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“You’re not going to like it.”
“Tell me.”
“You make me a hero. You have the media create a hero myth around Ingram Dent, the man who toppled a criminal empire and saved countless millions — including the love of his life.”
He’s right. That doesn’t sit well with me.
“You’re my hero,” I say. “But for a lot of people…”
He nods.
“I know. But it would drive Anton insane if we kept him alive to watch it.”
I take his hand and feel his hard chest.
“Maybe if he was alive he could just see us happy together,” I say. “He’d hate that too.”
“True, he would. Maybe we’d have a couple of kids who we’d love like he never was. He’d see our happy family and see what he missed out on because all he cared about was revenge.”
I kiss Ingram, picturing us all together. It would be beautiful. It would be perfect.
“I like the family part, but we can’t let him live,” I say.
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe when we drive him mad with hallucinogens we could make him think he’s been trapped in our prison for years.” Ingram smiles. “We’ll get some doctored pictures of us with kids, articles about you getting the Pulitzer, you being interviewed about being saved by a brave, handsome hero. We could have me receiving a medal from the president in front of an applauding audience.”
“That’s it. That’s what we should do,” I say.
“Then we will. That’s the plan.”
“Good.”
“Then what?” Ingram asks.
“What do you mean?”
He takes my hand to his lips and kisses it.
“When all this is over, when Anton is dead and the Masters are dealt with, what do you want to do?”
“Like, besides getting back to work?”
“Yeah.”
That’s a good question. Before all this happened, taking time off wasn’t my strong suit.
“I don’t know. I want to travel, but I’m not big on vacations.”
“No tropical island retreats, huh?” says Ingram.
“No. I’ve had enough of that. I want to work — maybe reporting on stories happening around the world. That’s my best revenge against the Masters: reclaiming my old life.”
“What else?”
I laugh.
“You mean, like, drinking wine while taking a bubble bath?”
“Yes, exactly. Everything you’ve been deprived of, Kate. I will make a fucking list and cross off everything on it.”
