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After spending the day with her daughter and grandson, Penny stood on the rear deck of the homestead. Snowflakes swirled around her, their delicate structures a reminder of how fragile life was. Dusk had fallen, taking with it the temperature, but the beauty of the sight urged her to stay.
Huddled in the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, she turned her face up to the sky. Heavy clouds hung low, promising more snow and it left her giddy. Behind her, the screen door opened and closed. Footsteps came to a stop beside her.
“I’d never pictured you so enchanted by the snow.”
She smiled at Damien’s words and leaned against his arm. “That makes two of us, but my first winter in Switzerland showed me its beauty.”
He kissed her temple. “I have to admit, I’m not really loving the cold weather. The snow is fun, but only in short bursts.”
It beat sweltering under a Nigerian sun by a mile. Rather than remind them of the awful time, she chose to focus on the present. “Well, I love it.”
“Say, what’s for dinner?”
She thought about the lasagna baking in the oven. Sharing knowledge from one generation to another, she taught Stevie how to make it the way Damien’s mother had shown her. It made for a wonderful afternoon spending of time with her daughter and schooling her the finer art of layering pasta sheets, bechamel and meat sauce. “Can’t you smell it?”
He smiled. “I smell deliciousness and it’s making my mouth water.”
Penny pressed her lips to Damien’s ear. “Lasagna, the McCafferty way.”
His mouth fell open. “Oh my. Mum’s recipe?”
She nodded and delighted in the sparkle in his eyes. “Now, what have you been up to all afternoon?”
His arm went around her shoulders and he hugged her to him. “Emails, mostly.”
“Exactly what do you do for a living?”
He chuckled, the vibration rumbling through his chest. “I used to work for Interpol, tracking down international criminals. When I revealed myself to Stevie, I realized I didn’t want to keep putting myself in danger. I stepped away for a while, but now I have you, and I plan on putting an end to it permanently. I belong here, in the Crossing, with my family.”
“So you went from the police to the Army, to becoming a...” She frowned. “Is there a word for what you do?”
“Officially?” He smiled. “Security Intelligence Officer.”
Penny turned in his embrace to face him. “But you died.”
His expression turned sad for a moment. “Yes. Where you had Charles to help you, I had someone in the AFP.”
“Did you change your name?”
He pulled a face. “For a while, yes, but I’m Damien McCafferty again. It’s been tricky extricating myself from that life. I had woven a very tangled web indeed.”
“Do you still work for Interpol?”
“No. I submitted my resignation after my last mission. I got in touch with the AFP to start the paperwork on resuming my real identity.”
She blinked at the complexity of it all and wondered how, after faking his death, he came to the decision to follow such a route. It occurred to her that at some point, they could have crossed paths and not known it, and it saddened her to think of all the good they could have done together.
“What’s on your mind, honey?” He trailed fingertips down the side of her face. The light contact sent a shiver down her spine.
Penny stepped closer until their bodies touched. “You were right, there was another way we could have handled the Mustangs back then.” She shook her head at the loss of more than two decades, her eyes stinging with tears. “We could have followed these paths together, you at Interpol and me at Borders.”
“Those are dangerous thoughts.” He wiped away a stray tear. “Don’t dwell over what could have been. It’ll drive you crazy. We have each other now and that’s what matters.”
Of course. “If you no longer work for Interpol, then why the emails?”
He took a breath and closed his eyes. Worry creased his brow. “I received some information, Penny. About Sebastian.”
Her gut clenched at the worry in his expression and she knew. “He escaped.”
Damien’s eyes snapped open and met hers. Fear mingled with determination as he took her face in both of his hands. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
“It’s not really me he’s after, it is?”
He conceded her words with a single nod. “Doesn’t mean he won’t hurt you to hurt me. I’ve put word out to all of my trusted contacts, hence all the emails and phone calls. He doesn’t know it yet but there is a global posse gunning for him.”
A flicker of worry passed through her but was snuffed out by the confidence of the man staring straight into her soul. He’d uphold his promise, that much she knew. He’d never let her down before and she suspected her near-miss with Sebastian fueled a fire of revenge in Damien’s heart. She should be scared someone might come after her, but the only emotion filling her to the brim was love. He’d protect her with his life, wouldn’t he?
“You’re safe with me,” he whispered, the sound a little strangled.
Penny nodded and smiled. “I know.”
“I have to confess, I thought this would freak you out.”
“It probably should.” She opened the blanket and wrapped it around the two of them, cocooning them against the darkening night. “It would, if I didn’t have you here.”
“Promise me you will keep one of us by your side until he’s caught? If not me, then Stevie. She can kick ass better than the rest of us. If not her, then one of my team. Promise me, Penny.”
His plea resounded in her heart. “I promise.”
Relief washed over him and she felt the tension drain out of his body. “We should go inside but I really don’t want to let you go.”
So, don’t. Don’t ever let me go, my love. The voice in the back of her mind wrapped her in comfort and the man in her arms gave her future a kickstart it desperately needed. As if in response to his statement, her stomach grumbled and they both chuckled.
“You know, I really had hoped to take you out to dinner, but lasagna is calling.”
Her mind latched onto his suggestion and the thought of them spending quality time alone together. “There’ll be plenty of leftovers.”
“Dinner it is,” he said with a soft kiss. “Pizza? Chinese? Italian?”
She literally hadn’t eaten any of those cuisines in quite some time. “Italian sounds good.” She thought about her jeans and sweatshirt. “Although, I’m not exactly dressed for it.”
“Your daughter can lend you something to wear,” he suggested, rubbing his nose against hers. The exquisitely gentle touch gave her goose bumps and she responded by leaning closer until their foreheads touched. “Of course, we could order in?”
Yes, they could, but she wanted him all to herself for a little while. Stevie was in good hands with Riley. “Another time.”
Pulling away, she released Damien from the blanket. He turned her and led her inside, where she found Riley taking the lasagna tray out of the oven. It smelled delicious and she nodded her approval before taking herself upstairs where she found Stevie putting Max down for a nap. The little boy snorted softly in his sleepy state.
“Everything okay?”
Stevie nodded, her long blond hair in a pony tail. “Just perfect. Will you stay for dinner?”
“Actually, your father is taking me out.”
Stevie’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Like a date?”
“Exactly.”
“You’ll need something other than jeans,” Stevie decided, the tone of her voice adamant. “Come on.” She took Penny’s hand and led her into the master bedroom. “I have the perfect outfit.”
“Nothing too fancy, mind.” Penny hoped it wasn’t too flash. She already felt like she stood out like a sore thumb, but when her daughter pulled a black pantsuit out of the wardrobe, her worry subsided.
“I haven’t had occasion to wear this. You should have it.”
Penny took the garment with a protest on the tip of her tongue but the glint of a gold pendant at Stevie’s throat caught her attention. Stepping closer, she lifted the small charm to inspect it. The tiny angel had devil horns.
“Dad gave it to me.”
“Hell’s Angel,” Penny mused, remembering back to the little sketches he used to draw on his school books. He’d been intent on turning his sketch into a cartoon but art wasn’t his forte. “It was a character he invented when we were about seventeen, I think. Always said it was a great nickname. Best of both worlds, he used to say.”
“He never told me that.”
Penny tilted her head. “No. He wouldn’t have. He was always a very modest man. Somewhat understated.”
Stevie touched her elbow. “Nothing has changed. Now, come on. I want to see you in this thing.”
Ushered into the bathroom, Penny found herself alone, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face didn’t look so gaunt and she noticed her skin had a healthy glow again—so very different to when she first arrived. She felt stronger than she had in years, though she could do with a haircut and probably a few more kilograms on her frame.
She hung the outfit on a hook and undressed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the bruises had finally disappeared from her body and she looked whole again. The chill in the air quickened her movements and she stepped into the black trousers. They were a little loose but not by much, and the white camisole hugged her frame nicely. Slipping her arms into the sleeves of the jacket, she buttoned it up at her waist and admired the look.
Ready for an interview.
She chuckled and opened the door, where Stevie waited. The smile on her daughter’s face lit her eyes and she nodded in approval.
“Beautiful. Here.” She held out a pair of black dress shoes. “You can keep everything. It looks better on you anyway.”
Penny doubted that. “Thank you.” She bent to slip the shoes onto her feet. She straightened to find Stevie with a wistful smile.
“I’m so glad to have you back.” Her voice quivered.
Stepping forward, Penny gathered the young woman into an embrace and held tight. “Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too.”
“And I’m really glad my babies will get to know their grandma.”
Penny felt the sentiment reverberate deep in her bones. Her thoughts drifted to Abigail, who would be a young adult now, and wondered what kind of hand life had dealt her. An urgent need to know where her other daughter was threatened to take hold, but Penny reminded herself Damien promised to find her and he always came through.
Pulling back, she took Stevie by the shoulders and studied her pretty face. “There’s something you need to know.”
Stevie’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
Her confidence withered at the scrutiny but she couldn’t hold out now. Stevie deserved the truth as much as Damien did. “After I left, I found out I was pregnant.” Curiosity filled the blue eyes staring at her. “You have a sister.”
Stevie swallowed. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know. After she was born, I realized I couldn’t protect her from the Mustangs so I gave her up for adoption. Her name is Abigail.”
The air grew thick for a moment before Stevie pressed her palm to Penny’s cheek and smiled. “Does Dad know?”
“He does.”
“He’ll find her,” she declared. “He won’t stop until he does.”
Penny frowned. “You’re not upset?”
“Because I have a sister? No. I wasn’t there and I never went through the things you did. That was over twenty years ago and I know you did what you thought was best for Abigail. Just like you thought you were protecting me and Dad.”
Unbidden tears welled in Penny’s eyes and, before she could stop them, they spilled down her cheeks. Hearing her daughter’s wisdom relieved her in a way she didn’t think possible. Stevie smiled and wiped away the tears.
“Please stop punishing yourself, Mum. What’s done is done. It’s time to live in the here and now.”