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“How did you get away?” Karah asks, shaking her head.
“You guys didn’t exactly lock me up.”
“Still, it was a daring escape. Very impressive.”
I blush and shrug. “I planned on coming back. I hoped you guys wouldn’t even notice.”
“See, I told you,” Olivia says, grinning. “I knew it was just supposed to be a quick visit home.”
“You’re back now and that’s all I care about.” Karah turns to my mom and beams. “You have an amazing daughter, you know that?”
“I know it,” Mom says, patting my hand. “Very amazing.”
I hate being the center of attention so I deflect the conversation away from me and onto Karah and Olivia, asking them how things have been going in my short absence. We make small talk, even though the tension remains high, and it’s only broken when Gavino appears in the doorway.
Karah stands and moves to go to him, but he raises a hand. “I’m fine. Doctor stitched me up.” He pats his leg gently. “I’ll heal.”
“If you need physical therapy, ask someone else,” I say, and Gavino laughs.
“Duly noted. Speaking of which, there’s someone waiting to see you.” He’s smiling huge now and butterflies flutter in my chest.
“I’ll be back soon,” I say to Mom.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her,” Karah says.
I stand and follow Gavino into the hall. He’s on crutches and looks pale, but he’s smiling like his old self again, which is good to see. “That was a close one back there. Did I see you with a knife?”
“I was going to kill Cillian myself.”
“He was forcing you to spy for him, wasn’t it?”
I nod and look at the floor. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t betray Fynn.”
“Even though they had your mom?”
“That’s why I was going to stab Cillian. I figured if he was dead, they wouldn’t have a reason to hold her.”
“That’s really insane, you know that, right?”
“No more insane than dropping smoke bombs from the rafters and shooting everyone.”
“Fair point,” he says and stops outside of Casso’s office. “Go ahead.”
I hesitate, not sure what I’m about to see in there, but push through the door.
Fynn’s standing near the fireplace. There’s nobody else, only him, and he slowly turns to me. He’s not using his cane, and I can see the strain in his eyes—
But the smile that breaks across his face is like sunshine in the winter.
He’s glorious. He’s everything. I run to him, unable to wait another second, and he takes me in his arms and hugs me and crushes my mouth with his, kissing me with a desperate hunger unlike I’ve ever felt before. I love him, I love this man, and I feel that love flowing back through our embrace, so warm and incredible, intoxicating and invigorating. I feel like I’m born anew when we break apart and he smiles down at me.
“God, I missed you,” he says quietly. “I love you, Mirella, and I’m never letting you go again.”
“I love you too. I never want to leave again. I’m so sorry, Fynn, I wanted to come back, but then Cillian showed up and I couldn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong.” He kisses me softly and brings my fingers to his lips. He kisses each one like he’s memorizing my skin all over again.
“He was my half-brother,” I say quietly, looking at his face, waiting for the reaction.
He frowns slightly. “Damn,” he says, shaking his head. “I knew it was something.”
“You knew?”
“Not exactly, but what he said at the park kept bugging me. I was so sure he was bluffing, but I wondered…”
“My mom and his dad had an affair. That’s why my dad—that’s why Genaro left. He found out that I wasn’t his biological daughter and he couldn’t handle it, so he split. Cillian wanted me to spy on you, to betray you, and tried to use our connection to convince me.”
“And when that didn’t work, he kidnapped your mom?”
I nod and blink back the tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop saying that.” He kisses me gently. “You were going to stab him.”
“I was.”
“You’re incredible.”
“Gavino called me crazy.”
“Well, he’s not wrong, but you’re also incredible.”
I laugh and kiss him slowly, nibbling his lip, luxuriating in his tongue in my mouth.
“What do we do now?” I ask, looking into his eyes.
“Now you stay here. We finish my physical therapy. I keep on falling in love with you.”
“And my mom?”
“She can stay as long as she wants as well. In fact, I insist she stay, at least for a few months. Casso is out escalating this war right now and I’m afraid the streets won’t be safe.”
“But it’ll be safe here, with you.”
“Always.”
We kiss again, holding it this time, and I whimper as I cry. But this time, the tears are good, these are tears of joy. I finally have what I’ve always wanted—a purpose and love and a place to call my own.
