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Still, I was going to miss them. Especially the little guy in Dulce’s arms. I open my arms for him, and he comes to me willingly. He lays his head on my chest and sucks his thumb as I breathe him in.
“You are going to love staying with my friends, Zale. They have lots of horses. I know Griff will teach you to ride if you ask him.”
He lifts his head and stares at me before he places a hand on each of my cheeks. He doesn’t speak, hasn’t spoken a word since I found him. The doctors think it’s a combination of things, most of them stemming from trauma, but they are hopeful that one day that will change. It doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s perfect just the way he is.
He leans forward and kisses me before wrapping his arms tightly around my neck. I can feel his tears on my skin. It triggers my own, but I fight them back, needing to be the strong one here.
Pulling back, I look down at him and wipe his tears with the pad of my thumb. “I’ll see you soon, little man.”
I kiss his forehead and hand him over to Dulce, who leans forward and wraps one of her arms around my neck. “Don’t be too long, okay? We miss you.”
I smile but don’t offer her anything else. I leave her to say her goodbyes to Aslanov, who is hanging around for another few days while I tie up some loose ends. Loose ends that are better off being tied with the kids and Dulce far away from here. Besides, she misses her babies.
I walk over to Lollie and Reese. “So, you know the plan. Any questions?”
“When are you coming home?” Reese asks.
“Once everything here is settled.”
“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me everything?”
“Paranoia?”
She scowls at me, making me chuckle.
“God, I missed you.” I wrap them both up in a group hug before stepping back. “Go. The sooner we have all the pieces in place, the sooner the game can be over.”
“Promise?” Lollie asks softly.
“I promise this will all be over soon.”
I leave with a wave before they can push me any further. I jump in my car and drive toward the beach, knowing Rémy is tailing me. We might fuck every morning, noon, and night, but the trust between us all is broken in a way that’s beyond repair. Nobody wants to walk away and admit defeat, so we each stand there with jagged shards of our truth in our hands, bleeding out because we’re too scared to let the person beside us share our burden. Denial has been our friend for so long, but it ends tonight.
I park and climb from my car and slip off my shoes despite the unusually cold temperatures. The day Lena died, it snowed all day, something that’s virtually unheard of in this region. It hasn’t snowed since. I can’t help thinking that maybe it wasn’t simply strange weather but a path to guide an angel home.
With my shoes in my hand, I walk down to the water’s edge and stand on the cool sand, looking out at the choppy, dark water. I’ve seen this ocean a million times in my life. I’ve seen it look calm and inviting and in the throes of a chaotic storm. Watching it now, I wonder if it’s tuned into my emotions because it looks ominously dark and uncertain today—like it could turn on you in a heartbeat and drag you down just for the hell of it.
“Don’t you have someone to capture or kill?” I ask when I feel Rémy step up beside me.
“Nope. I’ve retired.”
I turn to look at the man in surprise. “What?”
“I figured keeping you alive is a full-time job.”
“Rémy—”
“Don’t, Sugar. Don’t say something to piss me off.”
“Everything I say pisses you off, so it’s not looking good.”
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“It’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“Time for me to hear what you three need to say. Time for me to answer some questions. It’s time for me to go home.”
