In Sheep's Clothing Read Online Free PDF Page B

and he put his arm around her to hold her close. As the movie was beginning, he noticed her looking up at his face.
    “What's up?”
    Sarah shrugged. “Just enjoying this,” she said. “You've been—I don't know, more cuddly lately? I like it, but I can't help wondering why.”
    Noah sat for a moment and thought about how to answer, then leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I could just tell you that holding you close to me gives me a pleasant sensation,” he said. “I can tell you that I do it because I think you need it. Both of those have some truth to them, so I wouldn’t be lying.” He paused and leaned his head back against the wall behind it. “The truth is, I'm not really sure why I'm doing it. I’ve come to realize that I like having you close to me, and that's something I'm not accustomed to.”
    Sarah was quiet for a moment, and Noah waited for her to speak. “One of the reasons Allison wanted you was because you don't have any emotional attachments. If you—if you are starting to have some kind of feelings for me, is that going to interfere? Is it going to make it harder for you to do your job?”
    Noah shook his head. “No,” he said. “I don't see why it would.”
    Sarah sat up and leaned against the wall so that she could look straight at his face. “Noah, we haven't talked about it, but you know you broke the rules when you came to rescue me. We're all expendable, remember? I think Allison is afraid that our relationship is going to cause a problem.”
    “I disagree. My mission at that time was to locate Nicolaich Andropov, and he had you. From a strictly logical standpoint, you could say that I didn't come to rescue you, I came to try to kill him. Bringing you out alive was simply a bonus.”
    “Remember the debriefing? You told Jefferson that you came after me because you didn't like the idea of the world not having me in it anymore. In absolutely anybody else, that would be a sign of love. With you, I'm just not sure what it means, but I'll happily take what I can get.”
    Noah lowered his eyebrows, and then turned to face her. “I read a book once, a long time ago. One of the characters was trying to define what love means, and I always liked his definition. He said that love was the condition that exists whenever another person's happiness and well-being is necessary for your own happiness and well-being.” He chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds. “I don't have a clue what it feels like to be in love, but if we look at that definition and accept it, then I guess we can say that I love you. I like it when you smile, I like it when you laugh—I don't like it when you're hurt or unhappy. It seems to me that your happiness and well-being are essential to whatever equivalent of those I might have, so that fits.”
    Sarah stared at him for a moment, then smiled. “I love you too, you big jerk,” she said, and then she leaned against him again as they watched the movie. When it ended, they slid down into the bed and found other ways to express how much they enjoyed being together.
    By six thirty the next morning, they were all up and ready to go. Noah opened the door to find Moose and Neil just about to knock, so they all went to the car together. Denny's, as Neil had said, was only a short distance away. Sarah pulled in and parked and they all filed inside for breakfast.
    They spent an hour over pancakes and sausage and eggs and coffee, then got back into the car and headed for the warehouse. Neil had brought his own computer along, and set it up on another table near the 3-D printer, along with his own portable inkjet printer and a police scanner. He laid his copy of the target files beside it and began studying the individuals in the file.
    Alejandra Gomez and her husband Enrique were first. While both of them were involved in the cartel, it was Alejandra, the youngest member of the branch, who seemed to be in charge of the group in Columbia. According to the limited