“Alex, pizza will be here in ten minutes. I want your room picked up before it arrives,” Mary called to her daughter.

She pulled a pan of cookies from the oven—cookies her daughter was supposed to be helping with—when the doorbell rang. “Well, that was fast,” she said to absolutely no one.” She wiped her hands on a towel and walked toward the door, passing by the living room window on the way.

There was a car in the driveway that was not a pizza delivery car. She reached under the hall tree in the foyer and grabbed her new Glock. And keeping it hidden, she opened the door.

Surprise knocked the breath from her body when she came face to face with Colt. He had a hopeful smile on his face and held two pizza boxes. On top of the boxes was a bouquet of peonies. He looked down at the cardboard boxes and said, “I have a delivery here for a Mary Teck.” He looked up and met Mary’s gaze. His face was a mixture of hope, fear, and concern.

Mary just stared at him. Her mouth hung open. “I have no idea what to say.” He had remembered her favorite flowers.

“It would make my night if you would start with, ‘Please, come in.’”

“Please, come in,” she quickly said. She stepped back, giving him room to enter.

“I’d also be mighty pleased if you would put that firearm away.”

“Oh.” She looked at the Glock. “Yes. Of course.” She slid the gun into the holster under the hall tree. “What are you doing here? How did you…”

“I’m just going to set these boxes and these flowers in the kitchen.” Colt looked around, then just started walking. “I’m assuming it’s this way.”

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I just…”

Colt set the pizza and the beautiful pink and white bouquet on the counter, then turned, started to speak, but nodded to something behind Mary.

Alex was standing just inside the doorway with a concerned look on her face. “Have the bad guys found us?” she asked.

Mary looked from her daughter to Colt, then back to Alex. She knelt in front of her. “No, sweetie. I think you met Colt when we were in Virginia.”

“Yes, when that bad man tried to hurt you.”

“Yes, but Colt saved me. He’s one of the good guys. He’s also the reason we got to pick our own names and pick where we wanted to live next.”

Alex looked around her mother at Colt. “Okay,” she said simply.

“I am curious about the names, by the way,” Colt said. “Mary Teck?”

“Mary of Teck,” Alex corrected him. “She was Queen consort of the United Kingdom.”

“And Alex? Was she a queen, too?”

“No, silly,” Alex laughed. “Alexandra is a princess. She’s Mary of Teck’s granddaughter.”

“Alex is studying princesses and queens in her history lessons,” Mary added.

“Oh,” Colt said, then lifted a brow. “History? At age four?”

Mary shrugged, smiling.

Colt turned back to Alex. “Well, Princess Alexandra, would you mind if I ate pizza with you and your mom? I brought extra.”

“Did you bring cheese?”

“Of course. I brought an entire cheese pizza.”

Alex smiled. “Then I think that would be okay, as long as it’s okay with my mom.”

Mary kissed Alex’s forehead. “Go wash your hands.”

Alex turned and ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Mary stood and faced Colt.

“You changed your hair,” he said. “And it has grown.”

Mary ran her fingers down her newly styled brunette hair with caramel highlights. “New name, new house, new hair.” She shrugged.

“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” He took in a breath, then let it out slowly. He stuffed his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and rocked. “I’m totally fu—freaking nervous. I was so relieved when Tex got word to me that everything had gone according to plan, but then I thought I would never see you again.”

Mary titled her head side to side. “You probably shouldn’t be seeing me. I know you told Tex it was my choice. That if I thought I would be safer, that you agreed to never ask for my end address.”

“But you gave Tex the okay to give me your address.”

“I’m taking a risk. I tried witness protection by following the Marshals Service’s rules, and the people I was hiding from found me. And I was miserable. Now I’m living by my own rules. With your and Tex’s help, I hope.”

“Of course. Tex already showed me how to securely monitor the movements of every person that you helped put away—inside the prison system. We’ve got alerts set up for all names and aliases ever associated with Samael’s Army. When I have to go out of town, Tex will take over.”

“And I know how to monitor it for myself. You and Tex shouldn’t have to do that for me.”

He angled his head with a confused look, but seemed to let the confusion go. “I haven’t told a single team member that you’re anywhere close to us. It’s up to you whether we ever tell them.”

“But that’s your unit.”

“Yes, it is. And they’ll be pissed if they ever find out I kept something this big from them.”

“I don’t think it has to come to that.”

Colt took a step forward, but still hesitated to get too close to her. She wasn’t even sure he wanted her in California or a relationship with her. She never got a chance to ask him before she accepted help from him and Tex. And he was out of town on a mission while Tex got her the documents she needed and guided her to a small town near Colt’s base in San Diego.

“Have you had any trouble since you moved into the house?” Colt looked around as if looking at the house for the first time since he’d entered.

“No. No trouble. I’ve seen no sign of anyone watching the house or following me. I’ve been keeping Alex busy with homeschooling projects, which I’ll do for the rest of the school year.”

“And the plan at the airport? Everything went smoothly?”

“It was perfect.” Mary twisted her hands in front of her. “Tex planted everything I needed on the plane from Dulles to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and I already had disguises packed in our go bags.” Mary looked down at her hands. Her pulse was racing with the need to wrap her arms around Colt, but it had been a while, and she didn’t know if he was here just to check on them or if…

“If I don’t touch you soon, I’m going to go crazy,” Colt said in a harsh whisper.

Mary lifted her head. She couldn’t hide the surprise.

“What?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything happened so fast. And when Tex sent me an address for a house and asked me if it was okay, I didn’t even get to ask how you felt about us living close to you. Or if you even wanted to be a part of Alex’s and my life. You didn’t sign up for a woman with a four-year-old, hiding from her past.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been going out of my mind worrying about you and Sarah… I mean Alex.”

Mary smiled. She and Alex have spent two weeks memorizing their new identities and practicing.

“I want nothing more than for the two of you to be safe,” Colt continued. “And just the thought that you might let us help you relocate near me kept me going while I was away. I wanted you here with me, but I was willing to be patient while you made sure it was the right decision for you and Alex.”

Mary stared into his eyes. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I promise to make sure you’re both safe. Always.” He paused a couple of beats. “Now, if you don’t let me touch you—”

Mary ran and leapt into Colt’s arms.

He buried his face into her neck. “I’ve missed you so much. I was so worried.”

“I know. Me too. It was crazy. Besides the one tail, we pulled it off.”

He pushed her back a little. “One tail?”

“Yeah. I managed to lose him on the tram in Minneapolis.”

He pressed his lips to hers, holding her tightly to him. She slid her fingers through his hair, and she was certain it would have gone further if she hadn’t heard a giggle behind her. Colt lowered her feet to the floor and she backed away from him.

“Mommy, you were kissing Colt.”

“Yes, I was.” She rubbed her fingers across her tingling lips. “How about we eat?” Before she died of embarrassment.

“I know I’m starving,” Colt said.

“Me too,” Alex said. “I’ll get the plates.”

Alex ran into the kitchen and began gathering supplies. Mary started to follow, but Colt grabbed her and pulled her to him again. “I did not come here with any sort of expectation of anything,” he said in a low voice. “I know that you have a daughter to consider. And that you’re trying to find your footing.”

Mary glanced toward her daughter then back at Colt. “Really? I think my daughter and I have our feet firmly planted now.”

“What are you saying?” he looked at her, that hopeful smile of his was back.

“I’m saying…” She slid a hand to the back of his neck and intertwined her fingers in his hair. “…That you need to set your expectations higher. I know I have.”

He smiled, kissed her, then whispered softly against her lips. “I love the way you’re thinking these days.”

* * *

* * *

You’re reached the end of this special novella. I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it. Keep flipping the page to see how you can experience more of Kate Ward’s (Charley Packstone’s) story and fall in love with more of Heather’s characters inside the In Darkness series.