Page 44 of Release

Out in the parking lot, we hug for a long time by my car.

“Is she treating my boy right?” I ask.

He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “Yes, Ma’am. She is. I’m a happy boy. But I do miss you.”

“I miss you, too. I’m glad we can still be friends.”

“Me, too.”

We both sigh and it’s at least another minute before we can finally let go of each other. “Touch base again with me before you leave,” I say. “I can come have coffee with you or something.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

I unlock my car and he opens the door for me, holding it, helping me in.

Then he leans in and we share a quick kiss, just friends. “Love you, Ma’am.”

I pat his cheek. “Love you, too, boy. Talk to you later.”

It’s just a few minutes after seven when I pull out of the parking lot. I start to head home. I can see both men have texted my work cell with requests to contact them, but nothing urgent, meaning it’s not a work issue.

But when I turn my personal cell back on, I receive all my alerts, and among them is one that Declan used his code to enter the gate and disarm my alarm. From the look of it, he’s parked his car in my garage.

When I call up the motion detectors, I can see the one in the living room pinged just a minute ago.

Meaning he’s sitting there in the living room and waiting for me. Probably watching TV, or working on his laptop, knowing him.

I also have a couple of texts from both men on my personal cell, through the Signal app.

I don’t read them.

Instead, I put my phone in hands-free mode and make a call.

Aussie answers on the third ring. “Hey, Aunt Case.”

“You girls doing anything tonight, or you want to hang out with me?”

“I thought Dad said you guys had an event today?”

“Oh, it’s over now, and I really want to see that new Star Wars movie, but I don’t want to go alone. If you’re not busy, and you two want to go with me, I’ll pay.”

“Sure!”

“I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. I’ll drive. Don’t even tell EPU. I’ll call you when I’m downstairs.”

I always keep a spare change of clothes in the car. When I stop for gas on the way to the dorm, I duck into the restroom and trade my skirt for jeans that will still go with my heels, and I put on my waistband holster for my 9mm Glock I’ll carry tonight.

The girls are waiting in the dorm lobby and dash out almost immediately, laughing and giggling as they dive into the car and we head out.

I wait until we’re seated in the theater to text Declan from my personal cell without using Signal. If I open the app, it’ll start the countdown on when the messages disappear. It’ll also show I read them, and I’m not ready for that yet.

Spending the evening with A&A and catching a movie. Not sure when I’ll be home. XO

After I send it, I turn my phone off again and settle in to watch the movie.

Aussie’s sitting in the middle, and before the opening trailers are halfway through, she gently pokes my arm and shows me her phone.

It’s a text from George.