Lewis has to walk close to the camera to get to the vans, and the CNN reporter does her best to grab her attention. “Ma’am! Ma’am, can you tell us what the charges are? Can you give us a statement?”
“The FBI will release an official statement within the hour,” Lewis says, not halting her pace. “And there will be a press conference later today.”
More reporters shoot questions at her, but she ignores them all the way to a large SUV, accompanied by three uniformed agents. They then force Becker into the back of it before boarding the car and taking off.
“As suspected, this operation does indeed concern Norman Becker. Beyond early speculation, details remain limited at this hour. So far, four similar arrests have taken place here in New York City, including Senator Parker, who was taken into custody approximately twenty minutes ago at his residence in SoHo.”
She keeps talking about the arrests, but it gets lost in the background as Andrea straddles me and envelops me in a tight hug. “We did it,” she whispers against my ear. “We fucking did it, baby.” My arms circle her slim middle, and I hold her with strength.
“Youdid this,” I correct her. “Eighty percent of it, at the very least. It was your courage, your determination… All I did was support you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you. You did so much, Lex… This victory is yours as much as it’s mine.”
When she pulls away, she has tears of relief in her eyes. “I love you, Alexander Coleman. I love you with my entire heart, mind, body, and soul.” Tears roll down her freckled cheekbones, but she ravages me with a kiss before I can wipe them away or answer.
This embrace tastes of relief, victory, and vindication. My beautiful dork, who has tugged me out of my comfort zone further than I ever thought I would get. The one who turned a hermit keyboard warrior into a man of action who infiltrated his enemy’s home. Me, an asocial nerd who never thought I’d find my match. A neurodivergent weirdo who didn’t think I’d ever live such a tumultuous love story. She’s made an entirely new man out of me, and I can barely remember who I was before I met her.
Our heated kiss brings us down on the couch, and when we pull away, she’s half lying on me. I keep her right there, wrapped in my arms, as we refocus our attention on the news. They found another reporter somewhere in LA to speak about what happened to the movie producer.
The couch becomes our entire world for the days that follow. This is where we sleep, eat, and spend most of our time, switching channels and watching the world outside blow up.
Following the FBI statement and press conference, indignation arose all over the country. People are revolted that it went on for so long. Social media is flooded with hot takes and testimonies from people who also endured such abuse. Hundreds of women and men have come forward as victims of individuals in Becker’s clan. It seems the women we were aware of were only the tip of the iceberg, and more are coming to light every day.
On the third day, I grab my computer and sit back on the couch with it. “What are you doing?” Andrea asks.
“We need to spread the word that Becker is behind the Nammota bounty.”
“Oh, right. Are you doing it from the Nammota account?”
“Yes, it’ll be taken more seriously that way. I’ll share my findings that tie Horvat to the kill order, and then Becker to him. Now that Becker’s assets have been frozen, no one’s seeing a cent from that million-dollar incentive.”
“Good plan. We can’t risk someone still coming after us.”
We spend about an hour on it. Our plan isn’t to claim what happened as our work, since it would bring many new enemies andpotential retaliation. But we need people to realize that coming after Nammota is no longer relevant. In the end, we settle on a brief but efficient message. Along with the evidence that Becker was after us, we write, “To anyone considering coming after me for that million-dollar bounty, good luck getting paid.” I sign it with my alias and, once it’s posted, log off for what I hope will be the last time.
I thought I’d turned the page five years ago, when I’d hung up my cape and left my Nammota days behind me. But fate proved me wrong, and I had to return to that part of my life. But instead of being alone this time, I was with my freckled dork. My love. My better half.
My near-future fiancée …
Idab a little more gloss on my lips, then move back to look at the result. Yep, I need to save that YouTube tutorial because this makeup is fire. I adjust the strap over my neck and flatten the dress down with my hands. It’s the backless one I wore to the dinner that led to our first kiss, and I’m sure Lex will love that. I give my reflection a nod and grab my clutch.
Time to get my man ready as well.
I find Lex in his home office, working on something. Instead of going in, I lean on the door and wait for him to notice me. It doesn’t take long, and his first quick pass returns for a long, intrigued stare up and down my body.
“What’s the occasion?” he wonders, already grinning.
“I am taking you out for an evening in the city.”
“You are?”
“Yes. We’ve been locked up just the two of us for way too long, and we need to return to civilization.”
“You’re the one who wanted to go to a deserted island for two weeks,” he reminds me.
“That’s because I wanted to watch you walk around half naked all the time.”
“Fully naked, too.”
