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I bobbed my head.
“Then there you go. Problem solved.”
I wanted to bring up Ginger and the girls, but I was smart enough to know that pushing my luck wouldn’t be the wisest idea at a time like this. Besides, it was easy to anticipate that Damien had already given the Bling brothers the order to retrieve them. If I was right, then the triplets could be well on their way to Clover Bay right now, along with whoever else they recruited for the job.
With that being said, it was time to get the fuck out of here before I got my ass tossed in that cellar with Jace.
I PARKED MY CAR in Uncle Xavier’s driveway and snapped the burner shut, my mangled face twisted with worry. Ginger wouldn’t answer the phone.
Shealwaysanswered my calls.
I got out of the car and slammed the door shut, hating how everything we’d accomplished—what we’re stilltryingto accomplish—was crumbling beneath our very feet, all because ofme.
Time wasn’t on our side. Fuck, luck wasn’t even on our side. Damien had Cindy and God only knew how long it would be before he’d get his hands on Ginger. I refused to just stand back and let that happen. The cock sucker would have to pump two bullets in my skull if he expected to come within an inch of her.
“Unc, you home?”
Shutting the door behind me, I gazed around, not seeing him anywhere. His car wasn’t in the driveway when I pulled in, but the garage was closed, so it was possible he’d parked his car there. Unc rarely spent any casual time moping around the actual house, not since Rhett’s mother died. He always spent his downtime in the basement. It was somewhat of a Father and Son bonding project that he, Rhett, Isaac, and Phantom had completed when the boys were younger.
Dashing through the kitchen, I reached the basement door, finding it closed.No wonder he couldn’t hear me.When I opened it, I overheard voices. There was one in particular that had my lungs fatally deflated by the time I made it to the bottom step.
My lips parted wide as my eyes swept over her again. Before my brain had ever comprehended that she moved, we were face-to-face.
I didn’t speak. Neither did she.
We moved at the same time and crashed our mouths roughly against each other in an intimate, passionate, kiss.
She was here. She was really here.
“I love you,” Ginger whispered against my lips.
“I love you, too.” I kissed her again, then pulled back, cupping her cheeks. “You-you look…”
“Like complete shit?”
“No.” I shook my head and tucked a fire red strand behind her ear. “Never. You’re beautiful.”
I couldn’t recall a time when I’d seen her lookthisgood. Her fiery locks held so much volume, bounce, and shine. Her skin was tan, and her adorable freckles I loved so much were darker around her nose and cheeks, a clear sign she’d been spending her freedom sunbathing on a beach. She’d gained a little bit of weight, too, which I wasn’t even the slightest bit upset about. If anything, the few extra pounds made her look just as stunning.
She looked happy.
Healthy.
“Baby.” The hard dose of reality settled in and then I felt the smile on my face wither. “You’re here.Why are you here?”
“I know,” she said, frowning as she took in my reaction. “And I’m sorry. After you’d warned me that Damien put a price on our heads, I knew it was only a matter of time before he’d find us.”
“So you decided to come back here? Fuck, babe. Out of all the places in the world, you chosehere?”
She opened and closed her beautiful mouth, grappling to answer. I glared over her shoulder at my uncle, who was leaning against the bar, a drink in his hand, his brows raised high as he observed us.
“Did you know about this?”
“No,” he answered. “A taxi dropped her off about five minutes before you arrived. I had nothing to do with it.”
“He’s telling the truth, Finn,” Ginger promised, her eyes sad, nestled with worry. “He didn’t know I was coming here. Nobody did. This is all on me.”
“Butwhy?” I asked, grasping her cheeks again, trying to understand why someone so exquisitely smart would make such a stupid decision. “Why would you come back here? You know how dangerous it is. You know what Damien will do to you if he—”
