Code Name Echo
Page 19
“Is that enough of a kiss for you?” August asks when he’s finished, catching the palm of my hand in another kiss.
I nod, gasping, still coming down from the high. But that’s when he pauses and frowns slightly, glancing downward. Not at the bed, but through the floor itself, possibly all the way to the street. I watch as Alpha climbs to his feet and gazes all around him, using his X-ray vision to look at multiple points outside the hotel. From the expression on his face, it won’t be anything good.
“What is it?” I ask, already shifting back into the mindset of Echo.
“The local police,” he says. “The Executive sent out a bulletin last night. Someone must have reported us when I went out for supplies.”
Following his lead, I climb out of bed and get dressed quickly, pulling on a new shirt and pair of shorts. As August shoulders the backpack, I throw open the doors to the balcony above the lake. Enough people are dotting the water that we’ll blend in, and there’s an unoccupied motorboat in the distance we can try to use. It doesn’t matter where we go, as long as we have the manifest and each other. I can already hear shouting in the hallway, the police yelling for us to open the door.
I follow August up onto the railing of the balcony, as if we’re about to plunge into a swimming pool together instead of a lake. He offers me his hand and I instinctively take it. We’re high up enough that I’m almost afraid to jump, but his touch is comforting even in the midst of all this.
“So I guess this is our thing now,” I say teasingly, referring to when we jumped off the dock to escape from Ophidian.
“One of our many things,” August says, the penetrating look in his dark eyes indicating that he’s remembering the numerous things we’ve done in the shower, on the bed, all over the hotel room, since last night.
I flush inadvertently, and it only seems to make his expression that much more intense. But we don’t have time for anything else, and when I turn to the lake below, it still looks insanely deep. And yet all of that just fades out of my mind, the same way all those memories and targets have faded from my mind, when I look over at the man standing next to me. Everyone else in the world could disappear right now and I wouldn’t even notice. All I can see is August, his eyes reassuring me with the knowledge that my partner, my protector, my lover, wants to be with me as much as I want to be with him. I never have to get close to a target again, and I never have to kiss anyone I don’t want to.
We’re in this together.
“Ready?” I ask him.
“Ready,” he says.
And for the first time since we met all those years ago, August smiles.
about the author
Autumn Clarke is a quiet writer by day and aspiring superheroine by night, dreaming of worlds that blend together adventure, romance, and science fiction in unforgettable stories. You can check out her website at www.autumnclarke.com, or join her mailing list for news about her upcoming books and more. If you enjoyed Code Name Echo, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or elsewhere—it’s very much appreciated!