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“Drop them,” Vito gasps. “It’s over.”
“Thomas, go inside,” Ryland snaps.
The red haired man walks toward the house, moving as though dazed. At the same time, the men start dropping their weapons, a couple of them laying their guns down at first. The rest soon follow, standing in an uncertain semicircle around Ryland and his hostage.
“How fucking dumb are you?” Ryland snarls. “You thought you could threaten my woman, my family. Look at the house and apologize, before I snap your goddamn neck.”
“I’m sorry,” he whines, his eyes bulging as Ryland squeezes onto him. “Please, please, I’m sorry…”
“Rosie,” Ryland barks.
“Rosie,” he cries. “I’m sorry for being so disrespectful, for being such an asshole. Okay? I’m sorry.”
Ryland spins around, dragging Vito with him. Vito moans as his legs fly, kicking like a child in Ryland’s iron grip.
“The Feds are on their way,” Ryland snarls. “Unless you want to spend the rest of your worthless lives locked up with this piece of shit, I suggest you run. Now.”
The men exchange another look, shrug, and then turn and walk into the growing darkness of the forest.
“Motherfuckers,” Vito cries. “Come back here. I’m in charge. I’m in—”
He cuts off when Ryland squeezes his massive arm with even more force.
“Do you feel in charge?” Ryland growls.
I look up to find that Harold is gone. I glance back down at the tablet and see that he’s in the hallway, with Thomas in his arms.
“No,” Vito gasps. “I’m sorry. Ryland, I’m sorry, to you, to Rosie, to her mom, to everyone. Please.”
Ryland pulls him toward the house, moving backward so that he can keep Vito in front of him, maybe just in case one of his men decides to come back. But it’s just Ryland and Vito, and soon he drags Vito into the house, kicking the door closed behind him.
I leap up and rush through the house, Chopper rumbling from beside me as he pads along.
I run into the hallway to find Ryland pushing Vito up against the wall, patting him down for guns. He takes a handgun from his pocket and slips it into the back of his pants, and then reaches into his cargos and takes out a pair of handcuffs.
He slaps them on Vito and then marches him across the room, shoving him onto the bottom step.
I walk by the step, meeting eyes with Vito, my heartbeat picking up speed when I think about the last time I saw him.
“What happened to that man?” I ask. I can’t stop myself. “In the dumpster? The one you locked in there.”
Vito stares at the floor stubbornly, like a little kid who’s been told no and doesn’t like it. He even looks like a petulant child on the naughty step.
“My woman asked you a question,” Ryland growls.
“We had to let him out,” Vito grumbles. “My father found out what was happening and called up one of the guys.”
I turn away, letting out a sigh.
I’m glad that man didn’t die in there.
I walk over to Ryland, looking up at him with a question in my eyes.
“They’re almost here,” he tells me, tapping his watch. “And then this is all going to be over. This piece of shit tried to take me out. He failed. He almost got half his dad’s crew arrested. It doesn’t look good for you, Vito. The Feds have got enough to put you away for life.”
Vito sighs and keeps staring at the floor.
I reach up and touch my man’s strong, square jawline.
I love you, Ryland, I want to scream. I’m so happy everything is okay.
But I can’t bring myself to say the L-word, not yet.
I feel as though it would smash into this moment, crush it like wet paper, leaving us lost and confused.
For now, I’ll just enjoy this moment, the fact that Ryland is alive and we’re ready to properly begin our lives together.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ryland
I stand at the top of the city, so close to the clouds it’s like I could reach out and touch them.
The sun hangs in the sky, glittering over the city, the light moving into my chest and making parts of me swell… parts I didn’t even know existed before I met my Rosie.
I turn to the rooftop, studying the garden I’ve had put together, luscious and green and verdant, a pocket of nature up here in the cityscape.
Jackie’s face lit up when I asked for her blessing.
She smiled and clasped her hands to her chest, smiling broadly.
“Oh, yes, yes,” she cried. “Of course it’s a yes, Ryland. I’m so happy you want to do this the right way.”
“Of course, ma’am,” I said. “That’s the only way to do things with Rosie. She deserves the world.”
A red carpet leads from the secret rooftop garden to the elevator. I stroll over across the garden, walking amongst the trees and the luscious bright nature, all of it throwing its scents at me, a whole conflagration of smells washing around me.
