I nod. “It’s done, and I’ve left no trace. It was a murder-suicide.”
A smile tugs one side of his mouth and I know he’ll forgive me for doing this without his permission and for lying about it. “I would have helped you, Lamb.”
“I don’t need help,” I offer meekly. “This was something I needed to do for Jesse. A last token of my thanks for bringing me to you.”
“Seems you had lots of help. You took a third of our guards.” Another smirk. “It’s how I knew you were up to no good. Callie loves you and was worried about you, so she told me what you were doing.” He cups my face. “Did Reggie do all the heavy lifting?”
“No. I did it.”
His eyes widen and he chides, “You don’t have to do stuff like this.”
“I will always be comfortable in darkness, but now I can shine in daylight,” I say. “I started this quest for Jesse. I needed to finish it. I needed to know she wouldn’t hurt another child. This is how I want to start my rule, Riley. With you. With this chapter closed. All the way closed,” I remedy. “Forgive me for lying to you and for excluding you.”
“Is this our first fight as a married couple?” he asks. We’ve been married for a bit, paperwork is easy to file when you have money. We’ll hold an actual ceremony when life slows down.
“Are we fighting? I already said I was sorry.”
“Get in the car. I already told Reggie I have you. They’ll finish.”
I ignore his request and instead turn around and watch it burn. The last of who I was, the last of what trapped me in a life I thought I would never escape, everything that kept meDestiny. After watching for a few moments, I turn to Riley, my lips tilting up in the corner, asking for a kiss.
He kisses me. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a regular problem for us. Tell me when you’re feeling murderous. I have a list a mile long, baby.”
I cringe, climbing into the back seat with him.
“Sorry, too soon.”
Nodding, I say, “I don’t have the stomach for it at the moment.”
“This was reckless tonight, but even I will admit Jesse is smiling up from hell right now.”
“I like to think he’s in heaven with Wyatt.”
He quiets the conversation by kissing me. It’s comforting. I’m still me. I can still be the woman Riley loves after doing dark deeds.
I pull out of his kiss, needing reassurance. “You don’t look at me any differently, right? Any less?”
He holds my chin. “This only makes me realize I couldn’t have chosen a better partner, Drew. I love you no matter what you do, I thought you’d realize by now that my love doesn’t have strings. It’s endless. It’s deep. It’s fire.”
Closing my eyes, I accept the peace he’s offering and relish the birth of a new woman. An unstoppable one.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jesse
Strolling a cobbled street in Spain, I taste the air as I walk past a bakery and then peer at my glassy reflection. Jesse Astor no longer exists, of course. I died in The Grot at the hands of Riley. The medics were paid off, and even though I was close to death, my old ticker was still going. A Spanish plastic surgeon crafted me from a bloodied, barely recognizable zombie into a new man. I’m Gabriel, an artist in Spain without any ties from my former life as an Astor. I don’t look the same, act the same, or have any residual guilt about the past. It wasn’t always the plan for Riley to kill Jesse. It was only when Drew gave him an ultimatum.“If you love me, really, truly love me, let him live.”I respected the shit out of him for going as far as he did for love. I knew then I’d never tasted a love as pure as what he felt for Drew. The irony is she can’t even know I’m alive. Love is fucking crazy!
They say money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a whole new life. Twice. This time I’m not wasting a second. I wasn’t given much because I gave everything to Drew, but what I have is enough to start a new crusade.
“You’re deep in thought. What are you thinking about?” Daria asks. She’s a brunette, model skinny, with a pack-a-day cigarette habit. I like her well enough. She keeps me company and never asks questions about where I came from. She accepts I started over in Spain and loves my art.
“A piece I want to paint tonight,” I reply, grinning at her. Light. I give her the light part of me. Not because she deserves it. Daria did nothing to earn it. She was merely in the right place at the right time. Drew deserved this part of me. Sometimes when I’m in a deep conversation with Daria, I picture Drew. I give her what she deserved by proxy. I can’t give her the title of mistake, no matter how hard I try. She gave me a window into my own soul and showed me the possibility of good.
She beams back. “Will I be modeling again?” Daria’s English is a bit broken. Not as bad as my Spanish, though.
I shake my head. “Not tonight. It’s a commissioned piece,” I explain. “It needs to be something specific.”
Her face drops. I hug her around her shoulders. “But you can sleep over if you want.”