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Seraphina and I sat in complete disbelief as Knight told us about his run-in with Margaret Castille that led to the revelation that Felicia Corban and Anthony Gardner had plotted the kidnapping and assassinations on Crew and me. I couldn’t stop shaking. Nothing could keep me warm after I learned the truth. And yet, I didn’t think I had the right to be upset. Seraphina had lost Crew. I was alive. I had Knight.
“I’m going to go lie down,” Seraphina volunteered. “I can’t think anymore.”
“I could go with you,” I offered.
“No. Thank you. I’m going to turn all the lights off and play some music. I read it was good for the baby. I think the baby needs something soothing right now. God knows that’s not me.”
I nodded, trying to understand what she was going through. I was a wreck inside, but I wasn’t trying to support another being at the same time. My responsibility was only to myself. What she was experiencing was impossible.
I watched her walk away as quietly as a ghost. I was worried she was losing weight. She looked pale and there were circles under her eyes.
“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” Knight was worried.
“I can check on her in a few minutes.”
“I think we should leave her alone for today, anyway. But thank you. She’ll come to you before she comes to me if she needs something.”
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m angry. I wanted to strangle my mother today. That’s not a good feeling.” He grimaced. “I don’t want to talk about Felicia anymore. She’s dead to me. Dead to this family.”
I approached him. “She’s still your mother, even if you cut her out.”
“I didn’t cut her out. I banished her. I exiled her.” It was important to him to make the distinction. The justice he had served in Crew’s name was permanent. There was no way for Felicia to crawl back to her children.
“I know. I know.” I wouldn’t make the mistake of mentioning her again. Not at Christmas. Not on birthdays. Not at weddings. Not when the baby was born. The woman didn’t exist for anyone under my roof.
“We have a meeting today,” he announced. His voice was flat. The encounter with Felicia had drained him. Saddened him. Made him ruthless in a way he wasn’t ready to accept.
“Oh.” I wasn’t expecting an abrupt change in direction. “What kind of meeting?”
“The contracts are ready for the building.”
My throat clamped shut. “You want to move forward with the merger now?”
He withdrew his hands from his pockets and snaked them around my waist. “Baby, you’re shaking.”
I bit my lip. “I’m fine. Tell me about the contracts.”
“The BONO merger with Martin Global. I looked it over last night when I couldn’t sleep. I emailed a copy to Renee as well.”
“What?” I gasped. “You’re putting the tech on the table. It’s part of this?”
He nodded. “Look at it this way. The timing today is either perfect or fucking awful. But, does it matter? We’re alive. We’re together. And I’ll put the treasure tech in the deal if you’ll sign. I want the partnership. I believe more than ever that this city needs us. We have to weed out the evil. We have to make the changes to bring the families forward. It’s going to take both of us. And you need the tech to say yes. So, the tech is in the contract.”
“You want access to everything. The shipping? The tunnels? The distillery?”
He grinned. “Baby, you’re getting a multi-million-dollar piece of equipment. But you want to keep your whiskey barrels?”
I scrunched my nose. “I want all of it. You know that. I don’t share well.”
“And I do? I’ve never shared in my life.”
“Then what makes you think we can be business partners?” I asked.
His thumb raked up and down my spine. “Because we’re the only two still standing.”
I looked into his midnight eyes. I didn’t need another trip through hell to know how much I loved him. I didn’t need more loss and pain to remind me how happy he made me. I didn’t need him to make one more sacrifice to prove he wasn’t going to leave me again.
