He would deal with his feelings for Skye once Bradley Markham was behind bars and his life back in order. That was all that mattered.
Or was it?Edge ignored the little voice he’d heard before.
“We’d better get packed,” Skye said. “The longer they hold the plane, the more money it’s going to cost.” Skye disappeared into the bedroom, and Edge followed.
It wasn’t the money Edge was worried about. Markham was a cunning, dangerous foe. Edge was worried about keeping both of them alive.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
THE APARTMENT FELT EMPTY WITHLILA ANDCALLIE BOTH GONE. Skye’s bed felt empty with Edge back in his own apartment. She had surprised him with her decision.
“Now that you’re going after Markham,” she’d said, “we know this thing between us is coming to an end. Your life is aimed in one direction, mine in another. The weeks we’ve spent together have been great, but they’ve changed me, Edge. Being with you nearly every day, enjoying the closeness.”
“I liked being with you, too,” he said a little gruffly.
“And then there was Lila and the baby. I never suspected I’d want children, but I’ve found out I do. I want a husband and father who is there for me and our kids, not a guy I see a few months out of the year. Ending this now is better for both of us.”
“There’s no way to know what’s going to happen. You can’t predict the future, Skye. Why not enjoy the time we have left together?”
She just shook her head. “I can’t sleep with you knowing there’s a time limit on our relationship. I’m sorry, Edge, I just can’t. I hope you understand.”
He glanced away, walked over to the windows in her living room, and stared out at the city. Finally, he turned. “All right, if that’s the way you want it.”
It was the last thing she wanted. She loved him. She wanted the life she had described, and she wanted it with Edge. But that was impossible.
“That’s the way I want it. In the meantime, we need to focus on the mission, get organized, and get down to Arizona.”The sooner the better.Repaying her obligation to Edge and getting on with her life was the best thing for both of them.
They spent the next morning in the office, making a list of the weapons and gear they would need, strategizing, digging up info on the Internet, figuring out the best way to approach the problem.
Grease called with more information. The weapons were being smuggled out of Fort Huachuca Army Base in southern Arizona. Edge made arrangements with the jet charter company he had used before. They would be flying into the municipal airport in Sierra Vista, the town closest to the base, just twenty miles from the Mexican border.
While Edge worked on the flight and getting a rental car lined up, Skye checked out the local motel accommodations. She thought of the nights ahead—of sleeping in an empty bed in a lonely room when she could be lying next to Edge’s warm hard body. When they could be making love, and afterward, she could fall asleep in his arms.
She gave herself a mental reality shake. What they had was over. It could never work. With a sigh of resignation and renewed determination, she booked two rooms with a connecting door.
Next, they cleaned and checked their weapons, gathered the rest of their gear and ammunition. From the office, they went back to their separate apartments to pack fresh clothes and collect whatever else they might need.
Skye was ready that afternoon when Edge picked her up for the drive to the private terminal at Centennial Airport. The three-hour flight was smooth until they crossed into Arizona. The hot, dry weather caused some turbulence as the jet descended to the airport in the small town of Sierra Vista.
A rented white Chevy Tahoe waited for them on the tarmac. Edge unloaded their gear and drove them to the motel. It definitely wasn’t the suite they’d shared at the Bellagio, but the rooms were neat and clean, and the beds looked comfortable.
“At least there’s a connecting door,” Edge said darkly, tossing his gear bag on the mattress. “I don’t like the idea of you being too far away. We have no idea what we could be facing. We need to stick together.”
Skye nodded, knowing he was right. Making her way through the door into the adjoining room, she unpacked a few things and settled in. They were meeting Grease’s contact, a longtime army friend, in a Mexican bar and restaurant called La Cantina at eleven o’clock that night.
As she closed the dresser drawer, she looked up to see Edge standing in the open door between the rooms.
“It’s been a long day,” he said. “We’ve got a little time until the meet. We should get some sleep before we leave.” In a snug black T-shirt that outlined his amazing body, he looked good enough to eat.
There were shadows in his brilliant blue eyes, but they didn’t disguise the heat. The invitation was clear. He wanted her. That hadn’t changed. Since she wanted him, too, her decision to sleep alone suddenly seemed pointless.
