Taylor strode up the stairs, and Kam tucked his gun in the waistline of his jeans. She stopped only inches from him. "I'm never taking it off."
Kam snaked his good arm around her, pulling her against him. His lips claimed hers as promises for tomorrow poured from him. She wanted this for so long, it was hard not to fear that it would all be torn away from her. Kam must have felt her fears because he pulled away. "What's wrong?"
Taylor gave him a sad smile. "Just trying not to think about the what-ifs." He rested his head on hers. She pushed all the worry for the future aside. She would choose to live in the moment because none of them were guaranteed a tomorrow. For now, she would enjoy any moments that they got and walk this journey together. God had given her a second chance; she wouldn't waste it.
Amelia clearedher throat behind them. "We should move this party inside. I'll monitor the cameras on the perimeter while you all settle into the living room."
Kam reluctantly let Taylor go. He couldn't believe that Alexei, Nalani, and Max came. Max never left Moose Passe for fear of Ian finding him again. He was a support from within the bunker kind of friend. When he picked Kam and Taylor up, that was the first time in a long time that Kam saw him outside his property.
Nalani stood in front of him, "I never got to say thank you for saving me."
Kam shook his head. "It was nothing."
"But it was everything. I wasn't sure if I could trust you at first, but you were the angel that God sent me until rescue could come." She gave him a hug around his waist. Kam looked at Taylor over Nalani's head. The look of adoration fueled him to continue to be that hero for her or anyone else that he could help.
Alexei stepped through the door with bags in each hand. Kam quirked a brow at Taylor, who only smiled in return. Alexei set the bags by the couch and stood to face Kam. The man looked like an older version of Ian, except where darkness seemed to hang on Ian like a cloud, there was a light in Alexei. The man could still close a business deal with power, but Kam got the sense that Alexei had self-control, whereas Ian just hungered for more and more power.
Alexei shook Kam's hand and smacked him on the shoulder. "I wasn't able to thank you for stopping my son." Those were not the words Kam expected to hear from Alexei. "Ian was on a path of destruction. You stopped him before he hurt more people." The sadness in his voice pulled at Kam. Any doubts Kam had had about Alexei's motives were buried under that confession.
"I was only doing my job, sir."
"That may be so, but I know it came with a great personal sacrifice." Alexei looked from Kam to Taylor, who stepped next to him. Kam wanted to put his arm around her, but the sling and his shoulder kept him from doing so. Taylor gently placed her hand on his arm, as if sensing he needed her touch.
Kam leaned in and gave her a kiss on her temple. "Let's get this party started."
An hour later, Taylor, Max, and Nalani sat around the dining table, each with their own computer, researching Dasha's movements, checking on Ian's whereabouts, and tracing the movements of Nixon on the dark web. Alexei was on the phonespeaking in Russian and pacing the porch. He ran his hand through his hair, then waved it around to accentuate his point.
And Kam just sat there on the couch. He was a soldier, a doer. He needed something to do, but his particular skill set was limited right now by the bullet hole in his shoulder. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. How was he going to protect Taylor if he couldn't even hold a gun with his right hand? Next time he saw Katarina, he'd make sure the woman didn't get away. She was a ghost like him, but he didn't fall into the darkness like her. At least not now.
"I know that look." Amelia set a bottle of water on the coffee table in front of him.
Kam quirked one eye. "There's no look."
"Sure." Amelia crossed her arms and stared right through him. "It was the same look Music Man got when he was on assignment. There isn't a force in this world going to stop you from getting what you've set your heart on. Except death." The last words came out in a whisper.
"Amelia…"
"Save it, Kong." Amelia sliced her hand through the air. She looked over at the table, then back to him. "When this is over, you're going to need to find who you are. Not who they want you to be." She held his gaze. "I'd like to help you put your life back together. You deserve a happy ending, too."
Amelia's words floated around in his head, settling over him. Kam had been so singularly focused on clearing Taylor's name and being done with the company that he hadn't thought for a moment what life afterwards looked like beyond waking up to Taylor every morning. What would they do? Would Taylor stay in Seward? Would he be able to just live his own life? He wasn't skilled at many things, beyond rescuing people and taking down bad guys, but you needed a clean sheet for that, and his history ended three years ago.
"Kam, you good?" At Nalani's words, Taylor turned in her chair to face him, concern worn in the lines on her face.
Kam opened his mouth to give an excuse about injuries and sitting still, making him antsy, when Alexei strode back in with a stormy expression.
Nalani pushed her chair back and went to her father. "What did you find?"
"Svetlana." Alexei shook. Kam could feel the anger from across the room. He stood from the couch and stopped in front of Alexei.
"Who is Svetlana?" The question snapped Alexei out of the place his mind had wandered.
"She is Ian's Godmother and Dasha's oldest friend." Alexei's lip curled. "She is the only one that Dasha ever trusted."
Nalani put her hand on her hip. "So, what did Svetlana have to say about Dasha's evil plans?"
Alexei fought a smile, and some of the tension washed away. "Your imagination will never cease to amaze me."
"What? I doubt she was researching mushrooms to solve the hunger crisis in Somalia."
