Stemwinder
Lee drove to the cemetery. He smiled as he thought of the news he would tell his parents. The Stemwinder case had been fraught with tension and apprehension, but their declaration of love had made the whole thing worth the experience. He could not wait to tell them all about it.
The leaves crunched under his feet as he approached their graves. "Hey, guys. It's been crazy lately. I busted this Russian agent years ago, and he spent all that time plotting revenge on me. Makarov and the KGB station chief, Rostov, set me and Amanda up to make it look like we were traitors.
"Either Makarov was going to kill me, or Rostov would force me to defect to the Soviet Union. I don't mind admitting that the plan was brilliant. It almost worked, too. The whole Agency was after us."
Lee scowled to think of the D-1 man hunt Smyth had put out on them. That Smyth would do such a thing did not surprise him, but even Billy and Francine had doubted them. It would take a while to trust them again.
"We were on the run for a week. Amanda was fantastic, considering we slept the first night in a cardboard shipping box of all things. She didn't complain one time. Amanda insisted she come with me.
"She knew the family was worried about her, but we got word to them, she was okay." Lee chuckled. "She took down Makarov's granddaughter without firing a shot. That's my Amanda. Everything worked out okay.
"Mom, Dad, guess what? I did it. I told her I loved her. The Agency was all over us. I was on the phone with her, and I just blurted it out. I knew I shouldn't be doing such a dumb thing; that the call was being traced. I… I thought it might be the last time I would talk to her. It was so easy to say those three words." He shook his head. "I should have told her a long time ago.
Lee's heart fluttered. "She loves me, too. I don't know what I've done to deserve her. I'm gonna ask her to marry me." The next thing to do was to buy an engagement ring. Yes, that was the next thing on his to-do list.
