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Fourteen days later…
“You okay?” I squeezed Caiden’s hand, and he nodded, followed by a slight wince as we stood, the hard pew behind us. His hand automatically went to his abdomen, and I eyed him, concerned.
He grinned at me. “Never been better.”
“Don’t smile, we’re at a funeral.” I squeezed his hand again, then stepped closer to him and placed my other hand on top of his, over the scar that remained. “I love you. You don’t have to be strong all the time, Cade. You can lean on me, too.”
“I know.” He dropped a kiss on my head. “Thanks,” he added quietly.
It was a simple service. Private, family only. The press had come sniffing around, but one well-placed call from Arlo and they’d disappeared as soon as they’d arrived.
Creed and Mack had worked overtime with the clean-up crew in the two weeks since everything had happened. We’d had to bring Arlo in on the discussions, because the docks belonged to Alstone Holdings, after all, and what Mack was proposing was going to have an effect on the company. The official line was that Christine had been inspecting one of the cargo boats docked at the harbour. She’d taken Allan with her, as she’d done in the past, which wasn’t anything unusual. Unfortunately, there had been a gas leak on the boat while she was on board, and…boom. Gone, just like that.
I didn’t know all the details, but it kind of felt like poetic justice, since she’d had my dad killed in a gas explosion. The actual blast that Mack and Creed had orchestrated had obliterated the boat and taken out part of the dock, leaving the building I’d been held in structurally unsound.
According to Creed’s sources, Petr had fled the country, badly injured, and the Strelichevos had pulled their operation out of Alstone. They’d already been on the verge of leaving, and with Christine gone, there was zero monetary incentive for them to stay. We still had loose ends to tie up, such as the Hydes plotting against Alstone Holdings, but those were worries for someone else. Finally, I felt free. Able
to breathe properly. Knowing that no one was lurking around the corner waiting for me. Knowing that my dad could now rest in peace.
Arlo stood, silently, his head bowed, as the ceremony concluded. We had no bodies, so there’d be no cremation or burial. I knew today had been hard on him—despite everything, he’d loved both Christine and Allan in his own way, and the shock of their betrayal cut deep.
“Arlo.” I pulled Caiden forwards, and then Arlo was gripping us both in a hug. I reached blindly behind me, tugging Weston into our circle. No words were spoken as we held each other.
“I love you. All of you,” Arlo said hoarsely. “We’re going to be okay.”
I smiled, his quiet affirmation filling me with warmth. Every word he spoke was true.
We were going to be okay.
We had each other.
The day after the funeral, Caiden got a call from Arlo, asking us to meet him at the docks. I was really sick of the place, in all honesty, and I’d be glad if I never set foot in it again, but Arlo had insisted we both be there. When we turned up, parking just inside the open entrance barrier, I saw Cassius’ SUV, along with Arlo’s car. What was going on?
“There you are.” Arlo waved us over to where he was standing with Cassius, Weston, and Zayde. He clapped his hands for attention. “I called you all here today to make an announcement. This has been signed off by the board already, by the way. The docks are officially on the market.”
On the market? Did that mean—
“You’re selling the docks?” Cassius stared at him.
He nodded. “Yes. I think we can all agree that this place holds some rather…unpleasant memories for all of us. Alstone Holdings will belong to the five of you one day, and—”
“The five of us?” I whispered. “But I—I’m not—”
“I had Christine’s shares transferred into your name.” He waved a hand. “Plus, I get the impression that one day, in the future, my son might like to marry you.” My cheeks heated, and I chanced a quick look at Caiden, who was watching me with a smile on his face. “Preferably not in the near future.” Arlo winked, and I blushed harder, Caiden tugging me into his arms with a chuckle.
“Stop embarrassing her, Dad.”
“Sorry.” He wasn’t sorry. “As I was saying, Alstone Holdings will belong to you, and I want you to feel comfortable with every aspect of the business. I know that this will be a sticking point, therefore, the land is being sold.”
“What will you do instead?” Cassius asked the question that I’m sure was on all of our minds.
“It’s already been sorted. We’ve acquired new premises, just ten minutes down the coast, with much more convenient road connections, and room for expansion we never had here. With our additional cargo from the De Witts, we were at a breaking point. It came at the right time, in all honesty.”
“I for one will be glad to see the back of this fucking place,” Zayde muttered.
“Me too,” I murmured. Caiden kissed the top of my head, his arms tightening around me.
“Now, Winter. I have something I wanted to share with you personally. Follow me, please.”
