She sighed and gathered up all their things and took them down to the car. When she got back Sands was sitting on the bed waiting for her. She grabbed his hand and led him to the car and started to drive to the next town.

"Sands, why are they after you?" she asked.

"I don't know, Sugarbutt. Maybe they just don't like me."

"And…" she said pointedly.

"And what?" he said innocently.

"Look, the CIA doesn't just knock off it's agents. Nobody would take the job if that were the case. You did something or know something dangerous to them."

"I have no idea why they are looking for me, seriously."

"Hmmm, or you don't want to tell me, is that it?"

"It might be better the less you know."

"Sands, if I'm going to risk my life, I want to know everything!"

"What's your clearance level?" he asked pointedly.

She didn't answer. "I thought so," he said. "Not high enough to know."

"But high enough to get killed, is that it?" "They did give me top secret information for this mission, by the way, when they sent me in to help you on the Day of the Dead. I know about the coup."

"That's irrelevant now," he said.

"Maybe, but what else do I need to know?" she asked again.

"Nothing," he replied. He couldn't tell her about his plan to steal the 20 million pesos on the Day of the Dead and it didn't matter anyway, he never got the money. He did wonder what ever happened to it.

He wondered if the CIA had uncovered his plan, or if Ajedrez had spilled the beans to them. She knew everything. That was stupid of him. Now here he was blind and being chased by his own agency. It was a foolish mistake he had made to trust a woman. They could not be trusted, too emotional. One little thing goes wrong and they'll throw you to the wolves or worse.

"Find a hotel in the next town. Park the car, check us in and then take this car and ditch it as far as away as possible," he said.

"OK," she replied.

They found a hotel and she left him in the room while she did as he had told her and got rid of the car . Then she found some food and returned to the room to find him asleep again. His injuries were obviously taxing on him, she thought, even though he barely indicated that he was in any pain. She knew he was.

She sat down and ate the sandwich she bought for herself. She wondered why the CIA was after him and whether they intended to kill him. Her heart hurt at the thought of her Sands dead, but she would probably be dead, too. She was with him and she intended to help him even if it meant she would die beside him.

It was early evening so she got into her nightgown and climbed into bed beside him wanting to just hold him, afraid that it may be just a short time before it would all be over. She cried thinking that she might never hear him say he loved her, but she loved him, and that was all that mattered now. He was all the mattered. She held him tightly to herself and sobbed into his shoulder.

Sands woke up when he heard Sam sobbing. She was holding him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe. He didn't move, not wanting her to know that he had woken up. She was scared, he thought. She didn't need to be putting herself in this kind of danger for him. She should go back to the states and back to her normal happy life. He was ruining her life and would most likely get her killed. That was unacceptable.

He didn't want her to die for him. She was an innocent and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't justify her death. He could just leave her there in the hotel and go on his way, but how far would he get blind? The CIA would still probably track her down and kill her anyway. As she drifted off to sleep he made the decision that he would have to turn himself in to the CIA. It was for her own good. She deserved better than him. She deserved a future and a good life. He could offer her neither. He was nothing but a crippled heartless killer. His life wasn't worth anything anyway in his present state. He needed to save hers, at least.

He felt a tightness in his throat as he thought about never holding her again, and he didn't understand it. Why did the idea of that hurt so much? But he knew what he had to do. Tomorrow would be their last day together. Suddenly it didn't feel so bad to be held so tightly tonight.

It was some time before he finally fell asleep, wanting to savor the time he had left with her for as long as he could.