"Are you doing all right, Joe? How's it going with the girl next door?"

"Ah, well, funny you should ask." Joe cleared his throat, knowing this was probably going to be as big a shock to Roger as it was to himself. "Tonight, I'm going to ask her to marry me."

The line was silent

"You still there, Roger?"

"Here." Roger paused a moment, then said, "You're pulling my leg, right?"

"No."

"Damn, Bellacera. This is not the best time to be playing house. The woman has kids for Christ's sake, doesn't she?"

"Yep. Two great kids."

"Joe-"

"Just say you're happy for me."

"I'm-" Roger chuckled nervously. "I'm stunned. I mean, this is going to make things infinitely more complicated. What if you have to up and leave?"

"I can't live in fear.like that anymore, Roger. I'm tired of it. I want something else for myself."

"Look, I understand, but…"

"I want a real life. Other people manage it and so can I."

"Are you telling me you want out of the DEA? Have you made your decision?"

"No. I'll talk to Charlotte about it. We'll decide together at some point The trial comes first Then I'll worry about my job."

"Have you told her everything?"

"I'm telling her a little at a time. I hope it'll go over better in small doses."

"Uh-huh. And when do you plan to tell the woman there's a million-dollar contract on her fiance's head?"

"Tonight, I'm going to tell her tonight."

"And you expect her to say yes! Jesus, Joe! You're going to get your heart stomped!"

Joe let go with a bitter laugh and shook his head. "I gotta at least try, Roger."

"So if by some miracle there is a wedding, do I get an invitation?"

Joe laughed again. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Stay sharp, Joe. There's no reason to think Guzman will ever find you, but please just stay focused and think sharp."

"Of course."

"Keep me posted. Oh, and happy birthday, Bellacera."

The DEA hotshot sat across from Ned at one of the Creekside's small outdoor tables, crossing and uncrossing his legs, nursing his beer, and fiddling with the whiskers of his goatee. The man was tense as hell, and Ned hadn't even said anything yet. He figured he'd better just blurt it out, put the guy out of his misery.

"Okay, so I pulled your prints off an iced tea glass the night of the campout, Special Agent Bellacera."

The blank look on Joe's face was pure cop-Ned could see the internal wheels spin as Joe struggled with how he was going to play this, how much he could safely reveal.

Ned couldn't say he blamed the man for being careful. From what he'd learned from his little bit of nosing around, Joe had put his ass on the line more than a few times. Ned figured he'd survived this long only by being real cautious.

It took a moment, but Joe's face eventually softened into a wry smile. Then he shook his head and laughed.

"Sneaky piece of police work, Ned."

"Thank you."

"You ran my prints through AFIS?"

"Yep."

"Nice. You mind telling me why?"

Ned watched as Joe took a huge swig from his beer bottle, which was somehow comforting. Maybe they'd be able to talk, after all. "Three reasons why-Charlotte, Matt, and Hank."

"Ah."

"Had to be sure."

Joe's smile widened. "Thank you for looking out for them since Kurt died I appreciate that more than I can say."

That was an unexpectedly possessive response, and Ned squirmed a little,in his plastic patio chair. In Joe's voice-and in his words-had been an implication Ned couldn't quite pin down. It almost felt like Joe was giving him his pink slip, like he'd be taking over with the Taskers from now on.

"Is that so, Joe?"

The federal agent picked at the label of his beer bottle, staring at his moving fingers for a long time before he raised his gaze to Ned again.

"I met Charlotte thirteen years ago, and I've loved her ever since. I looked for her-you have no idea how I tried to find her."

"No shit?"

"It was pure luck-or fate if you believe in that kind of stuff-that I ended up here."

Ned leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together over his belly. He had a feeling this was going to be a good one.

"And exactly why are you here?"

"I'm hiding. A fairly nasty drug dealer has a million-dollar reward out for my head-which.I've kind of grown attached to over the years."

Though fascinated, Ned heard himself let go with a loud laugh. "Whoa. A million big ones for that ugly mug?"

Joe gave him a short-lived grin, then sighed. "When our cover was blown a couple of months ago, he killed my partner and his wife and little boy. We don't believe the man is joking."

Ned felt his body go numb. Good God-this kind of bad shit was a little out of his league and he knew it. He kept his mouth shut and nodded for Joe to continue.

"I'm the U.S. attorney's star witness in the case against this man-his name is Miguel Guzman. My supervisor sent me here so I could stay alive until the trial."

"Fuck-in 'A. When's that gonna be?"

"God only knows. Maybe a couple years."

Ned shook his head and straightened, leaning across the table so they could whisper. If ever there was a conversation the rest of Minton, Ohio, didn't need to hear, this was it.

"Are you safe here, do you think?"

Joe shrugged. "I think I get safer every day that goes by. The Administration believes the risk is minimal for me here, even though a civilian employee from our field office was murdered just last week."

"Hell! In Albuquerque?"

Joe smiled sadly. "Right again."

"Does Charlotte know any of this?"

Joe's mouth pulled into a tight line and he shrugged. "I told her I work for the Justice Department and that I need to lay low, but not much more. I do plan to tell her everything eventually. But right now,. I think it's best for her and the kids if she doesn't know everything I've just told you. That way-"

"Hell, Joe! Don't even say that!"

"Look, nothing's going to happen to anybody. I'm just being extra-careful."

"I don't like this. Does she know your real name?"

"I'm going to tell her tonight-just before I ask her to marry me. I want to spend my life with her."

Ned was up out of his seat, feeling his eyes bug out. "You sure as hell didn't waste much time."

Joe stood up, too, and didn't look happy. "I've wasted thirteen years, Ned, and I plan on making up for every single one of them starting tonight."

It wasn't lost on Ned that Joe could kick his ass and sweep up the deck with his lifeless form. But this development was going to take some getting used to.

"Has she loved you back all these years, do you think?"

Joe's whole face changed at his question-the grimace instantly replaced by the goofiest love-struck grin Ned had ever seen. Damn. No wonder Joe had been so nervous! Tonight was the big night!

"Well? Answer me, son-does Charlotte love you?"

"I'm counting on it."

Then Joe sat down, asked the waitress for a pen, and wrote a bunch of names and numbers on his bar napkin and handed it to Ned.

"My supervisor's name, his office, cell, and pager, plus the local field office supervisor and all his numbers. Just in case."

Ned accepted the napkin with astonishment, hoping to hell that Joe Bellacera knew what he was doing.

Charlotte turned down the invitation to his little get-together, despite Bonnie's words of encouragement, saying it had been a long day. She was right-neither of them had gotten any sleep the night before, as Joe well knew. So to get her over there, he had no choice but to admit it was his birthday.