Out of Time (Out of Line #2) (Volume 2) (12 page)

Saturday evening I shoveled more food onto a man’s plate. I usually came to the soup kitchen on Sundays, but I was trying to keep myself as busy as possible. This time I’d dragged Marie with me. Speaking of which…

I met her eyes from across the room. She made a face at me and I nodded discreetly. It was time to go. There were only a few people here and it was getting dark. It had been a heck of a day. I’d said goodbye to my parents and then studied English with Cory for a few hours.

I felt exhausted yet wide awake at the same time. It was time to get out of here, maybe grab a bite to eat, and try to get some sleep. I had no idea what to expect when Finn returned. Or what to hope for, besides him not leaving.

As Finn would say…
this fucking wait was fucking killing me
.

I took off the hairnet and smiled at the woman who ran the place, earning a wave in return, set down some McDonald’s cards, and made my way to Marie. “You ready to go?”

She nodded and headed for the door. “I don’t know how you do this all the time. It’s depressing.”

Deja vu
. “It’s not depressing. They’re hungry and need food.” I shrugged. “It’s simple.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, now I’m hungry and need food, so feed me. Where are we going?”

I always went to Islands with Finn after the soup kitchen. It was weird not having him here with me. I missed him, and it had only been a few hours. What would it be like when he was gone? No,
if
he was gone?

“How about some Mexican?” I unlocked my car. “I could go for a quesadilla.”

“Sure.” She slid into the seat and pulled the mirror down, fluffing her hair. “If we go to that place on Pico, we could dance, too.”

“Dance? Yeah. I don’t think so.”

Marie rolled her eyes and buckled up. “You need to lighten up, Carrie. There’s nothing wrong with dancing.”

“You haven’t seen me dance,” I pointed out. “You’d disagree if you saw me in action.”

She laughed. “That bad?”

“
That
bad.”

“Okay, no dancing then.” She looked at me, her eyes shining with excitement. “Hey, we’re going skateboarding next weekend. How about if instead of feeding homeless people, you come with us? It’ll be fun.”

“That does sound fun.” I buckled up and pulled out of the parking lot. “Count me in.”

After we ate, I was on the way home alone. Marie had run into some guy she’d been flirting with lately and had chosen to stay with him. It was a relief, almost. It felt good to stop acting normal when I didn’t feel normal.

I felt stressed, exhausted, and way behind on life. And so freaking
tired
. Plus, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Finn was going to find out this weekend.

The whole way home, I went over every possible scenario that could come up. He could be going to war. Or maybe he was getting a promotion. Then again, he could be in trouble. Or he could be getting re-stationed across the country. The possibilities were endless, and I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out which one was the most statistically realistic one while also trying to figure out what my reaction would be.

If he had to move, would I move? Could I even do that?

I parked my car at the curb, not even realizing until I got out that I had gone to Finn’s apartment. I’d been on autopilot…but since I was here, I could use my key to get inside and take advantage of the shower. This morning I’d woken up too late, and the line for the showers had been horrendously long. I hadn’t had a good, hot shower in days, and I couldn’t wait to feel the hot water running down my body.

I slipped the key into the lock, turning it and pushing inside without lifting my head from my phone. I had two missed calls. One from Marie and the other from
Finn.
My heart picked up speed as I kicked the door shut behind me, swiping my finger over the screen so I could listen to the voicemail.

But the voicemail wasn’t from Finn. It was from Marie. Mexican music played in the background.
“Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be home tonight. Enjoy the empty room.”

I dropped back against the door, the disappointment at missing Finn’s call so heavy that I couldn’t stand it. I hugged the phone to my chest, tears filling my eyes. Why hadn’t he left me a message? Even a simple
I love you
would have been better than nothing. “Damn it.”

“What’s with the cursing?” Finn asked, his voice loud and clear.

For a second, I thought I’d called him and somehow put the phone on speaker, but he switched on the light, and he was standing there in his uniform.

“Finn?” I stepped closer but then froze, my heart racing and seeming to painfully climb up from my chest until it felt as if it rested in my throat instead of my chest. I knew that wasn’t possible, of course, but I’d swear to it. “How are you home early?”

“They only needed me for a few hours,” he said, his tone neutral. “So I came home and called you right away. I saw you pull up, so I hung up.”

I knew his being home meant something to us. Something good or bad. But suddenly it didn’t matter anymore, because he was
here
. And that’s all that mattered, wasn’t it?

I took a step toward him, then another. By the time my foot hit the floor a third time, I was running. I’m talking hair-flying-behind-you, full-on sprint. Finn took a few steps toward me and opened his arms. I flung myself at him full force, holding on to him as if he alone could keep me on the ground.

He hugged me close, his arms wrapping around me so securely I couldn’t even move, and he kissed my temple. I pulled back, meeting his eyes, and forced a smile. “I’m so happy you’re home early.”

He smiled back at me. Even though he hadn’t opened his mouth, I just
knew
he was going to say something I wouldn’t like. I could feel his heart thumping, beating against my own almost in tandem. “Carrie, I—”

“
No
. Not yet.”

And I kissed him with all the emotions I had bottled up inside me all this time. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Didn’t want my worst fears to become so utterly, horrifically, devastatingly
alive
. When I had been a little girl, I’d been terrified of monsters that hid under my bed. Now, as an adult, I knew the real terror lie in words and actions. In life or death. Not in scary, hairy, huge beasts.

I kissed him with a desperation I hadn’t felt before, knowing if I stopped he’d tell me the words I didn’t want to hear. All those silly fears I’d had over the years seemed so freaking pathetic in the face of what I was feeling in Finn’s arms.

He moaned into my mouth and stumbled back, his hands supporting me. I knew I was attacking the poor man, but I couldn’t stop. Not now. Not ever. When he broke off the kiss, his breathing heavy and his grip on me unbreakable, I dared a glance up at him.

“Ginger,” he said. “We need to talk.”

I forced a smile for him, my hands gripping his shoulders so hard it probably hurt him, but he didn’t so much as flinch. “I know,” I said, my voice breaking on the last word. When he shot me a concerned look and opened his mouth to talk, I pressed my fingers against his mouth. “No. Don’t say it. Not yet. I need a drink first.”

He kissed my fingers and nodded, his bright blue eyes latched on me. “Have I ever denied you something you wanted?”

I wanted to demand he not leave me. He’d promised to give me everything I wanted, hadn’t he? But that wouldn’t be fair. Even
I
knew he didn’t have a say in whether he left or stayed. It was all up to men like my father. To the men in the government who sat behind their desks, moving men like Finn across the world like chess pieces.

I noticed the outline of his dog tags, so I gently grasped the chain and pulled them out from under his shirt. I scanned the words that denoted his name, social security number, blood type, and religion. I now knew he was O positive. What a weird way to find out. I didn’t even know what the heck type of blood I had, but I knew his.

Oh, and he was Catholic. He’d never mentioned this before. But we hadn’t talked about God much, besides when he’d told me surfing was his version of church. We hadn’t gotten to that part of our lives yet, I guess.

Knowing that this was how they kept track of who was who felt so cold and impersonal. But then again, that’s how life was, wasn’t it?

“Carrie…”

“I
know
. I need a drink first.”

He gave me a look, one that said he didn’t like this not-talking thing I was doing any more than he liked giving me alcohol, but I stubbornly ignored it. I went into the kitchen, grabbing him a beer and me a wine cooler. After I opened them, I went back to his side and handed him his beer.

He took it and sat down on the couch, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he held it out to me. “To us?”

“To us,” I echoed, tapping my bottle with his. I brought it to my lips and drank it, not even taking a breath between swallows. Finn threw me a concerned look and pried it out of my fingers before I could drain it. “Hey.”

Finn cupped my chin and turned my head, forcing my face toward his. “Carrie. Look at me.”

“I can’t. I just…can’t.” I closed my eyes tight, scrunching them shut. “I don’t want to do this.”

“Ginger…” He pulled me into his lap. “I need you to
look
at me.”

I rested in between his legs, but facing him, a leg on either side of his hips. I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter, like a kid terrified to open her eyes and see the monster looming over her bed late at night. I couldn’t handle this. I wasn’t strong enough.

Wait
. Yes, I was. I had to be strong for him. He needed me to be strong.

I took a deep, shaky breath and opened my eyes, my chest moving far too rapidly and my heart echoing in my head so loudly it freaking hurt. I knew that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say, and I knew I was going to lose it. Completely lose it.

I rested a hand behind his neck, directly between his shoulder blades, and the other on his shoulder. I nodded, knowing he was waiting. Waiting for me to be ready.

It’s not that I couldn’t handle it. I could. I’d just needed some time.

And I loved him even more for totally getting this about me.

I nodded once. “Go ahead. Tell me everything.”

I looked at Carrie, her blue eyes on me and so breathtakingly beautiful, and I clammed up. I had so much I wanted to tell her, but I wasn’t allowed to. I could only give her a fraction of the details, and then in a few days, I wouldn’t be able to tell her anything. I knew she wouldn’t like that any more than I did.

Our relationship had been built on secrets and lies, and now I had to go right back to not telling her stuff. To keeping secrets. I didn’t like it, but my eye was on the end goal. And it would be worth it once we got there.
If
we got there.

I closed my hands around the back of her waist, holding on tight in case she tried to bolt. I needed to hold her. “I saw an old friend of yours today. Captain Richards. Does the name ring a bell?”

“Yeah, he went to the same college as my dad. They’ve been close ever since. I think he’s coming for our Christmas dinner we always do.” She shook her head, watching me closely. “What did he want with you?”

“He had an offer to make.” I hesitated. “There’s something I have to tell you first, and please try to understand this isn’t up to me.”

She stilled. “What?”

I rubbed her back in big, wide circles. “I can’t tell you all the details of what I got asked to do. It’s got a high-security clearance—one I just obtained today—and I am legally not allowed to tell you everything I know.”

She blinked at me. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not allowed to tell.”

She nibbled on her lower lip. “Do you not trust me to keep a secret? I mean, I know I’m not the best liar in the world, but I could do it.”

I cupped her cheeks. “Ginger, it’s not that. I fucking trust you with my life. But it’s my job, and I
can’t
tell you. It has nothing to do with trust, okay?”

“Fine. Yeah.” She nodded jerkily. It wasn’t fine with her. I could see it. “I get it, but what
can
you tell me?”

“Captain Richards asked me to take on a special case. It will involve me leaving in two days.”

“What? Why?
No
.” She gasped. “Where are you going?”

“Away.” I flinched. “Out of the country.”

Her eyes flashed. “Where?”

“I can’t say,” I said, closing my eyes. “That’s part of the deal, Ginger.”

She pushed off my lap and paced. “Seriously? I can’t even know where or why? That’s ridiculous.”

“I can kind of tell you why.” I stood up and grabbed her, stopping her in her tracks. “I’ll be doing something similar to what I’m doing here. Protecting someone.”

She looked up at me, her red hair falling behind her shoulders. “A girl?”

“Yeah.” I let go of her and tugged on my hair. “I can’t say who.”

“Shocker,” she said dryly as she covered her face. “I’m sorry, that was bitchy. But I don’t get why you can’t tell
me.”

I pulled her hands down from her face, squeezing them slightly. “Wasn’t there ever anything your father was working on that he couldn’t tell you about? A bill or a law?”

“Well, yeah.” She blinked at me. “Lots.”

“Did he tell your mom?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“See? It’s like that.”

She sat down on the couch, but she didn’t make a sound. She just sat there, her eyes staring straight ahead. I sat beside her and held her hand, letting her process it all, and tried to keep quiet for her. I needed her to be okay with this.

After what felt like fucking hours, she looked at me again. She looked so resolute and strong. “Tell me everything you
can
tell me,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady.

“He knows about us.” I rubbed her lower back gently. “He confronted me, and tried to bribe me to walk away from you. When that—”

She held up a hand. “He did
what
?”

“He offered me a prestigious promotion. Everything I wanted, if only I walked away from you,” I explained, keeping my voice level.

“What did you say?” she asked, her eyes narrow.

“No, of course.” My hand tightened on hers. “What do you
think
I said?”

“I don’t even know,” she said, her voice soft. “How did he find out about us?”

“You know how you thought someone was following us?”

“Let me guess. It was his guy?”

“Yep.” I smiled at her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Your father asked him to send a guy to watch
me
. To make sure I was doing my job and not lounging about my apartment all day. He started watching when we were in our fight.” I cleared my throat and looked away. I didn’t like to think about that time of my life. “So at first, he didn’t see anything but me following you. But then…”

“We made up.”

I nodded. “And he saw a hell of a lot, and reported back to Captain Richards.”

“Oh God.” She paled. “Did he tell Dad?”

I shook my head and grabbed my beer. “Nope. Because he has a plan for me, and it involves me leaving on Tuesday morning.”

“Which is the part you can’t tell me.”

I took a long sip. “Right. Maybe afterward, but not now.”

“How long will you be gone? Will he tell Dad after? What does he want from you? When will—?”

I chuckled and pressed a finger to her mouth. “I don’t know. And no, he’s letting us handle the when and how of telling your dad, but after this it’ll be easier.”

“Why?” she asked through my fingers.

I got all excited thinking about what I was going to get for just a few weeks of work. “He’s giving me the opportunity to change my MOS and become an officer, no military hoopla or shit to deal with. Just a quick transfer. I can go to college, fully paid for by Uncle Sam, and enter any field I want after this mission is complete. I can
do
anything.
Be
anything.”

She bit down on her lip, her blue eyes examining my face. “Are you sure this isn’t a way to split us up?”

“I’m sure.” I leaned back against the couch. “After this, your father will have no reason to object because I’m going to be a commissioned officer.”

She forced a smile. “That’s great, and I’m happy for you. I really am, but what will this mean to us?”

“I can go to college, here even. We can be together, and even better? He promised to make sure my father gets his bonus, no matter what.”

Her fingers tightened on mine. “So no more lying?”

“I still want you to wait until I’m back to tell your father.” I drank another sip of my beer, and she picked up her wine cooler with a shaking hand. “I don’t want you to do it alone. Once I’m home, we can come clean. Tell him we’re in love. No more lies.”

Her eyes lit up for the first time since I’d told her my news. She licked her lips, not dropping my gaze. “How long will you be gone?”

“It’s looking like I’ll be home after Christmas. It’s in the early stages, but I think it’ll be January at the latest.”

“That’s…” She swallowed hard. “More than a month away.”

“Yeah, but it’ll pass fast, I’m sure.” I grabbed her hands, holding them to my lips and kissing them. “And when it’s over, we’ll be free. We can be together, no guilt or deception. Just us, going to college together like normal people.”

She smiled at me, but the tears in her eyes kind of ruined it. “That’s great, Finn.”

“You don’t look happy.” I kissed her hand again. “This is good. I know it sucks I won’t be home for Christmas, but it’s worth it. I’m doing this for us, Ginger.”

“I know.” She pulled free and placed her hands on both my cheeks. “And I love you
so
freaking much for it. For making this happen. I’m just scared. I can’t…I can’t lose you, Finn. I just can’t.”

Her voice broke off, and she pressed her lips together, tears streaming down her cheeks. My heart clenched in my chest. I’d been expecting anger about having to keep my whereabouts a secret. Maybe a fight. I hadn’t been expecting
tears
.

Logistically, this move made sense. It would solve all our issues, and give me a huge pay raise and life change. A fucking gigantic one. I’d only be gone for almost two months, and then I’d be back, and we’d be free. It was a simple decision.

This was a good move.

“I don’t get why you’re crying. I’ll be fine, babe. It’s not as dangerous as war, I promise you that,” I said, kissing her tears away. They were salty and warm on my tongue, and I couldn’t fucking keep up with them. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m s-sorry.” She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. “I’ll stop. I’m being stupid.”

I hugged her close, breathing in her scent. Her hair was hard against my cheek, and it smelled a little funky, but I didn’t care. I just wanted her to smile again. “Carrie, if you’re not okay with this…”

“I’m fine. We’re fine.” She smiled at me, even through the tears, and rested her hand over my heart. “I love you, and you made a good move. I just needed a second.”

I swallowed hard, the emotions inside of me warring with one another. I let go of her and lowered my head, not wanting her to see the emotions that were probably quite clear in my eyes. If I didn’t do this, then I’d only be deploying next year, which was a hell of a lot worse than what I’d be doing overseas now.

But that didn’t make it any easier on her.

Her fingers flexed on my shoulder. “You will
not
die. Tell me you won’t.
Promise
me.”

My heart wrenched. “I can’t make a promise I can’t keep, Ginger. I couldn’t even make it if I stayed here and never left my apartment. Shit happens. You know that, but this is a hell of a lot safer than getting shot at in the desert. I can tell you that much.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to take it.” She picked up her wine cooler and took a long sip. “I’d rather you stay with me, but I accept you can’t.”

I pulled her onto my lap and buried my face in her neck, hugging her against my chest as best I could. I swallowed hard, my chest and throat tight. “I promise to be diligent and to keep myself as safe as possible. I promise not to be an idiot. I promise not to be a martyr. But most importantly, I promise to fall asleep every night with you on my mind, and wake up smiling because I’m lucky enough to have you in my life.”

She kissed me. She tasted like tears and watermelon wine cooler. “I’m the lucky one, not you.”

Ha. Not true. I gripped her hips tight. “So we’re okay?”

“Yep.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll be here when you get back, and then we can move on. Be happy and normal. Right?”

I chuckled. “As normal as I can possibly be, sure.”

“Which is not at all,” she said, smiling at me and nudging me with her elbow. “Will you be able to call me? Or text?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Email, if nothing else, but you’ll be going home soon, so we’ll have to be careful. I don’t want you to have to tell your father without me. I want to be by your side, holding your hand when he finds out.”

“I’ll wait for you,” she said, meeting my eyes. “Don’t you worry about that.”

I knew she meant more than the words sounded at face value, and I loved her even more for it. “And I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.”

She gave me a shaky smile. “You only have two days to get ready to leave?”

“Yeah.” I flopped back against the couch, and she curled up against my side. “I guess I should call your dad.”

“He’s still on the plane. They’ll land soon.”

I nodded. “I’m going to be busy getting ready to leave, but I want to make sure we make time for us before I go. Monday night, it’s just you and me. Got it?”

She patted my chest. I wished I could see her face, but she had it buried in my chest. “You tell me when, and I’ll be here. You know that.”

“Maybe,” I said, grinning and kissing the top of her head.

I could feel her smile against my chest. “Your favorite word, if I remember correctly.”

“Nope.” I hugged her closer, so at peace with my decision and the future that I felt like I was floating on a cloud. “I have a new favorite word now.”

“Oh?” She rested her hands on my chest and looked up at me, all wide-eyed and softness. “And what might that be?”

“
Ginger
.”

She smiled up at me and pressed her lips to mine. As I slanted my chin and took control, deepening the kiss, I knew it would all be okay. I’d get through this assignment in one piece, and then she would be happy because I’d be here with her.

Her father would accept me, since I was now going to be a commissioned officer, and I’d also have the backing of one of his oldest friends. I’d been promised that, too. This assignment wasn’t without danger, but I’d told the truth when I said it wasn’t as dangerous as war.

At least this was short term, and I more than likely wouldn’t get shot at…

More than once or twice.

But it didn’t matter, because we had each other. We had love. And we had commitment. On top of that, I had the belief in my heart that we could survive this. Actually come out of the other side still happily together, as strong and steady as we were now. And if I managed to avoid getting killed over there?

Then
maybe
—just maybe…

We’d even get our happily ever after.