“I’m listening.”
“We are, as I told you before, a haven. We’ve got rock solid wards and glamour on the compound itself, and we have strict rules about who we bring in and how. We’re growing. But most of the people here are civilians who want or need to live a life away from Council rule. In order to continue to do that, we need to remain hidden. As various sects of the Underground become more active, the threat to us will rise, even if we aren’t the ones directly causing problems.”
“What are you saying, Harm?”
“I’m saying we have need of someone who knows intelligence, how to gather it, how to interpret it. You have that skill set, and others to boot. I want you to head up the initiative. To start, it would be you and only a handful of others. Your choice to see who fits the bill. I know it’s not the kind of active missions you’re used to, but it’s a valuable job, one that will ensure our continued survival. I don’t need an answer right now. Feel free to wait until you both get back.”
A mission. A purpose. Exactly what he needed, what he wanted. “I don’t need to wait. My answer is yes.”
“Good. We’ll discuss the details on your return. Take care of my baby.”
Ian stared at the now silent phone.
“Is he already gone?” asked Marley, coming back with her mai tai.
“Yeah.” Ian tossed the phone into a lounge chair.
“What did he want to talk to you about?”
He snagged her around the waist, plucked the glass from her hand, and pulled her in until her body fit flush with his. “A job.”
“Doing what?”
“He wants me to be the cell’s intelligence division.” Ian waited to see her reaction.
A sunburst of pleasure streaked off her. “That’s wonderful!”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“Well yeah, but I thought you might not want me involved in anything dangerous.”
“You had over three centuries of taking care of yourself before I came along. I don’t expect that to change now. This is the perfect job for you. And it proves Dad is willing to trust you. That you have a place in Clementine. I know that’s been worrying you.”
Ian opened his mouth. Closed it again. Of course she knew. She understood him. He’d been foolish to think she wouldn’t.
He tucked a strand of her breeze ruffled hair behind one ear. “How did I get so lucky to find you?”
“Actually, if you’ll remember, I was the lucky one that night.”
He thought of D.C., of his first glimpse of the fireworks of her emotions that changed everything. “I followed stars and found you.” He heard the dreamy quality of his voice and was em
barrassed.
Marley grinned, the apricot shades of her delight defusing the air around her. “Oh that’s good. That’s very good.” She rose to her toes, gave him a smacking kiss. “You should keep that up, because it’s in your best interest to maintain my ‘positive regard.’”
“Oh I am all about maintaining your positive regard. I thought I convinced you of that last night.”
“Turns out, I’m high maintenance. Who knew? Come on, I’ve got a whole laundry list of wishes I’m just dying for you to grant.”
As he followed her inside the cabana, Ian thought he’d happily spend the rest of his long life doing exactly that.
Finis.
A Note From The Author:
I hope you enjoyed Ian and Marley and this introduction to the people of Clementine as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can never promise whose story will be told next, but I can promise we’ll be seeing this crew again.