Chapter 19: After the Storm

The safe house felt different when Grace walked in two hours later. What had once been a temporary haven now appeared like holy ground……..a location where she and Max could begin to rebuild their lives after surviving Derek's psychological assault.

Max was waiting in the little kitchen, brewing coffee with the same focused care he typically devoted for elaborate meal preparations. His hands were solid, but she could feel the stiffness in his shoulders, as he grasped the counter like an anchor.

"Coffee at 10 p.m.?" she questioned quietly.

“I had trouble sleeping.” He turned to face her, and she saw all of her feelings reflecting in his eyes……... .relief, fatigue, affection, and what may have been awe. "Are you really fine?"

"Define okay."

"Alive. Not hurt. Instead, come here with me. He was unable to complete the phrase.

"Then yes, I'm okay."

As though neither knew how to close the gap between life and death, they stood three feet apart in the tiny kitchen. Their shared silence was accompanied by the sound of the coffee maker

gurgling in the background.

Max said, "I keep thinking about what you said," at last. "About Vincent Carrera."

"Improvisation was used there. mental combat to purchase time.

But since it was credible, it succeeded. because I haven't told you everything about my past."

Grace felt a knot in her stomach. "What kind of things?"

Max carefully and methodically poured two cups of coffee. "There is nothing illegal.

I hope it's nothing that would alter your opinion of me. Derek wasn't wholly incorrect, though, about my contribution to his conviction.

"Max…….."

"I must share this with you. Everything. Because I can't keep any secrets from you after tonight."

They took seats on opposite sides of the worn couch in the tiny living room. Max gazed into the dark liquid as though it held the words he needed, holding his coffee like a shield.

"When I testified against Derek, it wasn't because the prosecutors pressured me," he said. "It was because I'd been feeding information to the FBI for six months before Derek's arrest."

Grace was taken aback by the realization. "You were an informant."

"I was twenty-three, stupid, and afraid. I got engaged with Derek's enterprise because I needed money for culinary school, but I soon realized I was in over my head. "When an FBI agent approached me and offered me a way out in exchange for cooperation, I accepted."

"So Derek's been planning revenge against someone who was actually working with law enforcement to bring him down."

"Which makes his threats much more lethal. In his eyes, I am more than just someone who testified under duress; I am someone who willfully betrayed him."

Grace placed down her coffee to assimilate the new information. "Is this why you've been so afraid? Not just because Derek is dangerous, but also because you feel bad about how he ended

up in prison.

"Partly." Max looked up from his cup and met her gaze for the first time since she came. "But mostly I've been afraid because loving you has given Derek the perfect weapon to use against me."

"What do you mean?"

"For eight years, he had nothing to threaten. There is no family, no committed connections, and no attachments to wield as leverage. I was cautious about it, sometimes too cautious."

"And then I moved in."

"And then you moved in, and suddenly I had everything to lose." Max's voice sounded sweet and vulnerable. "Grace, you must understand……..the way I feel about you is not anything I planned or expected. It's not something I know how to safeguard.

Her chest tightened as he said honestly. "You don't need to defend it, Max. You simply have to trust it."

"Even after everything we've gone through?" Even knowing that my past will always cast a

shadow over our future?"

"Especially after everything we've been through."

Grace walked closer to him on the couch, close enough to see the tiredness on his face and the worry he was attempting to conceal. "Max, a week ago, Derek Voss was only a name in your history. He's in federal detention tonight, facing charges that will very likely keep him in prison for the rest of his life. "That's not a shadow; it's closure."

What if there are others? What if Derek told his associates about you and us?

"We'll deal with them too. Together."

Max chuckled, but it wasn't really humorous. "Listen to yourself. You were concerned a week ago about whether I had properly loaded the dishwasher. Now you're talking about taking on criminal groups."

"A week ago I thought the worst thing that could happen was falling for the wrong person." Grace stretched for his hand and laced their fingers together. "Now I know the worst thing that could happen is not fighting for the right person."

"And you think I'm the right person?"

"Max, I went down an elevator shaft tonight instead of giving Derek what he wanted. I believe that rather plainly answers your question."

Max smiled genuinely for the first time since she came. "That was incredibly stupid, by the way."

"That was incredibly effective."

"Santos stated that Derek's cords had been cut. "You could have fallen four stories onto the concrete."

"But I didn’t. And now Derek is in arrest, his associates are dispersed, and we're stuck here drinking bad coffee in a safe house instead of arranging our funerals."

Max squeezed her hand. "The coffee isn't that bad."

"The coffee tastes horrible. But the corporation compensates for it."

They sat in peaceful silence, hands interlocked, digesting everything that had transpired and what was ahead. Outside, the city's typical rhythms continued: traffic, sirens, and the distant sound of people going about their daily lives without the weight of criminal threats hanging over them.

"What happens now?" Grace asked finally.

"Legally? Derek faces trial and will most likely accept a plea agreement to avoid federal racketeering charges. His associates are either cooperating with prosecutors or facing their own prosecutions. We testify, deal with lawyers and paperwork, and will most likely spend a lot of time in courtrooms in the coming year."

"I meant with us."

Max remained silent for a long time. 

"I do not know. Six months ago, I was sure that I was better off alone. "Those relationships were complications I couldn't afford, risks I shouldn't have taken."

"And now?"

"Now I think maybe the biggest risk is not taking any risks at all."

Grace shifted her position on the couch to face him fully. "Max Walker, are you asking me to take a risk on you?"

"I'm asking if you want to find out what happens when we don't have to worry about anything more dangerous than whose turn it is to do laundry."

"That sounds terrifying."

"Why?"

"Because it sounds great. "Perfect things make me nervous."

Max placed down his coffee and moved closer to her, close enough for her to notice gold flecks in his black eyes. "What if I promised it wouldn't be perfect? What if I promised there would be debates over dishwashers, disagreements about movies, and at least one significant battle over something absolutely absurd?"

"That sounds more realistic."

"What if I vow to fight for us the way you did tonight? That whatever obstacles we confront, we tackle them together?"

Grace felt unexpected tears well up in her eyes. "Max…….."

"What if I vow to love you even when you're being unattainable, to depend on you even when I'm afraid, and to never, ever let anyone harm what we have without passing through me first?"

"Those are big promises."

"I'm hoping for a big payoff."

Rather than responding with words, Grace kissed him. Soft at first, then deeper as six days of anxiety and uncertainty turned to relief and renewed connection. When they finally parted ways, she was out of breath, and he smiled like a guy who had just discovered gold.

"So, is that a yes?" he inquired.

"That's a yes for taking risks. Yes, to face obstacles together. Yes to awful coffee and dishwasher arguments, and whatever comes after."

"Even if what comes next is boring?"

"Especially if what comes next is boring."

As they settled into the couch, Grace's head on Max's shoulder and his arms about her like a fortress against whatever remained of the scary world outside, she reflected on the unexpected roads that lead individuals to exactly where they needed to be.

Max had been her mysterious roommate a week before, hiding secrets she was reluctant to reveal. Tonight, he was the guy she would do anything to protect, the future she was courageous enough to choose.

They'd start establishing their own life tomorrow.