“You just wanna see my handsome looks under all this shagginess,” he teased to cover up his confusion. Studying her eyes for a couple more seconds, he finally shrugged. “Why not. It’s not like I’m gonna be seen in public anyway. I’m pretty particular about my beard though.”
Hope didn’t say anything new. It was nothing Justin hadn’t already thought through himself. But…sometimes having someone else say it made a difference.
He leaned back in his chair and thought as she spoke. Maybe running away from the Elite really wasn’t the answer. Maybe she was right. Was he really on the Agency’s list for good, now? Had his one choice really sent him down this lifelong path of looking over his shoulder and endangering those he loved? Was her solution right – to stay near the Elite where it was safer?
A small smile curled his lips. “I was just going to ask if anyone you loved had been hurt, and then I realized where we’re sitting.” Scott was a prime example of someone Hope loved being torn in two by the Agency’s hands. She hadn’t known him before his original abduction, but still. He’d been tormented ever since. And she hadn’t left his side once, even when he’d pushed her away. Justin had been through that whole thing with him, day after day. He’d just…never considered himself in the equation of Agency plans.
“It’s love isn’t it?” he questioned softly. “That’s what keeps you and everyone else involved? Not just love for family or significant others but…love for your work and the cause? Its…the big picture… more than just…Scott…isn’t it?”
“Hey, Speedy.” Eli grinned as Ryan joined him, and emptied the bag of the contents that smelled oh so good. “My day was alright. Hardly had a free moment, but at least I wasn’t bored.”
He shed his jacket and got some glasses and something to drink before sitting down at the table. Ryan looked tired. He hadn’t talked to her all day and he wondered if things had been rough.
“What about you? How was work?”
Posts
