“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “All is forgiven.”
She saw the relief.
“Promise.”
Setting him free, she focused on Chris. He was standing there in his aqua scrubs, and she saw the weight of all of this weighing on him.
She was worried about his health.
Going into his body, he held her, and she buried her face in his neck.
“I love you,” she said. “Please stay healthy for me and help hold this circus together. I’m leaving you in charge. Get food, get sleep, and don’t forget to take your meds.”
Chris knew that this was goodbye. Deep down, he could feel it in his gut. His wife…for her, this was a turning point in all of their lives. She’d carried them for a long time, and now, she was telling them she couldn’t do it anymore.
They’d have to step up. If they knew her, they knew that she was preparing herself for time away.
And she deserved it.
“I’ll hold us all together,” he whispered, making sure she was the only one who could hear him. “You come back when you’re whole again. I know you’ll find you. If you need me, my one and only, call for me.”
She took his face in her hands, and there were tears in her eyes.
Yeah, he’d been right.
Come back to me,he mouthed.
I’ll try.
She slowly let his hand go, and backed up. She could only hope that they would be okay without her.
And she’d be okay without them.
With just a nod, she took the black jacket from Jagger, and they headed to the body elevator.
“Pick up in the back, Rogue,” Maura said into her com so they could get this show on the road.
The com crackled to life.
“Copy,” came his voice.
Gene stood beside Elizabeth and nodded at the men who were putting their trust in him to keep her safe. He linked his fingers with hers, showing them that he was on duty now.
They’d had her the last fifteen years, and now, it was his turn to protect the raven.
Then, the four of them got into the elevator and Elizabeth turned to face her husbands.
She put on shades and said one last thing to them.
“See ya later, alligators.”
As the doors closed, the hunt was on.
And Devon Slater was going to regret it.
While he believed she’d never break the law, he’d been mistaken.
For her family, she’d not only break it, but she’d burn the whole world down in the process.
