“They can’t get taken from you? Oh, baby.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Everything will be all right.” He cupped the side of her face. “If we’re together, then I know the world is right and so should you.”
She nodded.
The sound of his phone ringing filled the room and he groaned then rolled off the bed to grab his jeans. “Shit. That’s Kent’s ringtone. He has crap timing.”
She grinned at him. “I don’t know, it could have been worse.”
“True,” he muttered as he answered the call.
She stretched, feeling complete in a way she hadn’t in a long, long time. If ever. She knew they still had some way to go. Her worries and insecurities weren’t going to just disappear like that. But for the first time she held hope that she might actually get past all this.
“What? Really?”
She turned to look at Zeke, surprised by the note of shock in his voice.
“Yeah. Fuck. That’s a relief. . .okay. Right.” He stared over at her with a slight frown. “We could come back tomorrow. . .fuck. Yes. . .he is? Right. . .I get it. Okay. . .see you soon.”
He ended the call then sighed.
“What is it? Is everything all right?” she asked anxiously.
“Yeah, baby. Everything’s really good actually. Keira’s been found.”
“What? Seriously? They found her?”
“Well, JSI operatives are the best in the world at their job,” he told her without a hint of arrogance. It was just a statement of fact. “Zander found her.”
“Zander’s good,” she said with a nod, her mind whirling. “What about the guy with her? What happens now?”
“Good news is she had the envelope. Bad news is she spent a lot of the cash. Zander is liaising with Reyes about getting the envelope and what cash she has left on her to him. The guy she ran off with wasn’t with her, though. Seems he took off on her with some of the cash.”
“What will Reyes do?”
“I’m thinking he’ll arrange a meeting with Bartolli. Give him the envelope. Don’t know what he’ll do about the money.”
“And Keira?” she asked.
He frowned. “Zander is insistent that he doesn’t want her handed over to Reyes and I get that.”
“You think Reyes will hurt her?”
He shook his head. “No, but I think that if Reyes has her, Bartolli will insist he hand her over to him and he will hurt her.”
Her stomach tightened into a knot. “What will Zander do with her, though?”
“Don’t know. But she’s better off with him. Despite what she’s done, nobody deserves to be handed over to that asshole, Bartolli.”
No, she agreed with that.
“So, does that mean I’m safe? That we. . .we can leave?” she asked hesitantly. She wasn’t ready to go.
“Yeah, baby. You’re safe.” He came back and sat facing her.
“Why don’t you look happier about that?”