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“There are a few things we should talk about,” he said.
She frowned slightly, but nodded. “Okay…”
“I think you should break the story about Damien Strickland and the Marshand chemical spill.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What? Don’t you think it would be dangerous?”
He gave a soft smile and squeezed her hand. “Maybe. But I’ll protect you.We’llprotect you,” he emphasized, gesturing around to the fortress that was Black Tower Security. Nothing was going to happen to Hannah on his watch. And he truly believed that the Syndicate would let Damien take the fall without making much noise.
He saw the wetness gather in Hannah’s eyes and reached up to brush away a tear. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. I just… I don’t know how to thank you. All of you—Tank, Pierce, Ryder, Jackson. Joey,” she added with a laugh. “I’ve never had so many people on my team.”
“Think you can put up with us for a while longer? I know I sort of strong-armed you into coming here, but are you okay with staying for a while? At least until we figure out where everything stands with the Syndicate and the Marshland story?” He held his breath, realizing just how much depended on her answer.
She smiled, placing a hand on his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, Will.”
“Oh, thank heavens,” he said in a sigh of relief.
He pressed his lips to hers, letting the reality of her declaration sink into him, spilling back into the fervor with which he held her. It seemed impossible that it had been less than a week, but he didn’t care. She was everything he needed. Everything he’d been looking for without realizing it. Her positive, resilient heart was a perfect counterbalance to his own cynical, stubborn soul.
And he would do everything in his power to protect and adore her exactly as she deserved.
He cradled her face in his hands, loving the way her skin felt against his palm.
“I love you,” he whispered between kisses.
He felt her smile against his own. “I love you, too.” Her sweet words filled him with a lightness he hadn’t known in years. God had put the perfect woman in his life when he least expected it. Even his own stubbornness and hangups weren’t enough to derail God’s plan. And he would be forever grateful for that mercy.
He’d led a dozen teams over the years, served alongside some of the best men and women he knew. But none of them made him feel like he wanted a true partner. Until Hannah.
EPILOGUE
Anthony knewhe should be at Black Tower right now. This was a big night for Hannah and the team, with the evening news segment highlighting the corruption at Marshand Chemical, but he couldn’t ignore his home’s security alert. Of course it would come when he was back in town and hoping for a quiet evening.
He’d spent the last two weeks tracking down every piece of information on Yuri and trying to determine who Saltykova might be. Joey had a theory, some crazy historical tidbit about someone with the name in Russia’s history. She thought Yuri had given someone a little Russian nickname, which didn’t help them at all when it came to finding out who was behind the shooting. Tank’s trek to Belarus didn’t reveal much either, besides Yuri’s computer. Tank had hand-delivered it to Joey earlier today, as soon as he got off the plane. Maybe she could unlock some secrets using the information on it. Other than the computer, Darkshade’s personal residence was exactly as cold and impersonal as you would expect from a notorious assassin.
Of course, some people might think the same about his own apartment. He briefly wondered what Kaylie thought about it, but dismissed the thought. She wouldn’t be there today, since he had once again cancelled and paid her anyway. It seemed wasteful to have her come when he’d been gone so much. The only thing that really needed done at his house was the laundry, including what was still in his suitcase.
Hopefully, he’d go figure out what triggered the motion sensor at the house and then toss some clothes in the wash before taking a very long night of sleep in his own bed. Anthony crept along the neighborhood street in his truck as the sun dipped just below the houses. There were kids still playing in the front yards and riding scooters down their driveways.
He didn’t fit in this neighborhood, but he liked the idea of being here.
He parked in the driveway, glancing at the vehicles on the street. None of them looked out of place, but he couldn’t be sure. He wasn’t really here enough these days to judge which cars belonged to the neighbors.
He glanced at the RavenTech security app on his phone. The motion sensor was still alerting, and there were a handful of lights on in the house, but he usually left a couple on timers when he left town.
Tank put his hand on his holster as he approached the front door.
He reached forward, opening it with one hand.
“Hello!”
The sound came from his knees, his fingers jolting away from his weapon at the sight of a toddler with the biggest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Umm…” Tank didn’t know what to do with this. He glanced back outside, making sure he hadn’t walked in the wrong door. “Who are you?”
“I’m Cinderella!” she cried. She all but tried to climb into his arms. “Are you Prince Charming?”
