Page 81 of Ballrooms & Blackmail

My fault.

My choice.

And now I need to finish this shit.

I get dressed, pick up my laptop, and carry it into the kitchen to go over the latest files from my team.

We’re finally getting somewhere.

River was held at a facility owned by Jardin Logistics. Jardin handled fulfillment in North America for my company’s products.

But they also had contracts with several other U.S.-based companies—including several that Jean-Michel funded.

And Jace’s.

Strings to tug. Trails to follow.

But by using Angela’s files we’ve found a whole new group of businesses. Of course, we’re still trying to weed through a chain of shell companies, but each one we eliminate means we’re getting closer. And add in Attie’s work with the FBI and Brooks sharing his father’s journal and the net is finally beginning to tighten.

We’re closer than we’ve ever been to permanently taking the Lyons down.

And I still can’t help but feel like it’s not going to make one fucking bit of difference.

That, in the end, I’m still going to be right here.

In an apartment. Alone.

“Meow!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I tell Violet as I reach for the bag of salmon treats. “I know you’re here too.” I pass her some and scratch her head as she gobbles them down. “I haven’t forgotten about you either.” I toss her a couple more. “You can eat my eyeballs when I die alone.”

“Meow,” she agrees, for better or worse.

Sighing, I lean back and stare out the windows.

The apartment itself hasn’t changed.

The furniture is where it always was.

The city still bustles in the distance.

Violet still loves those salmon treats.

Nothing is different. Except everything is.

Because River is gone. Because I made her go.

“So quit moping about it, dumbass,” I say as I fill my coffee mug and absently reach for the container of sugar cookies. Only?—

Fuck, that hurts.

Because there’s only one left.

The extra sprinkles to make it extra good. The precisely lined petals of the daisy. I know if I take a bite, it’ll be crunchy but melt in my mouth, the perfect mix of sweet and savory…

And there’s only one left.

Christ.