Jason's heart pounded when she said those words. Sometimes he felt more foolish than brave. Hearing that she thought he was brave was like a salve to his heart. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Suddenly, the warden came back around the corner.
"Time's up! You can come back another day if you like, Mr. Whittaker, but your visit for today is over," the warden said formally.
Jason turned to Monica and grasped her hand one more time. "I'll come back tomorrow. And every day until they release you, if it's possible—and it would take something extreme to make it impossible. You have my word."
Monica's hand tightened on his. "I know. Good-bye, Jason. Thanks for—everything."
With that, Jason and the warden walked back down the hall. Jason turned back just before they rounded the corner, and caught a glimpse of Monica's face, just as a tear rolled down her cheek. He wanted to run back to her and smooth it away, but he couldn't. So, he turned and walked back down the hall, leaving his heart behind him.
Mr. Charles stomped around his cell. So, Mr. High-And-Mighty Whittaker had gotten a parole for Monica Stone. And he was still stuck here. Without any parole option, since the imbecile of a warden and that FBI agent wannabe had shredded his plan. He recalled Monica's words about Jason maybe being in love with her when she was masquerading as Paula Jarvis. But love was blind, he thought. Jason hadn't seen through Monica until the very end, until it was too late.
Mr. Charles began to concoct a plan. Jason had been deceived by her once. Now, it was time for him to be "deceived" once again—just without Monica's knowing it.