AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anton is how you knew about the twenty million.”
“Yeah.”
“So, you knew I was a former agent and were in Little Hill for me?”
I grinned. “Yeah, but I wasn’t going to reveal my hand, and it wasn’t just for you. But a marker is a marker, and now, I owe you one.”
“Yeah, you do,” Killian said, then walked away, before calling over his shoulder, “I’ll be in touch.”
I sat inthe clubhouse with a bottle of Jack. Hard to believe it had only been two days, but no longer being fueled by vengeance felt pretty fucking good. With the twenty million free and clear, we could make some changes to how things were run. We’d never be on the right side of the law, but we could straddle that line, working in some legit businesses. Maybe even doing something a bit like Damian’s crew, helping those who couldn’t help themselves. I had some things to think about, but what I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about was Cedar. I hadn’t seen her before she went back to Wyoming. What she’d said to me in New York and being back to what was now my home, it wasn’t enough. Seeing her again, knowing we’d survived the ugly of our past, and that life was too fucking short…I wasn’t sure how the hell Killian was going to take it, and being indebted to him, it was likely the marker he’d call was for me to stay the hell away from her, but I never did listen too well.
I’d gotten word from Anton. Declan had joined his father. Fucking poetic, buried in the same grave. A chill moved through me; Dominic was a sick bastard. For all eternity, Declan would be resting next to the man he despised more than life. I made a note to tread lightly when it came to Dominic and the mob in general. There was a reason they'd been around for so fucking long.
It was thinking about Dustin that stirred the thought. One I was going to dismiss, but as I sat there, the pieces slowly started to fall into place. Fuck. How the hell had I missed it? I jumped from the sofa, pulling out my cell, and called Killian, but the call went to voicemail. “We had it wrong. Declan isn’t the head of the snake.”
I signaled to Moby. “Call Anton. I need his plane.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Cedar
“That’s it. Relaxyour legs.” I tried and moved into the motion.
“How’s it feel?” Killian asked.
“A little sore, but I understand your love of it.”
Lady galloped around the paddock. Killian stood in the middle of the space, watching me.
“You think you’re up for a ride?” he asked.
Riding him absolutely. He knew what I was thinking when he said, “Count on that later.”
It should be later. There was a lightness about Killian lately. He was still quiet, but he seemed happier. I knew I was. It was over, everyone came home, and hopefully, Brock would find his way and maybe that would, in part, be him coming back into my life. When Killian returned that night, he said his goodbyes. I barely got to say mine, and we were on the plane home. It had been two days, and we’d spent all of that time in bed.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Yeah?” he said, but was already moving to Cisco.
“We’ll take it slow.”
“I trust you.”
He brought Cisco right up against Lady, grabbed me, pulled me close and kissed me.
The horses’ handler opened the gate; Cisco led the way, Lady right behind him. We didn’t go far, and we didn’t go fast, but there was something so tranquil about the ride. Man and horse, nature. It was amazing.
“I get it,” I said, glancing over at him. “This is incredible.”
He didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. I turned back to the view, but I was thinking about Killian and how far we’d come. To say I fell, and fell hard, wasn’t an understatement. He had too. Sometimes, I woke myself up, thinking about the events that led me here. I never thought I could have a happily ever after. Not after what I had lived through. I thought the best I could hope for was finding peace. And then I found him, this intensely quiet and beautiful man. It was like someone guided me here. Someone pointed me down the path to not just find happy again, but the kind of love people wrote books and songs about. Tears burned my eyes because I believed it was my mom. She told me once, she hadn’t fallen for my dad, right away, that it took being together. That’s how it was with Killian. It wasn’t love at first sight, but we slipped into love, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
I didn’t realize where we were until my house appeared through the trees. “What are we doing here?”
“Need to show you something,” Killian said, climbing off his horse before he helped me from mine.
Graham’s crew had already packed it in for the day. The work was almost done. The gazebo was being built, the final touches on the outdoor fireplace. I really did love this spot, but it didn’t make sense to keep both, to leave this empty, when someone could enjoy it.
Killian took my hand and led me to the garage, going through the door to the stairs that led up to the extra room.
