Chapter 44

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

Heidi ran a hand over her face as exhaustion pressed on her.

The FBI had taken her in for questioning at least three hours ago. She'd lost track of time since coming to the field office. Needless to say, everyone had endless questions for her.

She could only imagine Stephen had also been sequestered. She hadn't seen him since the police had arrived on the scene and separated them.

Since then, she'd been trapped in this small room with multiple agents coming in and out, basically asking the same questions. Her adrenaline had worn off, and fatigue kicked in.

Now, she just wanted to climb into bed and sleep for a few days.

The important thing was that Rafferty hadn't gotten away with this. He'd been stopped in time.

But she hoped that her victory wasn't premature. That Rafferty hadn't laid the groundwork for her and Stephen to somehow still be found guilty in all this. She didn't think that was the case, but doubts still lingered in her mind.

She lifted her eyes as the door opened and yet another agent stepped inside. She was going to have to repeat herself again, wasn't she? How many more times would she have to go through this?

The agent stared at her before finally announcing, "You're free to go."

Her heart lifted. Had she heard him correctly? "Really?"

He nodded. "We verified your story, and it matches with everybody else's. We may have more questions for you later, but for now you can go." He paused. "And thank you for everything you did."

She offered a quick smile at his acknowledgement. "What about Rafferty?"

"He's been taken into custody, and he's facing a long list of charges for everything he's done. I have no doubt you'll be called to testify when this goes to trial."

"I'd be happy to do whatever I can to help." It didn't matter that the man was her father. He'd done terrible things, and now he needed to face the consequences.

"We appreciate your cooperation."

"And the commander?" Heidi hoped she wasn't pressing her luck by asking too many questions.

"Thanks to you, he's still alive. There was an assassination attempt that was thwarted. However, we believe the commander also hired people to take out Rafferty and his men, including you. We're still doing a deep dive into exactly what happened."

"I'm sure they told you this all goes back to Project Elevate—a program that the military sanctioned?"

The agent offered a quick nod. "Believe me, we're looking into all of it. Alan Larchmont has been a big help to us."

Heidi released the breath she'd been holding. Thank goodness. Maybe the worst of this was over.

She stood, her limbs shaky. She couldn't wait to get out of here. However, she didn't know exactly how she would leave. Call an Uber? Where would she even go tonight?

She wasn't sure about any of those things. But when she stepped out of the interrogation room, her eyes went to someone standing in the hallway waiting for her.

Stephen.

She ran straight into his arms.

His hug enveloped her, and she melted against him.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she muttered into his chest, suddenly stiffening.

"What do you mean? I've done a lot of things—some I want credit for and others I don't."

Her thoughts raced back to the times she'd been helped without realizing who was doing so. But now, she realized Stephen's woodsy scent had lingered behind sometimes. She didn't even make the connection until now that she was in his arms.

How could she have missed this earlier?

"You were the one who kept helping me out whenever trouble came my way, weren't you?" she practically whispered. "The one I called my guardian angel?"

How could she not have seen this before? Her eyes simply hadn't been open to the truth. But now she knew.

Long before all this drama broke out, Stephen had always been there.

Even more, he was still here with her now.

"More than anything, I've always wanted to keep you safe," Stephen murmured.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Heidi stared into his eyes as she waited for him to answer.

Stephen held Heidi tight. If he had his way, he'd never let go.

Her question lingered in his mind. Why didn't you tell me?

It was a good question.

He cleared his throat. "I don't know, really. I guess I knew I wasn't in a good place. But from the moment I met you in the office, I've been fascinated. Your exit interviews were always the highlight of my week."

"And you never said anything?"

He shrugged. "The truth is, I haven't dated much in the past several years because . . . no one ever compared to you."

"You should have told me."

"I knew I wasn't in the right place to be with anyone, especially you. I needed to make things right with myself, with God."

"But . . ." Her voice faded.

Probably because she knew his words were true.

He wasn't just talking about his emotional state. There was so much more to it than that. He'd been broken.

But not any longer. He'd gotten his act together. He knew what was in his power and what wasn't.

Now that Rafferty was out of his life, he truly had a chance to start fresh. To be his own person.

He leaned toward Heidi and pressed his lips onto the top of her head. He was no longer afraid of being the wrong man. Of being someone who could never be enough.

Heidi made him feel like a new man.

The two of them held each other for several more minutes.

Then Heidi suddenly stiffened. "The feds aren't arresting you, are they?"

"No." He shook his head. "You?"

"No. I think I might have to testify."

"I feel confident the worst of this is behind us. Now we can start rebuilding."

"Things could have turned out so differently." Her voice trembled. "I was so scared when we were on that plane."

"I had you then, and I've got you now."

She pulled away from his chest and looked into his eyes. His gaze was bloodshot and watery but strong. "You've always had my back, haven't you?"

"I'll never stop." Emotions made his voice hoarse.

As a smile spread across Heidi's face, Stephen did what he'd been wanting to do for a long time. He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her beautiful green eyes.

Then he lowered his face until his lips met hers in what he hoped would be the first of many kisses.