AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sex with you.”
Agnes nodded again. “Okay, I know I said this yesterday and then, you know, changed my mind, but I really think since we don’t have a future together, that us sleeping together ...”
He didn’t seem to be paying attention, still listening for something, so she gave up and sipped her coffee, staring out at the ruined bridge, and after a minute he said, “You okay?”
She shook her head. “She killed him, Shane.”
“I know.”
“She’s going to get away with it.”
“No.”
“How are you going to stop her?”
He turned to look at her, his eyes flat, and she remembered what he did for a living.
“You can’t kill her,” Agnes said. “No.”
Agnes nodded, relieved. “Then what?”
He turned back to the road. “Something will come up.”
“Just like that.”
“She’ll make it happen.”
“Why?”
“Her type always does.” He went still, the way Rhett went still when he heard something she couldn’t hear, the way Rhett was going still now, and Agnes listened, but there wasn’t anything.
She sighed. “Okay, listen, what I was trying to tell you is, as much as I have enjoyed getting naked with you, I really need something permanent and solid in my life. And no offense and please don’t kill me for saying this, but somebody who shoots people for a living probably isn’t going to blink about cheating on his girlfriend. I’d rather be alone than lied to again.” That sounded pathetic, so she shut up, but it was true.
“Agnes, I eliminate only the targets I’m assigned,” Shane said.
“Yes, but compared to that, cheating doesn’t seem that bad, right? I mean, you shoot somebody in the morning, a little nookie on the side must seem like jaywalking. I need to be with somebody who understands that love is serious business, that I am serious business, someone who will stay forever, someone who won’t betray me and then come around with a ‘Hey, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again’ the next day and think that makes everything just dandy. I’ve got a hole in my heart here. I’m not taking any more chances.”
His eyes were still on the road, and she stumbled on, trying to make him understand.
“Look, I just cannot afford that kind of pain again, okay? I can’t do it. I have to find some good, kind, boring guy who would rather slit his throat than hurt me because I can’t take another shot to the heart. It’ll kill me and I’m not kidding. I can’t do it again. I have to choose really carefully this time. And a hitman, well, that kind of doubles my chances for the shot-to-the-heart thing.”
Something rumbled down the road, and Rhett barked as Agnes turned to look. A big-ass truck came into view carrying what looked like a big-ass tank except there was no turret on top, just a scissors-shaped thing, all of it painted army green.
Agnes looked at Shane, not concerned, because he was there, but definitely puzzled. “Are we being invaded?”
“No,” Shane said. “You’re being invaded. Later. By me.” He stood up as the truck stopped and then backed up in line with the ruined bridge.
“What is that?” Agnes said, postponing for the moment her exasperation because he wasn’t listening to her.
“It’s an AVLB,” Shane said, as the tank rumbled off the flatbed it had been on.
“Of course it is.”
“An armored vehicle launched bridge. The army uses them to put in bridges during an attack. Watch and learn.”
“A bridge?” Agnes lost her breath. “That’s a bridge? Why is the army giving you a bridge?”
“The army isn’t giving it to me. It’s more of a loaner. To get us through the wedding. Then we’ll work on something more permanent.”
