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“We take her back tomorrow. Then we return to our happy little lives.” Alexander stopped just inside the doorway, his breathing ragged. “The funny thing is that I’d walk away from my father’s business if she’d agree to stay with us.”
“Us. You really think that could work?” Daniel piped in, shocking the hell out of me. The tension in the room changed. Maybe we were all thinking the same thing.
“You seem to forget that we grounded each other. We were family. Now, I just want the adult version, the happily ever after. The damn white picket fence. Hell, I even want a dog.” He laughed, as if wishing was the closest he could get. “Anyway. I’m going to bed. Alone. Maybe I need time to think.”
I closed my eyes, hearing his jarring footsteps. I hated this shit more than anything.
“I’m going to do that as well. Wallowing in self-pity isn’t going to do us any good.”
Before Daniel could reach the door, I turned around to face him. “Would you do that?”
“Be a foursome, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
Daniel exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “I love her too, Brogan. I know it shouldn’t be possible, but I’m like Alexander. I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without her. We were good together all those years ago, even throughout the craziness. What I won’t do is become mixed up in crime again. I also refuse to drag her into the lifestyle. You saw her. She’s a perfect flower in the summertime.”
“Who says you have to change what you’re doing? We find an estate with plenty of room.”
His laugh was as bitter as I’d ever heard. “Well, the CIA would have a very difficult time understanding why I was living with a notorious mafia leader, even if it was in a compound. I’d have to leave my profession, which I would do in a heartbeat, although I have no clue what else I’d do.”
“You were good at everything, including business. Invest in this place.”
Now he laughed. “The last thing I want is a damn kink club. Sorry. Not my thing. What’s most important is making certain she’s allowed to return to her life.”
“You don’t mind if Alexander cleans up the mess, but you don’t want to be involved.”
He narrowed his eyes and glared at me. “I don’t think I need to answer that. But I will tell you this. I’ll do what’s necessary in order to make certain she’s safe.”
After he left the room, I eased into the leather chair directly in front of the fire, a cold chill sliding up my spine. I had a bad feeling that continued to get worse.
The threat was far from being over.
As I settled in, I glared at the flames, rubbing my hand across my heart. A white picket fence, huh? What the heck? I would enjoy getting a pup. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind.
No, that was never going to happen. Fantasies didn’t come true for bad men like the Wild Boys.
* * *
Cassie
Goodbye.
That’s exactly what this was. Not a so long or a see you later. It was a hard-core split that was necessary for all of us. I’d go back to my paralegal position. Daniel would resume his life as a dangerous CIA agent, catching bad criminals. Hopefully Brogan would find something that made him happy, although he knew very little besides being a soldier in a monstrous army.
And Alexander would pretend he owned the world, never finding the happiness that…
He deserved.
I loved all three of them. There was no reason to deny it at least to myself. The adoration had started through stories, tales of adventure, making me feel like I was close to them. I might have been a lovestruck kid back then, but through Garrison’s eyes, I’d been able to see more than just rebellious young men.
Then I’d learned just how human they were. I’d felt the horrible guilt all three had lived with. I could sense sadness that would never go away. Then there’d been their heated touches, passionate kisses.
I held my arms and stared out the plane window, uncertain if I felt like Illinois was home any longer. The quiet inside the jet was more difficult than I could have imagined. Sadly, we had nothing left to say to each other. I could tell all three men were giving me space, but I was sick inside, uncertain what the right thing to do was.
When the pilot communicated that we’d be landing in ten minutes, I closed my eyes, thinking about what Alexander had suggested I do with Garrison’s money. There was no way of telling how much he’d earned from criminal activity. He’d made excellent investments, which the nice financial advisor had gone over with me. I could do something with five million dollars.
The ten minutes flew by in record time. When the plane touched down, a single tear slipped past my lashes.
