“Why not? It’s true. Everything you said was true. They didn’t want to see me as a person.” Loup reached out to stroke her cheek. “You made them.”

Pilar drew a shuddering breath. “If I’d known there was that much riding on it, I would have been too nervous to get the words out.”

“But you weren’t and you did.” Her eyes widened. “Ohmigod! It was our fortune coming true. From that temple in Tokyo. Do you remember how it went?”

“Not exactly.”

Loup scrambled out of the chair and rummaged through the new suitcase Pilar had brought to find her billfold. Inside was the scroll of paper, neatly folded. “A million drops of water can wear down a mountain,” she read aloud. “A thousand tears can melt the hardest heart.” She looked up, eyes shining. “All the soldiers, all the affidavits… that was the million drops of water. And you! It was your tears that melted their hearts.”

“Wow.” Pilar looked a little stunned. “That’s pretty weird.”

“Yeah.” She folded the paper and put it back.

“Loup…” Pilar gave her hair a gentle tug. “You think maybe we can get by without any great and terrible destinies for a little while?”

She nodded. “Definitely.”

“Good.” Her tone changed. “Are you done eating?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you sure?” Pilar teased her. “There might be a shred of lobster still clinging there.”

Loup eyed her. “Oh, I’m sure! You’re starting to get your smolder on, which means I’m definitely done eating. Let me take a quick shower, okay? I want to wash the jail cell–ickiness off me.”

“Make it real quick.”

She did.

She emerged to find Pilar lounging on the hotel bed wearing nothing but an apricot-colored bra and panties, looking so impossibly sexy it almost made her heart skip a beat. She stood for a long moment just looking at her.

“You look amazing,” she said at last.

Pilar smiled and crooked her finger. “Drop that bathrobe and get over here.”

Loup obeyed.

And this was perfect, too; the most perfect part of all. The candles burned lower and the soft music played. Pilar kissed her tenderly for a long, long time, caressing Loup’s body with a delicate touch, assuring herself that she was really there and unharmed.

It felt like coming home.

“I’m really proud of you, baby,” she whispered. “Just so you know.”

“Yeah?” Loup traced the scalloped lace along the edge of Pilar’s bra, the palm of her hand brushing the fullness of her breast.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” She kissed her. “And I thought about you all the time while I was in there.”

“Did you think about this?” Pilar’s hand glided over her taut belly and lower.

Loup caught her breath. “Uh-huh.”

“And this?”

“Yep! That, too.”

“Mmm.” Pilar gave her a long smoldering look, then kissed her with rising passion, hard and fierce and deep. “I’m about to give you so many, many more things to think about.”

Loup shivered with pleasure. “Yeah, but—”

She nudged Loup’s thighs apart with one knee. “But what?”

“You’re not gonna be fair about this, are you?”

Pilar laughed softly. “Baby, you don’t get a turn tonight if that’s what you mean by fair.” She laid a flurry of kisses on her face. “It’s you. All you. Believe me, I’ve been thinking about this for a long, long time. I’ve missed you so fucking much. And by the time I’m done with you, you won’t complain. Okay?”

“Okay, okay!”

Hours later, Loup watched Pilar climb out of bed to blow out the guttering candles. She wriggled under the bedsheets and turned them down. Pilar slid in beside her, her body naked and warm and delightful.

“Good?” she whispered.

“So good,” Loup whispered in reply. “Perfect, even.”

Pilar sighed happily. “I’m glad.”

“Did you—”

“Yeah.” She settled her head on Loup’s shoulder, her voice dreamy. “I always get off making love to you. It’s kind of weird.”

“Bad weird?”

“No.” Pilar glanced up at her. “Are you kidding? Good weird. Like everything about you. Just hold me for a while, will you? It feels really nice.”

Loup tightened her arms around her. “Like, forever? Because I will.”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “Forever’s a good start.”

FIFTY

The next day, they managed to leave the hotel room in time to catch the tail end of the elaborate brunch buffet. Miguel was there, reading the newspaper.

“Well, well.” He folded the paper. “America’s sweethearts emerge.”

“Huh?”

He showed them the cover. The lead photo was a close-up shot of their reunion, Pilar’s hands cupping Loup’s face.

“Aww!” Pilar smiled. “That’s so cute!”

“Are you kidding?” Miguel snorted. “If it was any more sickeningly sweet, I’d be in a diabetic coma. Go get yourselves something to eat. We should talk.”

They returned from the buffet, Loup with two laden plates.

Miguel sipped his coffee. “Worked up quite an appetite, huh, kid?”

“Don’t be pervy, Mig.”

He laughed. “Since when do you care? So, hey, what did you think of the big news?”

Loup looked bewildered. “Which news?”

“You didn’t tell her?” He glanced at Pilar.

“Um, no,” she admitted. “I figured it would kind of overshadow everything else, and I just wanted us to have some quiet time alone first.”

“Quiet time?” Miguel snorted again. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

“Shut up, Mig,” Loup said absently. “Pilar, what news?”

She flushed. “Remember when Geordie said you were sitting on a gold mine? Well, there are a couple of studios in Hollywood that are interested in buying the rights to your life story. For a lot of money.”

“How much money?”

“A lot.” Pilar took a deep breath. “Geordie thinks as much as three million.”

Loup stared at her. “Dollars?”

“No, strings of wampum, you little idiot.” Miguel raised his brows at her blank look. “Beads? The Indians used to trade them? Never mind.”

“That’s a lot of scholarships,” Loup said softly. “Jane could go to medical school like she always wanted. And what was it Jaime wanted to study?”

“Biological engineering,” Pilar said. “He was interested in it because of you.”

“Right.”

“Fuckin’ do-gooder,” Miguel commented. “I’d take the money and run.”

Loup smiled at him. “No, you wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, I might. Don’t overestimate me, kid. That hero effect of yours only goes so far.” He pushed his chair back from the table. “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I’m gonna take off tomorrow.”

“For where?”

He shrugged. “Thought I might go back to Vegas for a week or two. Take in a fight, do some gambling. Meet a hot babe who isn’t some jerk’s wife. After that, I don’t know. California, maybe. I just want a chance to see the world and do all the shit I left Outpost to do in the first place.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I gotta find a way to score a driver’s license.”

“Vegas?” Her voice rose. “And you call me an idiot?”

“What, because of Mr. Big at the Hellfire Club?” Miguel waved a dismissive hand. “He’s not gonna bother with me. I’m a citizen now. I could file charges against him. Anyway, I’m not going anywhere near that place.”

Loup sighed. “If you’re wrong, we’re so not coming to rescue you this time.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Look…” He paused. “I’m not cut out to be a hero, Loup. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe. And it’s good to know that the two of you can take care of yourselves. But you’ve got all kinds of big plans and dreams that don’t fit me. I’m not ready to go back to Outpost. I’m not the guy I was when I was there. I’m not sure exactly who I am these days. I need some time to figure it out, okay?”

“Okay. You’ll stay in touch?”

“Yes, you little freak!” Miguel tousled her hair. “Always.”

“Another touching moment,” Pilar observed.

“Oh, you hush.” He pointed a finger at her. “I just babysat your miserable, languishing ass for the past few months. And believe me, it was no picnic. Do you realize it’s impossible to get any action when you’re stuck with a teenage sexpot threatening to burst into tears at a moment’s notice?”

She smiled at him. “You were great. I’ll miss you.”

Miguel eyed her cleavage. “Yeah, me too.”

They agreed to meet for breakfast the following day to say their final goodbyes. Afterward in the hotel room, Pilar told Loup more about the possibility of a movie deal.

“Geordie says we’ll want to meet with the studio executives in person,” she explained. “That it’s not always about money. There’s the vision thing. Like, you want to go with someone who sees things the way you do and wants to tell the same story you do. After all, it’s your life.”

“Do we have to do it right away?”

She shook her head. “No. We can do whatever we want. You want to go home first?”

Loup wrapped her arms around her knees. “Yeah.”

“I could maybe arrange for media coverage,” Pilar speculated. “It’s a pretty good angle, the hometown hero returning. While you were in jail, there was a film crew that got permission to cover—”