“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “They know you’re innocent. Just a…formality.”
A sob escaped her at the realization that the nightmare was finally over. That she had her life back. That she was free to love this man. And suddenly she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
Blinking back tears, she placed her hand against his face. “Thank you.”
“Don’t leave me again without saying goodbye.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Leaning close, she brushed a kiss against his forehead.
“Your kiss…better…than…antidote,” he whispered.
“That’s just the beginning,” she whispered, and put her arms around him.
Chapter Nineteen
The room was so quiet Cutter could hear the heated air rushing through the vents. Martin Wolfe sat at the head of the table, looking down at the open manila folder in front of him. To his right, Mike Madrid leaned back in his chair, staring into the cup of coffee in his hands. Jake Vanderpol sat across from him, looking bored. Halfway down the table, a representative from the Department of Corrections and an assistant federal prosecutor huddled over paperwork.
Where was Mattie?
His mind had no more than formed the question when the door swung open. His heart stopped in his chest at the sight of her. She wore a fitted blue suit jacket and a skirt that fell conservatively to her knee. Her calves were slender and beautiful, and the sight of them reminded him of things he was definitely better off not remembering at a time like this. Her blond hair was swept into a roll at her nape. Her lipstick was the color of a cherry Popsicle. She wore tiny spectacles, but not even glasses could hide the magnificence of her eyes.
She looked nervous and so lovely it took a good bit of discipline not to go to her and throw his arms around her.
Martin Wolfe rose and extended his hand. “Mattie Logan, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. I’m Martin Wolfe.”
Her smile lit up the room as she accepted his hand. “Thank you for trusting me and letting me follow through with my plan.”
“The MIDNIGHT Agency appreciates your courage and the sacrifice you made to help us apprehend The Jaguar.”
“I had a vested interest.”
“A grand jury will convene in your absence next week. At that point all charges will be officially expunged from your record. You will be compensated for any lost wages.” Wolfe paused. “Today you will receive an official apology from the federal prosecutor’s office and the Department of Corrections.”
But her eyes were no longer on the agency head. Cutter felt it like a physical touch when her gaze landed on him. For a moment it was as if they were the only two people in the room. Memories swept through him. Their life-and-death struggle through the mountains. The first time he’d touched her. The first time he’d kissed her. The first time they’d made love.
“Cutter?”
He jolted at the sound of his name. He looked around, realized with some embarrassment that all eyes in the room were on him. He’d been staring at Mattie and didn’t have a clue what had been said.
Four days had passed since their terrible ordeal at The Jaguar’s compound in Alberta. Both Mattie and Cutter had been flown back to Chicago where they’d been thoroughly examined by the agency physicians and debriefed. It had killed Cutter to see Mattie transported to a holding cell. Though all involved knew Daniel Savage had framed her and she was innocent, no one had had the authority to release her that first night.
Cutter hadn’t slept for worrying about her.
“Your report?” Wolfe said.
Clearing his throat, Cutter rose. He hadn’t prepared anything in writing. Most of his work was fieldwork; he wasn’t very good at this sort of thing. But Mattie Logan wasn’t the only one with a vested interest in this case. He had one, too. A big one.
“I just want to say that Mattie Logan was instrumental in the apprehension and arrest of the terrorist kingpin known only as The Jaguar.” Cutter’s gaze swept to the federal prosecutor. “This government at the very least owes her an apology.”
His gaze locked with hers. “She put her life on the line multiple times. When I sustained a bullet wound, she administered first aid. She had many opportunities to escape. Instead she chose to risk her life to do the right thing. That included hatching a plan that ultimately led to the capture of a vicious terrorist. Without Mattie Logan’s heroics I believe The Jaguar would still be a free man.”
He stared at her, unable to look away. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. Even from fifteen feet away he could see that she was trembling. “I owe my life to her,” he said. But his voice was little more than a whisper.