Page 35 of Omega’s Fealty

I prickle immediately. “I am not sorry.”

He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Nor am I. Are you sure that your government would convict you for it?”

I am not sure. They might overlook it for who I am.

But I do know that they won’t let me keep him. They won’t allow me to choose who I marry.

And they certainly won’t let me marry a bullet-scarred, broken-nosed American, especially one who almost certainly has a questionable criminal record. There would be questions.

For a split-second, I ask myself the same ones. What am I doing? I barely know this man.

Except that I do. The scent of him is like coming home. When he touches me, I finally feel safe. I feel comfortable. Everything is right in the world.

He is my one.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to risk it.” I think about one of the ‘secrets’ that he told me in the dark, the one where he said he planned to buy a cabin and live there away from everyone. “You can buy your land. I know you haven’t saved as much as you want, but I can hide away. I’m used to being kept away from everyone and everything. I won’t mind it if I am with you.”

“Aurelio.” He says it gently. “Your face is on every screen in this country. I’ve seen it. There’s a reward. Two million dollars for information leading to your safe recovery. Someone will see you. That’s not a long-term option. And it’s no life. I’m not moving you from one cage to another.”

That stops me for a moment. Two million. That is what they are offering for me?

“Two million,” I say.

“Yeah.”

“And you were paid?”

“Thirty. For two weeks.” He almost smiles.

“Maybe you can cash in on the reward.”

He reaches one of his big arms and pulls me even closer to him. I snuggle in. “I don’t think that’ll work. It’s as risky as approaching your government. Mine won’t shy away from convicting me of kidnapping. I don’t particularly want a death sentence either.”

I hide a smile. “Okay, whatever we do, no risking death sentences.”

He puts his forehead against mine.

“Okay,” he says.

“Okay?”

“Okay. We go.” He breathes out. “Now. It’s still dark. You stay in the backseat under a blanket and I’ll drive as far as I can until I find a good out of the way motel. I’ll sneak you in. We can hole up there while we decide what to do.”

Then he pulls away, actually removes his entire body from mine and stands and stretches. His absence feels like the sun going out.

He reaches for his clothes, pulling a shirt over his head in one easy movement.

“There are people who oppose my government,” I say. “I have seen them. Or I have seen the footage the Americans show. There was a protest in the main square in February. Havel told me people were killed. If there are people willing to stand in a square and be shot at, then there are people abroad who speak for them. There always are. Exiles. Students. Activists. Somebody with a lawyer.” I stop, then say the word. “Asylum. We can contact them.”

He nods slowly, then grabs his jeans. “That could work. But first, we get out of here. But not blind. I need to know what’s out there first. What they’re saying on the news, whether the roads are still stopped up. I’m not driving you into a checkpoint.”

“How do you find out?”

“I’ve got a phone in my car, taped up inside the wheel arch.” He is already reaching for his jeans. “Car’s across the lot, past the streetlight. I go out first, make sure there’s no one around and everything is safe, then I come back for you. It’ll take five minutes. Max.”

“I will come with you.”

“No.” It comes out hard. He hears it and softens it. “No. You’ve got no shoes and you’ve been sick and out of your head for a week and you’d be walking across open frozen ground wearing the most famous face in America. I’ll leave the door open. It’s just a few minutes of recon. Won’t take long.”