As soon as Brent ushered the rest of the squad out of his office, despite some mumbled complaints by Quinn and Tristan, Vanessa reached out and closed the door. Then she looked back at Seth. “I know you were planning on coming and seeing me this weekend, but I finished early at headquarters, so I thought I would surprise you.”
“You finished at headquarters? Does that mean you already have your new assignment?”
Vanessa nodded, and for the first time since she walked into the room, a touch of insecurity crept into her eyes.
“You aren’t going back undercover as Lina Ramir, are you?” Seth demanded. He moved closer, grabbing both of her arms. “There’s no way to be sure Akil will believe whatever story the Agency makes up about why you left, and no way to know whether he’s still in contact with Morenta. If Morenta shows up, who knows which one of them will decide to kill you first.”
“Seth, calm down,” Vanessa interrupted. “I’m not going back undercover. For now, the Agency is leaking the information that Lina Ramir is back in prison so that Akil won’t keep looking for her.”
“You’re not going back undercover?” With his hands still gripping her arms, Seth leaned back and studied her face. “Then where are you going?”
“I wanted to talk to you about it, but it wasn’t exactly a conversation I could have with you over the phone.” Vanessa took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I asked to be assigned to the Farm.”
“As in the CIA’s training facility here in Virginia?”
“It’s actually a great opportunity.” She managed a smile. “I thought I was going to be stuck at headquarters for the next year or two, but instead I get to be an instructor.”
“You want to teach?”
“I do,” she said, and Seth recognized the sincerity in her voice. “I know that my work undercover was useful, but it isn’t the life I want. This new assignment will let me enjoy work again without all of the stress.” She gave a nervous shrug. “But I do have to tell them by Wednesday if I want housing on the compound or not.” She looked up at him sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure what to tell them.”
All Seth could do was stare. “Let me get this straight.” He took a little step back so he could see her face more clearly. “You weren’t sure what to tell them because you wanted to know what I think?”
“Well, yeah.” Vanessa took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “I know when you talked about marrying me you weren’t sure if I was going to live this long, but you haven’t said anything else about it . . .”
“And you’re wondering if I was serious,” Seth finished for her, fighting back a grin. He released her and crossed the room to where his overnight bag was sitting by his desk. He unzipped it, fished around inside for a minute, and then pulled out a little black box. Standing up, he stepped closer once more and flipped open the lid. “Does this answer your question?”
She looked down at the simple diamond ring, the same one he had offered her so many years ago. “You kept my ring.”
“Yeah, I kept it. I guess I couldn’t bring myself to return it.” Seth took the ring out of the box and held it up. “Please tell me you want it this time.”
Vanessa managed a watery smile. “I always wanted it.”
Seth took her hand and slid the ring into place. Then he pulled her hand up to his lips. “Perfect.”
“Yes, it is,” Vanessa said, her eyes meeting his.
He grinned now, and his eyes sparked with mischief. “So how much time do we have to give your parents to get plane tickets to come out here for the wedding?”
“I don’t know . . .”
Before she could answer, Seth said, “Six weeks.”
“What?”
“I think I’ve already waited for you long enough.”
She laughed, pure joy radiating from her face. “I guess you could say that.” She put her hands around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too, but there’s one more thing I have to ask.”
“What?”
Seth’s eyes lit with humor. “Does your cousin Leonard have to come to the wedding?”
About the Author
Originally from Arizona, Traci Hunter Abramson has spent the past two decades living in Virginia. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for six years before choosing to stay at home with her children and indulge in her love of writing.
Traci also coaches the North Stafford High School swim team. She currently resides in Stafford, Virginia, with her husband, Jonathan, and their four children.
Other books by Traci Hunter Abramson:
Undercurrents
Ripple Effect
The Deep End
Freefall
Lockdown
Royal Target
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
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About the Author
Other books by Traci Hunter Abramson:
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