“That is so cool.” Troy grinned. “Okay, my enchantress, how do I deal with all this opulence? I grew up in middle class suburbia. We have a house staff. Josephine, or Josie as she prefers, is our house manager. Then there are Karen, Rini and Bob.” Troy reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a wad of folded paper and a pen. “This is our homework. What do we like in our household?”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “You’re kidding.”
Troy shook his head. “Nope. First section, food preferences. Allergies?”
“No.”
“Check.” He made a flourish with his hand before he put a check in the box. “Okay, butter or margarine?”
“Butter. Though margarine is better for Rice Krispies treats.” Gwen’s eyes lit up.
By the time they got to whether the toilet paper should roll over the top or from the bottom, they were laughing so hard, Gwen’s sides burned.
“I think we’re both done for the night. My beauty, your trusty steed awaits.” Troy zoomed Gwen through the home to her daisy room. After helping her to bed, he kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, my fair maiden.”
“Where are you going?” Gwen asked.
“Bed.” He smiled softly.
Gwen’s lips wobbled. “Would you stay? We slept next to each other in that no-tell motel
in Virginia. This is a queen-sized bed. Please?”
Troy inhaled deeply. “I’ll be right back.”He returned in his pajamas and slid in beside her.
She slowly adjusted her position and faced him, her expression filled with concern. “You really okay?” The dim light of the bedroom brought the reality of the day to the forefront.
“I am okay. It’s now up to other people how they choose to deal with what they saw.” His palm rested on her hip.
“You will face them, like you faced those horrible people. You were dying, and you continued to fight.” Tears welled in her eyes. “You never have to work another day in your life, but you do anyway. Giving up isn’t your style. I saw you plan and execute missions in Virginia. I saw you take command here. And the reverence in your tone when you questioned me, in spite of your anger. I wish you were there in 2013.” Tears now rolled down Gwen’s cheeks.
“Oh, my beauty. You deserve more than this. Better than me.” He closed his eyes. “I'm so sorry to drag you through this, but I can’t seem to stay away from you.”
“Nobody's dragging me anywhere I don't want to be.I want to be with you.” She snuggled closer to him and kissed his lips. She could see the sadness in his eyes. She wanted to give him the world and release him from his pain.
His arms wrapped tightly around her, careful not to hurt her. Her heart skipped beats as he returned her kiss with a powerful, demanding need. “I have you.”
“We are a fine pair. Between the two of us, we have enough baggage to stock a luggage store. One day at a time. First, your mom is coming. Next, I need to heal and be cleared to return to work, and lastly, you need get through and heal from your surgery.”
Troy nodded. He leaned over her and placed a soft kiss to her lips.
Chapter 27
Saturday, June 2nd
“Ineed to control this for me and for the company. Believe me, I want the people who did this under wraps. It's been whirling in my head. Clearly, it came out of the Silverton jail, but how? Ian, I know you've worked hard to shield me from some of the ugly details of what occurred. I need to see the files. I’m aware that many of the higher-ups are dead, but not all of them. Alden McAllister is a likely start.
“Technical analysis can run every person involved in the undercover operation and their status on our end as well,” Troy spoke on the conference call, watching out the window as he headed to the airport to pick up his mom.
“I need another favor. Besides the company letter, the only other way to control this is to go public. I would like to give an interview, a live interview. No one can say it was tampered with.” Troy raised the question.
“Tim, Mac, thoughts?” Martin asked the two medics on the call.
“Troy, you won’t have control of the questions, only your answers. And if you trigger a flashback, it will be live,” Tim warned.
“You want to take control? Do it,” Mac said.
“Someone was counting on these films going public hurting you. You going public, being direct and in control, will blow their plan and maybe force to show their hand by doing something else,” Kip said.
