And So I Ran - Complete

Chapter 12

"Miss Steele has landed," Taylor informed me once he was off his phone. "The New York operatives have sighted her, and are following her and Hyde to the hotel. Sawyer and Prescott are due to land in twenty minutes. The next flight to New York was to JFK, so they should be at the Sheraton within the hour."

It was just past 6:00 pm New York time. I'd been like a cat on a hot tin roof most of the flight, imagining my reunion with Ana. I hoped she'd be happy to see me. She hadn't been too angry when I'd turned up in Savannah – although admittedly things had been different then. I knew I couldn't expect the same sort of greeting as that visit, although I still hoped against hope that in a few hours time I'd be buried deep in the beautiful and beguiling Miss Steele.

I'd have to tell her that her trip was not SIP sanctioned, I realized. But how to do it? Would she be upset if I divulged the level of scrutiny she'd been under? But how could I explain it in any other way? Maybe I could claim her message had caused me to investigate – but there was no way she'd believe it. Miss Steele was as bright as she was beautiful; she'd know I wasn't giving her the truth.

With a sigh, I decided I'd have to tell Ana what I'd done. All of it.

But would that include the revelation I was falling in love with her? Since I'd unintentionally voiced it to Taylor, I'd been questioning myself more and more. Did I love Ana? Looking at it as rationally and dispassionately as I could, all the signs were there, the most compelling being my need to keep Ana safe. Had a sub been in danger like this, I would have arranged security to pick them up and brief them, but it's highly unlikely I'd have intervened myself. Yet here I was, for the second time, flying to unexpectedly meet up with Miss Steele in a hotel bar – both times hoping to convince her to stay with me. This time hoping she still loved me.

Taylor was going over the last of the security plans, including what would happen if I spent the night with Ana at The Sheraton. Unbelievably, the hotel was booked out, so in the event Ana asked me to stay, Taylor would return to the New York apartment with Sawyer and Prescott and meet up with me in the morning.

I was settling back into my seat when my phone pinged with an incoming message. It was from Ana!

Landed safely and am at the hotel in New York. Hope to hear from you soon. I miss you so much, Ana

Attached were two photos of a fairly generic mid-range New York hotel room, with a city skyline view from the window. I growled softly. My girl shouldn't be subjected to miniature toiletries and hotel sheets. She deserved to sleep in a room where the sheets cost more than most people earned in a week. I wanted my girl to fall asleep surrounded by my arms, and the hundreds of roses I'd ordered the master bedroom, and the premier guest room at my New York apartment to be stocked with.

I re-read Ana's message, realizing with a start that with all the confusion of our expeditious exit from Taipei and security plans, I'd never responded to Ana's text telling me she was bound for New York. I was now only a couple of hours from being by her side, but I didn't want her to wait any longer, so I took fifteen minutes to devise a suitably vague message. It was hard because I wanted to let her know I knew where she was, reassure her I wasn't angry, and to remind her I cared – but at the same time I didn't want to tip her off I was on my way.

New York sounds like a great opportunity. I am missing you more than I ever knew was possible. I can't wait until we see each other. Your Christian.

Would she understand the subtext of me signing off 'your'? Would she know how much it scared me to type those four letters? But I sent them off regardless, and almost at the same time as I pressed send, Taylor's phone pinged. He inspected it immediately.