Chapter 25
Three hours later, Fang still hadn't seen Max.
He'd flown over Sin City one too many times and soared across every part of the neighboring desert imaginable. Even took a tour of southern California. Saw plenty of coyotes and one too many drunken pedestrians, but no Max. His stomach shriveled with each passing minute.
Fang didn't know what time it was when he returned to Nellis. One? Two maybe? Perhaps Max returned. Perhaps she just did some reconnaissance and flew back. Maybe she'd just gone out for ice cream.
Yeah. And maybe Gazzy would learn to control his impulse flatulence.
His black hair flopped across his dark features as he soared in across the restricted air space of Nellis Air Force Base. He was tired, his muscles tight with the futile flight, his mind drained from scouring the possibilities. But most exhausted was his heart.
Max had done this a million times before, he tried to tell himself. Flew off on a whim. Sometimes in pursuit of baddies. Sometimes to avoid her heart. And she always came back. Always.
Yep. Always.
Yet the more Fang tried to communicate that verity to his mind, the sicker he felt.
As he flew over toward the barracks, their temporary home the past week and a half, a figure on top of their building caught his eye and Fang's heart skipped a beat.
Max.
He touched down, sat down next to her where she perched on the edge of the building. He slid his hand atop hers and for several minutes, neither one said a word.
"You said you wouldn't do that again," Fang said, enjoying the slight summer breeze on his face and the comfort of Max's touch on his hand.
"I know."
"Familiar foe or new baddies?"
"A little of both. Chu, your pal Brigid. A whole lot of black-suits. I followed them out into the desert."
Max paused, then reluctantly pulled up the pant leg of her jeans. She had four bandages, two on the front and back of her calf. The others on her lower thigh. Fang's eyes grew a half-notch larger.
"I'm going to start a bullet collection," she joked after explaining what happened. "And I owe you a new wind breaker. Had to use it to stop the bleeding."
Fang's jaw tensed and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"We're getting cell phones," he muttered and Max's eyes widened in disbelief. "The prepaid ones. I can't - "
Fang couldn't finish his sentence. He didn't want to finish his thought. He hated seeing Max hurt. Yeah, they'd been through much worse, but when we're they going to catch a break? When would everyone just leave them alone?
As if sensing his thoughts, Max curled up into his side, nuzzled her head into his shoulder. He leaned his head onto hers and reeled her in tighter, wishing time could freeze.
"Before they… uh… let me escape, they slapped a deal on the table." Max arched upward and fixed a serious look on Fang. "I think we should take them up on it."
Fang's eyebrows arched and his jaw twitched. Bargaining with the bad guys? Not Max's style. Not their style. At. All.
"Must be a good offer. What's the payoff?"
Max disclosed the deal and Fang leaned back on his hands. Max was right. Totally good offer. Too good to be true offer. The rest of the flock would be all over it.
He just didn't trust it.
"So how do you know they're legit - "
"I don't." Max tightened her fists, jumped up and paced the building edge. "I'm… I'm just tired of living like this." She stopped at a corner of the flat roof and stared out toward dim lights on a nearby runway. Fang found his way to her and placed his arms around her waist.
"Me too," he murmured. Brushing her hair aside, he kissed the back of her neck.
She turned to face him, her frustration melting. He kissed her lips tenderly and she responded with animalistic ardor, a passion he'd never seen before. Did she miss him that bad? Maybe she was still a little freaked from her earlier encounter. Or maybe she was trying to convince him to take this supposedly good deal. Hmmm. If that were the case, he'd hold out for a little while.
They kissed for a long time. Fang should have been euphoric, yet something was off. Something not quite right. His kisses dove deeper, searching for something. What? He wasn't sure. It was like battling with a locked treasure he couldn't quite disengage.
This was stupid. Max was back. He was here. With her. They were soul mates.
And yet something wasn't right.
He just couldn't quite place a finger on it.
A/N: Hehe. Reviews welcome!
