“Marcus.”
Sassy spotted a tiny crack in the sniper’s composure, and it almost broke her. The hint of a smile. A vague glossiness in his sharp eyes. A sign that he had once been a young man, and a friend.
“It’s good to see you,” Mr. Roy said, sounding slightly hoarse.
Beside her, Mrs. Levin clutched Mrs. Romano’s arm. Sassy caught them both valiantly sucking back sobs.
Sassy had called only one other family, but she’d known they wouldn’t be able to come. Daniel’s parents were practically on the other side of the country. Still, she thought they should know what was happening with their son, so she had looked them up and phoned. She had ended up talking with Daniel’s mother, Grace, for a long time. She’d have loved to meet her in person. At least she could tell Daniel that she’d tried.
A garbled announcement came over the public address system, and Tom pointed toward a window. “The plane’s here.”
fiftyMARION
We made it,” Daniel said, smiling broadly. As the plane rolled to a stop at the terminal, he stood and faced his three friends. “Welcome home, boys.”
Marion had thought the trip would wear her down so much that she wouldn’t have anything left for celebrating their arrival, but she was wrong. Hearing the men’s eagerness, she couldn’t wait to disembark and get back to real life. But first, she was dying to rush through the airport, dragging Joey with her, then present him to Sassy. Sassy had promised she and Tom would be there to pick them up, and Marion couldn’t wait to see the reunion. She missed her friend with an urgency, and she had to make a conscious effort not to push people out of her way as the four of them went for luggage. Joey, Stu, and Hal didn’t have much, but they weren’t about to leave Daniel. While he watched for bags, the other three stood off to the side, exhausted but in high spirits.
Marion stayed beside Daniel and willed her courage back into place. It had been hours since they had discussed their plans. “So… I think I know where you’re sleeping tonight. Am I right in thinking…?”
Daniel’s expression sent a thrill through her. “I was hoping you hadn’t changed your mind.”
“I didn’t,” she said, pushing through the nerves. “Now I have another question. I’m sure Sassy will bring Joey to her apartment tonight, but what about the other two? There’s no room in my apartment.”
“Yeah, I was thinking about that. I really don’t know.”
“Maybe I can pay for a hotel room for a night or two, and we can try to figure out things while that’s happening.”
He looked surprised. “You’d do that?”
“I flew to Vietnam for these guys. I’m not going to just dump them.”
His smile faltered. “What are you going to tell Joey? You know. About his dad.”
“It’s not up to me,” she said. “I have to leave it to Sassy. If she wants my help, I’ll be there, of course.”
He looked away, pretending to search for the bags, but she saw his pained expression.
“What’s the matter?”
“After everything Joey’s been through, now he’s gonna find out about his dad. And you know what he’ll think? That it was his fault.”
“Yes. I thought about that. So many layers to work through. But you and I managed.”
He let the reality of that sink in, then he bent his head and kissed her. “You saved my life,” he reminded her.
“You saved your own life. I was just there to offer assistance.” She raised an eyebrow. “On the other hand, you actuallydidsave my life when you dragged me out of that river.”
“Oh yeah? What about your sharpshooting?”
“We’ll have to call that one a draw, since we saved each other that day.” She drew him back for another kiss. “All I know is that you saved my life, but more than that, you changed it.”
He slid his mouth to her ear, making her shiver. “Let’s call that one a draw, too.”
The bags arrived, so they went to collect the other three men. They had been cornered by a group of young men. Daniel and Marion rushed over, seeing Joey’s face dark with anger.
“You got no right to say that,” he seethed, pushing his face into one of the hippy’s faces. “Freaking dove. What have you done to—”
“Baby killer!” one man hissed, and Daniel stepped in, ready to defend. The others might be weakened by where they’d been, but Daniel was healthy and strong, and his presence changed the attackers’ mood. They stepped back, and Daniel moved with them, creating space.
