BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

She didn’t believe it at first, she thought her mind was playing games with her, but she kept looking and there was no denying it. The man she was looking at was him. That was his face. There was no way this wasn’t real.

It was Lance Spector.

She dropped the gun, opened the door, and ran to him.

By the time she reached him, she was crying so hard she could barely see.

She’d thought she was going to embrace him but when she got to him, all she could do was pound her fists on his chest. She hit him over and over, so hard he had to put up his hands to block her from hitting his face.

“Easy,” he said. “It’s over now. It’s all over, Laurel.”

She let him hold her and then she screamed, long and hard, into the collar of his coat.

When she was finally done, she took a deep breath and let herself look at him. She still couldn’t believe it. She wondered if it was a trick, a trap, but when she touched his face she knew it was him.

“What the hell took you so long?” she cried. “Where were you? Where were you?”

“Laurel, we’ve got to get out of here.”

She wasn’t listening. She struggled to get free of his arms, pounding him with her fists as he kept hold of her. She struggled until her body gave up and went limp.

“You ready?” he said, loosening his grip.

She was out of breath, still crying. When he let her go, she slumped to the ground and he had to pick her up and carry her to the back seat of the car.

He drove out of the forest and only when they got back to the highway, headed toward the city, was she able to calm down enough to think.

“Laurel, I’m sorry,” he said.

“Where were you?”

“I didn’t get your location until a few hours ago. I came right here. I didn’t waste a second.”

“How did you find me?”

“Roth found you. I don’t know how. I was in Yekaterinburg and I came immediately. I swear to you.”

“You should have been in New York,” she said.

They were entering the city and Lance got off the highway and stopped at a shopping mall.

He turned to face her.

“I know,” he said. “I should have been there. I should have been with you. I should have listened when you came. I never should have sent you away.”

“If you’d been there…”.

“I know, Laurel. I’m sorry. I know I should have been there.”

She looked at him and was just so grateful he was there with her now that she started to cry again.

“Can you ever forgive me?” he said.

She nodded.

“Are you hurt?” he said.

“I’ll recover.”