Carlos was impressed. Kiera could really knock back. But then, why was that so surprising? She was as tough and as rugged as they came. He thought so for as many times since teaming up with her. She was his equal, and there was no turning back.

Wrapping his head around their having survived the assault freeing Travis still wasn't happening. The harder he thought about it, the more confused he was. Not one bullet had found its mark. Thankfully, but it was so strange. The marksmen were that bad? You'd think that terrorists would have better aim. These people had missed them as moving targets by a mile.

He wasn't complaining, of course. Well, not exactly, but it made him hyper-curious. More now, than when he had first encountered the inexplicable bound up in Kiera.

Carlos couldn't help recalling the offbeat exchange with Travis. His forehead furrowed. Mysterious things he had said, outrageous things. Kiera a time traveler? What did that even mean?

"Tell him, Kiera—tell him. Tell him now!" Travis had badgered, foregleams of a hard fought victory gained in his eyes.

Carlos stopped the intense chatter in his mind. He was going to see this Liber8 fiasco through with her. He drank the last of his whiskey in the tumbler down in one draft. Kiera was drinking Scotch. She looked at him, her face questioned him before she voiced the inquiry.

"Another round?" She had already caught their waiter's eye. He was coming over. The drink she had just finished made it her third.

"Yeah, sure. Why not? Nursing another drink suits me just fine."

"The same?" the lean, clean-cut man, a bartender in training, asked.

Carlos nodded. This bar grill served good stuff. He'd brought Kiera here several times. Tonight, this afterhours treat was on her. He set his thick bottom smoked glass on the server's tray. "Yeah. I'll have the same." He winked at Kiera. "Thanks."

"I'll have what he's having," she said. She didn't often, but this time she did. She returned his wink.

Carlos set her glass on the tray for her. "Bring extra ice." He happily followed that up with, "Thanks." The waiter smirked a lot, but the guy wasn't a jerk. He knew how to deal with jerks. Ignoring them was the best practice.

Their server promised he would as he walked off. His tips had been off lately. He was hoping to make it up on these two.

"So…tell me this," Carlos jumpstarted, the intrigue Travis had begun resurfacing, "What's your son's name?"

Not batting an eye, Kiera favored Carlos with a lopsided grin, and a loosened tongue. Not hesitating she replied, "Sam."

"Good, strong name." His big, brown eyes widened. Inquisitiveness beamed from them. He couldn't remember if she had ever told him much about her son or husband. "Where do they live? Your son, his father?" Carlos folded and refolded his cocktail napkin. He smoothed it out flat, then began the process over again.

She was about to be as forthcoming with that information as she'd been giving Carlos her son's name. But she held off, remembering that they would live here sixty-five years from now, so many years. She hoped that they would. The future they were a part of might no longer exist. She couldn't tell Carlos any of that, too much information. Information absolutely irrelevant, useless to him.

"What if I said I can't tell you?"

"Can't? Or won't? Why can't you?" Carlos pressed, not put off, not miffed, just acutely curious. His tone was still light and relaxed. The alcohol in his body had a tranquilizing effect. He hadn't felt this calm in weeks. Words rolled off his tongue. "You can," he purred. "Sure you can."

Purring back, Kiera replied, "And if I did…"

Taking the bait, Carlos said with a chuckle, "You'd have to kill me."

Kiera flicked her tongue over her lower lip. Her smile was like a rainbow emerging from storm clouds. She never had to try being seductive, she just was, like kittens were playful. What was considered innate just was.

Kiera failed to see the humor in that statement, but judging from his amused expression, he thought it was wildly funny. She cautioned, "You think that's funny." There was nothing interrogatory about her delivery.

"Ah, come on. Come on. Lighten up. You know you want to tell me. How far from the future are you?" He heard the fuzziness in his sloppy attempt to get her to come clean. He flashed his pearly whites at her, using their attractive symmetry as a deal sealer.

Kiera kept right on tempting her partner with her beautiful eyes. She was well aware how potent they were for him.

He had no clue how potent his eyes were for her.

The waiter was back with their drinks. He set Kiera's drink down before her, then Carlos' in front of him. She told the server that she wanted to settle the bill now. Carlos demanded to deal with the tip. Kiera said he didn't have to, but he insisted.

Kiera settled the bill and took care of the tip over Carlos' pointed protestations.

Once it was just the two of them again, Carlos apologized. "I'm sorry, Kiera. I'm being a royal pain in yours right now." He stared down, deep down into his drink, effortlessly getting lost in the interminable luminosity of the intoxicating liquid. "Thanks for risking your life to save mine. This makes twice." She had used her body to shield his when the terrorists hit. He had stayed as close to her as she had commanded him to; he was alive as a result.

He owed her and he'd pay her back anyway she wanted.

She wanted to tell him. She wished she could tell him, everything. Though she couldn't, she was easy on him. She told him, "I will, Carlos." She downed her drink in a single, neat gulp. "I'll tell you everything." Kiera set her jaw, which never quivered.

"Really."

Gazing into her partner's somewhat glazed-looking eyes, she sighed and promised, "All in good time."

With a slight edge, he responded, "Time…well, that's the issue. Isn't it?" Carlos arched an eyebrow, swirling the booze around in the glass.

Nodding a little, Kiera acknowledged his tour de force of insight. He was a very insightful soul, which made working with him her good fortune, not an exercise in futility. Carlos was warm, real and never went for her jugular.

After he finished his drink, she asked, "Take me home?"

"You never have to ask."

Burrowing into his eyes with hers, she justified, "Just testing." She drank half her drink, not wanting any more.

"Do I pass?"

"Always." Uncustomarily, Kiera went for his hand and asserted as they walked toward the establishment's door hand-in-hand, "With flying colors." She slid her eyes over Carlos in a very possessive way.

He grinned as wide as he could. Their camaraderie was one hundred proof. In the cab, he told her that even as a little boy he wanted to be a cop.

Kiera told him that he was the best she had ever worked with and Carlos rejoined that he was determined to keep it that way.

The blushing Protector from the future gave a full-throated laugh right before Carlos had his arm around her waist, cinching her closer to himself.

"Don't go back to the boat tonight," Carlos innocently told her. She could crash at his place, just crash, no complications. "I'll make breakfast."

Though tempting, Kiera firmly declined. "Another time. Okay?"

Carlos simply said, "Sure." He chanced a look at her face.

Kiera was smiling as she rested her head on his user friendly shoulder. Closing her eyes, she said, "You could still make breakfast. Bring it to headquarters."

Sounding generous, Carlos submitted, "You got it." He took hold of one of her hands, squeezing it lightly and derived pleasure from hearing her sigh although his heart raced a mile a minute.

Kiera's raced right along with his.

TBC…