Burned: Black Cipher Files #3 (Black Cipher Files series) (36 page)

“I’ll be okay.” Zeke said, “I’m a survivor.”

Sunshine nodded. “Thank you.”

He had his freedom back. But suddenly, he didn’t want freedom, he wanted something more. And he didn’t want her thanks, he wanted her love.

Forty

“Sunny!” Stella cried.

Oh my Goddess, my mother was here. “Mama, what are you doing here?”

“We got your message.” Mama rushed to me and practically yanked me out of Zeke’s arms as she smothered me in a tight embrace.

“You weren’t supposed to call in from your new phone.” All I could do was be thankful she was late.

“When I didn’t hear from you I thought something had happened, so I checked the old number instead.”

Blue came up behind my mother, his gaze taking in the cadre of soldiers on the beach, Uncle Carson and Zeke, and the bound bodies of both John Stanley and David Armbruster. He gave a clipped nod to Zeke. “It over?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good work.” Blue held out his hand and pumped Zeke’s hand vigorously.

Zeke deflected the praise. “It wasn’t all me. Sunshine took down Stanley.”

“Baby, what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Stella,” Carson interrupted. “But you’ll have to wait until we’ve gotten their official statements before Sunshine and Zeke can share their story.”

“But—“

“I have to ask you to leave.” Carson nodded at Blue. “This is a federal investigation.”

Blue brushed a fatherly kiss over my forehead. “Text us when you’re done and we’ll meet you at the coffee shop in our hotel.”

Mama protested for another few seconds, until I distracted her. “Is that a wedding band?”

She blushed, her face radiant. “I guess we have some stories too.”

My mother had gotten married. Without me. I waited for the sadness, for the hurt that she didn’t need me anymore. But it didn’t come. In its place was a giant ray of pure joy. I hugged my mother tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Sorry, we didn’t wait.” Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“Mama. Now neither of us have to wait to start our lives.”

***

We sat in the coffee shop just off Ghirardelli Square. I’d called Mama and Blue as soon as I was done giving my statement to Carson. Even though they had the whole confrontation recorded, they wanted my impressions and memories.

My impression: Armbruster was amoral and sociopathic. My memory: complete terror.

But I’d held it together. I’d rescued myself from John Stanley and helped Zeke take down Armbruster.

The adrenaline rush had long since worn off. I was exhausted and just wanted to crash somewhere. But I had to get through this conversation and give my mother the best wedding present in the world. Based on Carson’s assurances, John Stanley was going to prison and wouldn’t be getting out for a very long time, if ever.

After I gave her that news…I had no idea.

I’d been on the run, restricted for so long that the sudden freedom was terrifying instead of exhilarating. I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself.

I blew on my herbal tea, so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open.

“You okay?” Zeke’s hand hovered over mine before he drew it back and thumped it back down on the table.

That was another thing. Ever since his spontaneous embrace on the beach, he hadn’t touched me. I had tried to convince him he didn’t need to come with me to meet Mama, but Zeke was sticking by my side.

And I wasn’t sure what to do with his insistence that he stay. I wanted him to stay. But I wanted him to want to stay, not feel obligated.

I was a mess. “Fine.”

Zeke just looked steadily at me.

“Even the cursed men in my family know that when a woman says it’s fine, it’s absolutely not fine.” As if he couldn’t bear not to touch me any longer, he pulled me onto his lap. “I think better when I’m touching you.”

I’d address that later. Right now I was stuck on only one thing.

“You’re cursed?” Mr. Science actually believed in a curse. I couldn’t help it. I giggled. “Seriously?”

He rested his forehead on my shoulder curled his arms around my waist. “I know it’s stupid. We’re not really cursed.”

“But?”

“I am not so good with women.”

“Do you want to be?”

“With one in particular, yes.” As I sat on his lap, the boom of his heart reverberated against his chest and through my arm and shoulder.

Me. He meant
me
.

My heart thudded in time with Zeke’s, both our bodies shaking. My lips lifted tremulously. I had dreamt of having choices for so long. I wasn’t about to waste this chance. This choice. I could figure out what I was going to do with my life later. But I knew right now that whatever I did I wanted to do it with Zeke by my side. But still, it was a big step.

Especially for someone as relationship challenged as I was. So I fell back on science. The rules and regulations and laws that had gotten me through life up to this point.

“Ever heard of Hebb’s Law?”

“You’re talking science right now?” His mouth tipped up. And clearly he wasn’t actually thinking about the actual law.

“Yep, Geek Boy.”

He laughed hard. His happiness rumbled through him and wrapped around me, filling that dry well with an incandescent joy until I thought it would spill out of me.

“Got it.” He brushed a curl of hair from my cheek.

“So what do you think?” My heart thudded painfully against my breastbone.

“I think I love you,” he said against my lips.

Oh my Goddess. “I love you too.” It was crazy and the least logical moment in my life. But somehow it was true.

His arms tightened around my waist. “Remind me about Hebb’s Law.”

“Neurons that fire together wire together.” I let his heat, his love flow through me and back into him just like the law suggested. “What do you think?”

“Experiments are in order.” He proceeded to wire us together.

Epilogue

Carson Black reclined on a lounge chair by the salt water pool at their private bungalow and surveyed the people around him. Not just people, his charges. His responsibilities. They represented his greatest regrets and his greatest accomplishments in all his years in the espionage business. And all the years in his life.

Antoinette perched next to his hip. Gorgeous and glowing in a sexy white bikini. He was so thankful that she’d accepted his need to take care of this group of people when she’d been so young.

Staci sat in the lounge chair next to him. Jordan sat behind her, legs stretched out while Staci rested between his thighs, and their entwined fingers rested gently on the rounded bulge of her very pregnant belly.

The leisurely sweep of Jordan’s palm over her shoulder and the casual affection between them was a balm to Carson’s soul. After everything they’d been through, they deserved happiness.

“How’s work?” She had changed her focus and given up her work with the CIA. Instead she’d moved into mostly humanitarian work. But she was still teaching.

Her next class was going to focus on Women’s Rights and Organizations with a concentration in war torn countries.

“Great.” She smiled and looked up at Jordan her eyes glowing. “I’ve tagged contacts from all over the world to be guest speakers, sharing their personal experiences about the trials and tribulations of living conditions for mothers and children and what they have to do to survive.”

Jordan laced his fingers with hers. “Fariya would be thrilled.”

Staci’s eyes welled with tears. Carson knew she still harbored a great sadness for the woman who’d sacrificed her life so that Staci could live.

Carson tried to redirect the conversation. “You ever going to tell us if it’s a boy or a girl?”

Jordan rumbled beside her. “We decided to be surprised about the baby’s sex. But after the last sonogram, and another round of blood tests, the doc told us the
bebé
is healthy which is all that matters.”

“I’m going to be a grandpa.”

Staci laughed and glanced around the patio. “The kid’s certainly going to have an eclectic family.”

Carson marveled at their contentedness and thanked the stars that Jordan refused to give up on Staci.

Noise from the pool drew their attention.

Zeke had Sunshine perched on his shoulders, her feet tucked under his armpits, and one fist pumped in triumph after they won their game of chicken. And Jamie was sitting on Lucas’s shoulders, her fingers gripped his hair as she laughed so hard she was bent over, eyes closed tightly, clearly trusting Lucas to hold on to her. He marveled at how open and relaxed and happy she was.

Sunshine fell back into the water, dipping below the surface, her hair a long black cloud around her body as she floated to the surface before flipping it away from her face. Zeke curved his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Zeke pulled her out of the pool with one arm, and she launched into his arms. Sunshine rubbed her palm over his fuzzy head and whispered in his ear.

“Maybe Sunshine can take your class,” Carson said as Zeke and Sunshine sauntered over to a lounge chair.

Sunshine had followed Zeke to D.C. Barb had written her letter of recommendation and was acting as her mentor. Sunshine was going to start her first semester at Johns Hopkins in two weeks. They’d found a house that was in between Crypto City and the university and moved in together.

“Sunshine could probably teach my class,” Staci quipped.

Sunshine blushed.

“My girl is super smart.” Zeke rubbed a towel over his buzzed head.

Sunshine snapped her towel at him. “Keep it up, Geek Boy.”

“Watch it, Granola Girl,” he snarked but the pure love shining from his eyes belied his teasing words.

Sunshine formed her thumbs and pointer fingers into a heart and flashed the silly symbol at him.

Jamie shoved out of the pool with Lucas right behind her. Not surprisingly, those two were the last to join their little circle. But she was here. And Carson was grateful.

Six months ago he could barely get her to go for coffee.

Remarkably, she and Lucas had stuck. Carson thought it was likely more due to Lucas’s stubborn refusal to leave but he could see the warm, soft affection in her eyes when she thought no one was looking. She loved him.

Lucas had moved his business to D.C. and insisted Jamie move in with him. They’d rented Jordan’s unit in Alexandria next to Staci’s rowhouse.

“Who’s up for Mexican?” Jamie asked.

After a chorus of “We’re ins,” Jamie whispered in Lucas’s ear. By the grin on Lucas’s face, Carson had a feeling they were going to disappear for a few minutes before they went and got the food. She slithered against his body until they were flush together, not a sliver of sunlight between them.

They were still waiting on Bella and Johnny. And Kat was coming over with her son. But right now, he was content. A feeling of pride and accomplishment swelled over him.

They’d made it.

He threaded his fingers through Antoinette’s and lifted her hand to his lips. He brushed a grateful kiss over her knuckles.

She turned her head and smiled at him, her hazel eyes sparkling with the same gratitude. These were his children. Maybe not by birth, but he’d looked out for them, guided them, and tried to mentor them for the past thirteen years. By virtue of his slavish need to follow orders without questioning, he’d inadvertently changed the course of their lives. Of his own life. And then last year, he’d almost lost all of them.

Antoinette’s lips curved as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Time for a toast.” Antoinette’s voice was husky. She poured champagne into plastic flutes and handed them around to everyone but Staci who got orange juice.

“To Carson,” Zeke yelled.

Antoinette murmured, “My hero.”

“To the new Assistant Director.” Staci raised her paper cup of orange juice.

David Armbruster was awaiting a military tribunal for his role in the deaths that changed their lives. Carson was thankful they’d been successful in discovering Armbruster’s treachery and stopping him before he destroyed even more lives.

He glanced around the patio. But they’d made it through, he’d protected his charges and they’d come out on the other side with their own brand of happiness.

The secrets of the past, from World War II through to today, had shaped their futures. His files on those dark days could be closed and stamped cleared.

Carson cheered right along with them.

No more cold secrets. No more hot lies.

They’d all gotten their happy ever after.

***

Thank you for reading Burned, Zeke and Sunshine’s story!!! If you like these characters as much as I do, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book too. Here are some suggestions.

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Dedication

To geeks everywhere. This one’s for you.

ps. While this is the conclusion of the Black Cipher Files trilogy, there are a few characters who really need their happy ever afters, so you’ll see Barb and Kat again sometime in the future.

Books by Lisa Hughey

Black Cipher Files Romantic Suspense

The Encounter, A Prequel to Blowback

Blowback

Betrayals