t down at a table, her shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew he had to act quickly, before it w

elp but notice you at the gallery earlier. You seemed to know a lot about

suspicion. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

ame is Jason," he said, using the alias he had been assigned. "I'm with

Then, slowly, she reached out and took his hand in hers. "You mean

up inside him, making it difficult to maintain his composure. "I don't know how much you know about my real job, but I can t

f deception. But all she saw was honesty, and for the first time in hours, she felt a sense of

this right," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Together." And with those words, they sealed their fate, c

g as a curator at the museum for several years. She, in turn, discovered that he was not actually with the FBI, but rather a freelance operative working for a private security f

wasn't until the waiter came by to clear their empty plates that they were jolted back to reality. They both glanced at the

whispered. "But we'll need to hurry." He nodded, feeling a surge of adrenaline course through his veins. Together,

y walked briskly, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, until they were safely out of sight of the gallery

of her skin against his own. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that I want to spend the rest of my life findin

de away, replaced by the intoxicating rush of love and desire that flowed between them. They were no longer the people

find a way to make things right, to return the painting and clear their names. And perhaps, in the proces

ch other, and in doing so, they had found a love that was strong enough to survive anything the world might throw at them. And as they began to walk together, side

a modest but cozy space just a few blocks away. They arrived there late at night, their bodies pressed tightly together as they climbed the stairs, the sou

a tender, intimate moment that neither of them wanted to end, a fleeting respite from the chaos that surrounded them. But eventually, exhaustion o

for a moment, they didn't want to move, to break the spell that had been cast over them. But they knew that they had to face rea

As they ate, they discussed their options, weighing the pros and cons of turning themselves in versus trying to find the real th