"But it does and I wouldn’t change it." She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. "You're scared."
"Terrified."
"Me too."
"Maybe it’s for the best as fear keeps us sharp."
"And if it doesn't work we’ll deal with this together."
I brush her hair back from her face, my thumb tracing her lower lip. "Together. But we don't run unless we have to."
"Okay."
"Okay."
I pull out and collapse beside her as she curls into my side, her head on my chest and her hand over my heart. I tighten my arm around her and we lie there in the afternoon light, two people who've killed and run and built a new life from the ashes of the old one.
Detective Lily Chen is out there, looking for us.
But she's looking for ghosts, and we're not ghosts anymore.
We're James and Roxy Brennan.
And we're not running.
The next two weeks are tense. I monitor the news obsessively. Every article about the Gary Hollis case and updates from Detective Chen. Every mention of witness descriptions or new leads.
The investigation is active but not accelerating. Chen is interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence, but she doesn't have anything concrete. No new leads. No breakthrough. Just a cold case that's slightly less cold.
Roxy keeps working. She's in the darkroom every day, developing prints, creating new pieces, she's doing exactly what she said, building the cover, trusting the work, becoming so visible and so legitimate that no one would ever connect her to a murder from three months ago.
On day sixteen after the article, I'm at another job site when my phone buzzes.
Not a news alert this time.
A text from Roxy.
R: They responded.
My heart stops.
M: Who?
R: Void Gallery. Sarah Vance. She wants to talk about a solo exhibition.
I stare at the text for a long moment. Wow, this is a huge deal as Roxy's about to step into the public eye. And Detective Lily Chen is still out there, looking for a couple who disappeared three months ago.
M: When?
R: She wants to call tomorrow to discuss details.
M: Good. Do it.
R: You sure?
I think about everything we've built and all that we've risked. Everything we stand to lose if we run now.
M: I'm sure. We’re fighting this, remember.
