Holly lowered her eyes.

'But not the way you matter,' Buchanan said.

Holly looked up.

'She's a friend who needed help, and for too long in my life, I wasn't able to help friends I'd known under other identities. I need to find out that she's safe. My guess is, once she learns that Drummond and Delgado are dead, she'll gradually come into the open. I look forward to seeing her again.' Buchanan touched her arm. 'But I swear to you. She's not your rival.'

Holly felt overwhelmed by emotion. 'What happens to us now?'

'One thing's certain. The colonel will never find us here.'

'True. That's certainly looking on the bright side.'

'Is it so bad here?'

'With you. No,' Holly said. 'Strange. As beat up as you look, there's something about. Your eyes. Even though you're angry about the colonel, you seem at peace.'

'I'm myself.'

Holly frowned in confusion.

'Something's missing from me,' Buchanan said. 'Maybe it's because of everything we've been through. Or maybe it's because of you. Or. When the medicine man drilled into my skull, I think he took out more than blood. I think he took out whatever was in my head that tortured me for so long. I've come to terms with the past. I want to move on. With you. What matters now isn't the past but the present.' Buchanan squeezed Holly's hand. 'And the future. No more trying to run from myself. No more assumed identities.'

'It'll be a pleasure getting to know you,' Holly said.

'I'm kind of curious about it myself.'

'Yes.' Holly kissed him. 'It's what I've been waiting for.'

The End