“I appreciate that, but Logan made it clear he wants me on the site.”
Jason didn’t press it. They said they’d see each other at breakfast and he left for his own cot.
Creed turned back around to find that Bolo had his head in Maggie’s lap and Grace was up on Maggie’s cot, her head already on the pillow.
“Grace—”
“I invited her up.” She hugged Bolo around the neck, then pointed him to his dog bed at the foot of the cots and he obeyed.
Maggie already had her boots off. She threw her windbreaker across the blanket, then peeled off her sweatshirt, leaving a T-shirt and her jeans. She snuggled back behind Grace.
Creed pulled off boots and shirt, leaving on his T-shirt. He was about to lie back when Maggie sat up, staring at him with concern.
“Are you still bleeding?” She pointed at the stain over his chest.
“I might have leaked a little.” After his shower he had wrapped a fresh ACE bandage around his ribs. In the process he’d opened a few cuts. He lifted up his T-shirt to check.
“You shouldn’t have it wrapped that tightly.”
“The medic had it even tighter.”
“Must be old-school. It actually keeps you from breathing deeply. You could get pneumonia. Do you have more ACE bandages?”
He reached to the foot of his cot and pulled another roll out from the side pocket of his duffel. He wasn’t looking forward to doing this again. It had been a challenge the first time.
Maggie held out her hand and he surrendered the roll.
“Take off your shirt,” she said. When he hesitated she added, “We’ll do it without too much pressure.”
He smiled at her and waited for her to realize what she had said. When she did, she rolled her eyes at him, but he noticed the slight blush.
He pulled off his shirt and started unwrapping the old bandage, but Maggie stopped him.
“Here, let me.”
For the next several minutes Creed didn’t need to worry about his breathing because he was practically holding his breath. Every revolution to unwrap the old bandage and then wrap the new one required her hands to touch him, and she had to lean into him so close her hair brushed against his skin. She was avoiding his eyes but he couldn’t take his off of her. By the time she was finished he was exhausted from trying so hard not to feel so much.
Her eyes were still examining her handiwork even as she lay back down. They were face-to-face except for about eighteen inches between their cots. That and a Jack Russell terrier who was already breathing heavy and fast asleep. Creed was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he were in Grace’s place, but he liked trying to imagine what it felt like to have Maggie’s body against him.
“Thanks,” he told her.
“Thanks for saving me a cot.”
“You don’t suppose Ben will be upset?”
She opened one eye and raised her eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
“That we’re sleeping together.”
She didn’t answer. Closed both eyes again, but even in the dim light Creed could see her smile.
46.
Washington, D.C.
Ellie had sneaked down the back steps and waited until she saw Carter leave the building. Then with the help of another staff member she had loaded the boxes into the trunk of her car. Now the contents of several of those boxes carpeted her living room floor.
“Mom, George is eating pizza in the game room.”
Ellie glanced up. Her daughter stood at the edge of the mess but didn’t seem fazed by it, as if her mother always brought home copies of forty-year-old classified documents and scattered them around the house.
“I told him he could.”
Ellie dug out another set of file folders and started sifting through them.
Her daughter didn’t budge. Ellie looked up at her again and waited.
“Are you okay?” she asked, scrunching up her nose at the mess as if seeing it for the first time.
“I’m fine, sweetie.” But still she waited.
She knew her kids missed their father. George Ramos was a liar and soon would be a convicted criminal, but the man had always been good to his children. The last year had been difficult for them. Sometimes Ellie wondered if the kids were waiting for signs that she might fall apart or leave them, too.
“Can I have pizza in my room?”
“Sure.”
“Really?” She stared at Ellie like it was a trick or a test.
“Would you bring me a piece before you go upstairs?”
The girl nodded, still eyeing her suspiciously as she left the room.