“It’s my client. I was giving him an update and discussing rescue terms. I also contacted Ryan and worked out the plan with him like you wanted. He’s contacted the correct agencies, and they are waiting for the word.”
“So your client’s willing to pay the extraction fee?” I asked, because if he was, I would be leaving soon.
“Once I assured him of your qualifications and terms, he was quite pleased. He’s been worried about her,” she added with a slight frown.
“You didn’t tell him who we were, did you?”
“Do you not know me at all?” she asked with a regal attitude that made me laugh.
“Yeah, I do. So who is this guy?” I pointed at the screen with my bottle.
“Well, part of the dark web is maintaining anonymity,” she said with a smirk.
“But?”
“But I know he’s a furniture maker in the hills of Tennessee. A friend of a friend gave him a shortcut to the room to ask for help.”
I laughed. “Is he dumb?” The dark web was not a place the general public should be playing around with.
“No, just very worried about finding his sister.”
“I get it,” I conceded.
As I stared at her gorgeous face, I reached out to trail my fingertips over her features. A crease formed between her eyes as she watched me. It dawned on me as I memorized every inch of the woman she’d become that I’d been lonely. It was a feeling I never wanted to experience again. Though I had my brothers and their families, a piece of my soul had been missing. It was her.
“Marry me,” I said, and her eyes popped wide.