Sweetest Taboo (SIN 3)

"I know you, remember? Your idea of a surprise is to rent a romantic comedy instead of an action flick."

He barks out a laugh. "I don't think I'm that uninventive, but I take your point. And yes, everything's fine. Great, in fact. Next Wednesday is her one-year anniversary of being cancer free. I just want to celebrate being together. Because, well hell, because I just cherish every moment we have, you know?"

I did know, and I told him so. "I can't offer you the jet anymore, but why don't you see what kind of flights you can get, and we can arrange for the island helicopter to ferry you over."

We work out the details, and I promise that if Dallas and I are still in LA we'll even hop to the island and visit. Then I hang up the phone, look at Dallas, and sigh.

"Hey," he says, taking my hands. "What is it?"

"I'm just so proud of both of them. The way they fought her cancer. The way they stood together. I don't know." I lift a shoulder. "We're fighting to survive, too, and I just hope we have the same strength together that Brody and Stacey do."

He pulls me into the circle of his arms and holds me tight. "Oh, baby, how can you doubt it? Think of everything we've been through. We've been forged in the fire, and we've come out stronger."

"Maybe," I say, as I press my cheek against his chest. "Maybe it doesn't matter?"

I feel him tense. "What do you mean?"

For just a moment, I lean back so that I can see his face. "Because sometimes the strong don't win, Dallas. We both know that. And I'm scared."

His brow furrows as concern flashes in his eyes. "Of what?"

"That no matter how hard we fight, it won't matter, and that somehow, someday, the world is going to rip us apart."

She hoped he understood now.

Why she couldn't let anything or anyone get in their way.

Why she had to clear a path for them to be together.

Why she had to make him understand that everything would be okay once he left that little bitch. Once he was hers again.

She hadn't wanted to hurt the dog, but she'd looked in his eyes and known that he understood. Animals often had that connection with humans, dogs especially. They sacrificed fully. Willingly. All in the effort to please.

Why couldn't humans do the same? Why couldn't they see?

Hell, why couldn't he see?

Over and over she'd tried to get his attention. To change his course. And yet still he was unswayed.

But she wasn't beaten, not yet.

If he wasn't seeing her, she'd just have to up her game.

She knew how to do that. All she had to do was wait for just the right moment...

"The whole situation is just horrible," Nikki says as she digs into one of Flamingo Grille's famous gingerbread pancakes. It's one of my favorite West Hollywood restaurants, and when Nikki called this morning after she heard the news about that poor dog, Dallas suggested they join us for breakfast since Dallas and I are catching an afternoon flight back to New York. I'd been a little hesitant at first, as my melancholy from last night still lingered, but I can't deny that it's nice to see them and talk about what happened.

"And you said you're pretty sure the dog's owner isn't the one who did it?" she continues. "Even though she posted all those nasty tweets about Dallas?"

"She's been out of the country for weeks," Dallas said. "I just got confirmation this morning."

Under the table, Dallas takes my hand. Quince had used his MI6 connections to track down Carol Lucas's various comings and goings through her passport number, and had learned she'd been traveling through Europe for the past fourteen days, with her dog tucked away in one of Los Angeles's many doggy spas.

Of course, the call from Quince hadn't really changed anything as far as I was concerned. Both Dallas and I were already convinced that the Woman is my stalker. But, Nikki and Damien know none of that.

"I'm sorry you're leaving town so soon," she continues. "I was hoping we could spend some time. But I'd do the same thing in your shoes, and I imagine you'll feel a lot safer in an apartment with a doorman than in a rather secluded house."

"Very true," I admit. "Plus, I really just want to be close to my mom." Another truth, because even if Dallas and I didn't need to bring both our parents up to speed, I'd still want to be near my mother.