“Cobra,” said Barrett, “this car has the most advanced technology known to man, and if used correctly can be as deadly as any agent. Any questions?”
“Yeah,” he said. “How soon can I take this baby out on the road?”
Morgan pulled up to his driveway as twilight became night, and parked in the garage. The car was a magnificent machine. He had torn down the highway, getting a feel for its handling. He even tested out some of the more exotic features—at least the nondestructive ones. Eventually, he came home, but not because he ever wanted to stop driving.
As he was getting out of the car, Jenny opened the kitchen door and stood against the doorjamb, looking pleasantly at him.
“What’s that?” she asked. “New car?”
“Yeah, company perk,” Morgan said. “It’s called a Cobra, which I thought was appropriate. What do you think?”
“Very sexy,” she said. “Very you.”
“You’re very friendly,” said Morgan. “Frankly, I thought you’d be angry, after last night.”
“Let’s not talk about last night,” she said. “Just come here.”
She fell into his arms, and they kissed. They walked into the kitchen together as he pulled the door shut behind him. He put his hand on her back and pulled her close. They kissed again.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. He had. He had missed her warmth and her smell. Being close to her made him feel truly at home.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said, smiling between kisses. She pulled him close and ran her hand through her hair. “Alex is out.”
“Hmm,” he said. As they kissed, her breathing became heavier.
“Wait, wait,” she said, gently pushing him away. “Hold on. I thought I could leave this conversation aside for the night. Only for tonight. But I don’t think I can. I need to talk to you, Dan.”
Morgan pulled back, concerned. “What is it, Jen?”
“I can’t just—look, Dan. Two days ago. I had a crisis, a perfect storm of a day. Mom had a breast cancer scare, Alex went off again, and I ended up losing my temper and yelling at a client.”
“Oh God, Jen, is she—”
“She’s fine, thank God,” said Jenny. “It turned out to be a benign mass. But I could have used you here, Dan. I needed you. At least to be able to call you, to hear your voice. But you were gone, and I had no idea where you were.”
“Look, I really can’t tell you,” he said.
“It doesn’t even matter,” she said. “You weren’t here. You left for days without telling me where. Leaving me not knowing if you would ever come back.”
“Jenny—”
“No, Dan,” she said. “Don’t say anything. That happened, and then this Alex thing. I didn’t really know what to say about that. But look, the truth is, I just can’t fight anymore. I don’t like what you do. As a matter of fact, I hate it. But I’m tired, Dan. Fighting with you is exhausting. I can’t stand not being able to talk to you. I miss things just being okay and normal between us.”
“Me too,” said Morgan. “I want that more than anything in the world.”
“Not more than you want to be a black op,” said Jenny. “That much is clear. Though for the life of me I can’t imagine why.”
“Jenny . . .”
“So I don’t understand, and I can’t really say that I’m okay with it. You should know that I’m not. But . . .” She sighed. “I promised that I would love you and stay by your side, when we got married. In sickness and in health. And unfortunately, that includes your stupid decisions as well.”
“I suppose that’s really the best I could hope for,” he said, and then smiled warmly.
“I’ve missed you, Dan,” she said, relief flooding her voice. “I’ve missed you so much.” She pressed her small frame to him as they hugged. “I can’t stand not talking to you, not sleeping next to you. You’re already away too much. I can’t stand not being with you when you’re here on top of that.”
“I’ve missed you too,” he said, lost in the warmth and closeness of her body. Her hair was soft against his face. They held each other for a long time with closed eyes. Then she released him and smiled at him with misty eyes.
“So you got a new toy, huh?” she said, with just a trace of joy creeping into her voice. “When are you going to take me for a spin?”
CHAPTER 50
Andover, February 27
Alex Morgan got back from her run energized, with legs burning and breath ragged from the effort of the last sprint. The sun was low in the sky, and the wind was starting to pick up. Her sweat was beginning to turn icy cold and the cold was beginning to hurt her lungs, so she was back just in time. She saw as she was coming in that her father’s car was not in the garage.