He kissed the top of her head and her cheek then softly touched her lips. “Okay. Now I can get you down.”
Climbing down the pallet shelves was much harder than climbing up. Not only did her arm throb, but the warehouse lights had been turned on, and Jules could see how very far away the concrete floor was.
As soon as they reached it, medics and cops swarmed her. Rhys didn’t leave her side. She wanted to ask about Olivia and Sloane but would let law enforcement handle it. When it came time to testify, there wouldn’t be a single fuck given. Jules would tell the world.
The Lowry family had friends everywhere. There had been no shortage of middle-of-the-night offerings of places to stay. Now, dawn was breaking as Rhys drove Jules to the address Abigail had provided. It wasn’t far from Diane and Peyton’s home.
The police presence was heavy. They’d waved him in when he’d arrived at the property.
With the help of pain medicine, Jules had fallen asleep on the ride from the hospital. She didn’t wake up when he parked and came around to the passenger side.
The front door opened. Abigail crossed her arms, silently watching as he unfastened Jules’s seat belt and lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.
“There’s a bedroom for you. Upstairs. First door on the right.”
Rhys took her up the stairs and carefully laid her on the soft mattress. When she didn’t so much as flutter her eyelashes, he left to retrieve her pain pills and antibiotics from the car.
Abigail leaned on the wall. “Thank you for bringing my sister home.”
He lifted his chin. “I’d do anything for her.”
“I’ve always known that.” The corners of her mouth tugged up. “You make her happy.”
“She’s the center of my world.”
“I’m glad she has you, Rhys.”
He was glad he had her too. “Night, Abs.”
Then Rhys returned upstairs to the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. He didn’t know how, but he knew she’d get whatever she wanted, and that was all he’d ever need.
Her eyes fluttered open. “I want to go home.”
He stroked her hair, trying to soothe away the hell she’d been through. “You are home.”
“No. Not from the hospital. I mean for good. With you.” Her lips curved up. “You and Clyde. I think he really likes me.”
“I think he does too.” Rhys grinned at her in the dark. “Then it’s set. You’re coming home with me.”
“I don’t even have any bags to pack. Nothing but my sister-moon luggage.”
“All replaceable,” he said. “You can have anything in the world, live anywhere in the world. Are you sure you want to live with Clyde and me?”
“Have you seen the thirst-trap pictures you sent me?”
Rhys laughed. He stretched next to her, being careful of the stitches on her arm. “Good to know that’s all it took.”
“Yup. A combination of spending half my life with you and shirtless pictures.” Her head lolled. “I need a couple more. For when you travel for work and Clyde and I are bored.”
His shoulders shook with silent laughter. “Sure. Anything else, baby?”
“Yeah,” she whispered, the pain medicine adding a lazy drawl to the word. “Tell Vivian I want to be a spy.”
Epilogue
Walking into the Cannes Film Festival was like stepping into another dimension, one of glamour, expectation, pomp, and adrenaline. The gauntlet of photographers and reporters milled just out of sight.
Sporting a sleek dark pantsuit and a killer pair of heels, Yasmin stood between Jules and hundreds of people. She scrolled through her phone to recheck the schedule she’d drilled into Jules as though this was the first time she’d done this.
