Free Now or Forever by Jackie Ivie

falling. He was definitely already over the edge on this.
    That meant he loved her. And that changed the rules of the game. It wasn’t just insane anymore. It was dangerous.
    It was time to quit playing. And way past time to get his ass back in gear.
    “Tassanee?”
    He whispered it the same time he jiggled his arm, moving her head slightly. Her eyes opened. Caught his. And then she smiled. And his heart gave another powerful thump.
    “Oh...Leonard.”
    “Later, babe. We got issues.”
    She frowned. And he really loved that confused look of hers. And that meant he really had to look at something else. Like that ax handle. There wasn’t a pilot in VAL that would stay in there like that. Not without one word of complaint, anyway.
    “Something’s not right, babe. I have to check in.”
    “Check in?”
    “Yeah. Cell phone. Um...jacket pocket. And that means...I have to...move you.”
    Wow. He could really get used to these new powers. Placing her into the adjoining seat and moving back at a crouch to his jacket didn’t take any energy or make much sound. She was practically weightless. But since she followed him, he probably should have just taken her along in the first place.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    Oh. Hey. Look at that. He hadn’t been a complete hormone-crazed lunatic when they’d boarded. Despite the fact his dick had been in charge and it had all been hazy. He’d brought the backpack with him. And dumped it at the back of the cabin. His jacket was resting atop it.
    “We got problems, babe. I just need to find out how big and how many.”
    “How do you know?”
    “A decade of training and a lifetime of saving my own ass. Trust me.”
    She scrunched her forehead again. He couldn’t help smiling as he rummaged through his pockets. Damn! He really loved that look of hers. His fingers locked on the cell, sliding it open before he even had it out of the fabric. And...
    Oh hell.
    The screen had three numbers and a dash displayed. Sixteen. A dash. And then an eight. It also showed that he was off on time somewhat. It was 0300. A.M. EEST. Eastern European Summer Time. They’d been flying west. Not east. No wonder it wasn’t dawn. They were flying away from it. That put them somewhere in Stan’s alma mater. The old USSR eastern bloc. Ukraine? Lithuania? He’d worry about that part when they landed. Len slid the cover closed.
    “What is it?”
    He needed to work on his poker face if she read his expression that easily. “Oh. It’s a code.”
    “What did it say?”
    “It said we got problems.”
    “Like what?”
    “Nothing much.”
    “Len. I’m your mate. I’m not stupid.”
    “Oh hell, babe. You’re so far off that, I might need help keeping up.”
    “Then tell me what it said.”
    He handed her the phone. “Don’t touch anything. Even if it won’t connect, it’ll probably send a signal. And I don’t want any more signals sent. Oh. Fuck!”
    She jerked a bit at his expletive.
    “Oh, hon. Sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at me. I had the clue the entire time! But I let my judgment get clouded. And then some. Training and resourcefulness went right out the window the moment I met you, I think. I have really messed this one up, love. Big time.”
    “How?”
    “Your laptop. You know. The one from the German archeology team?”
    “Yes.”
    “You’ve used it for what? Two months? Maybe more? And not one person stopped you, did they?”
    She shook her head.
    “Well. When I told Stan to call for help, I assumed he’d use his cell. He didn’t. He’s new. Damn everything and everyone! Mostly me. I wasn’t paying attention. He used your laptop.”
    “So?”
    “When he brought it to you to destroy, that was a huge clue. He said it was hacked. I should have been on top of things and already moving. Damn me.”
    “Why?”
    “That unit was zeroed in and monitored... and tracked. That’s why nobody ever stopped you from watching movies. Son-of-a-bitch. Leonard. You asshole! They were