Classified intelligence and not. He’s never had a complicated morality, even when it may have suited him to do so. It took time to build our trust... but I have no doubt he will do the right thing. Otherwise there’s no end to this for any of us.”She felt for more words to defend herself, more to tell in case she never had another chance. A chime rang from the video camera. Hess secured a chip from the camera and disappeared into a back room. Exhaling, she stood. Walked to the other side of. ’ I whispered into his ear, and promptly felt myself being pushed back onto the counter. ‘Would you…would you say that again? Please?’ He looked down at me terrified. ‘Please, Charlie, stay.’ I slipped my hand to cup his cheek and he closed his eyes once more and breathed out. Then he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine and kissed me seriously, like he meant it, because he did. ‘God, say it again, Audie. Say it one more time for me.’ Charlie panted against me and I whispered back to. *Her first touch was tentative and gentle.The light tracing of my features as her fingers came into contact with the bone structure of my face felt strange yet soothing. They traced my forehead, brow, the bridge of my nose, the breadth of my cheeks and the firmness of my jaw. All the while, I stared at her and as each second passed the world around us faded away into nothing. Heather was smiling as she painted me inside her mind. I understood that I was becoming more defined to her and her head. Of course that didn’t matter, because they weren’t going to do that again. She needed to make him see that.Monday, he didn’t speak to her or look at her. It stayed that way for the rest of the week, at school. He didn’t cut music. He couldn’t do that. But he could stand there, mute.Mindy noticed, of course. Her seasoned eyes saw the hurt, the anger, the ... rejection. But there wasn’t anything she could do. She tried to talk to him. She told him to stay after class one day.“Bobby,” she said,.