Epilogue Sophia
After I hung up with Tasha, I found Jack already at his laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard with the kind of focused intensity I recognized from his paramedic work.
But this was different. This was Jack McKenzie, son of a New Zealand business dynasty, not Jack the charming Kiwi who made incredible coffee and left his socks on my bedroom floor.
"You're calling Charlotte," I said. It wasn't a question.
I settled into the chair beside him, watching him navigate what looked like an encrypted messaging system I'd never seen before. "Jack, are you sure about this? I mean, what if you can't—"
"Sophia." His voice was gentle but firm. "What did you tell me about Troy? About how you felt when he was threatening Madison?"
The memory made my chest tight. "That I'd do anything to protect her."
"Right. And what did I do?"
I thought about Troy's sudden departure from the state, the way his harassment had stopped so abruptly it was like he'd simply vanished. Jack had never told me exactly what had happened, just that "the situation was handled."
"You made him go away," I said quietly.
"I had him made to go away," Jack corrected. "There's a difference. And Sophia, what Tasha just described? This Sarah woman systematically trying to destroy a good man and steal his daughter? That's not just cruel. That's evil."
The laptop chimed with an incoming video call. Jack accepted it, and suddenly the screen filled with the face of Charlotte McKenzie—Jack's older sister, and the real power behind the McKenzie empire.
"Jackie," she said without preamble, her accent thicker than Jack's, her expression sharp with intelligence. "This better be important. I'm supposed to be reviewing the quarterly reports."
"It's important, Char. Family emergency. Sort of."
Charlotte's eyebrows rose. "Sort of?"
"Sophia's colleague. Good bloke, single father, being fucked over by his ex and her expensive lawyers here. They're trying to steal his kid using some very underhanded tactics. Hearing's at 9 AM local time tomorrow—that's about midnight our time tonight."
Jack quickly outlined the situation—Sarah's abandonment, the custody grab, the lawyer conflicts, the systematic sabotage of Nate's legal options.
"Bradford Kensington," Charlotte repeated when Jack mentioned the attorney's name, making notes. "And you need an American lawyer who can handle family court. On about eight hours' notice."
"I know it's asking a lot—"
"Jackie, you remember Alex Hayes? The Sydney barrister Dad helped out of that mess with her ex?"
"The one whose husband was embezzling from her firm's trust accounts?"
"That's the one. Well, her daughter lives in Washington D.C. now. Brilliant family lawyer, handles high-stakes custody cases for politicians and diplomats. Alex calls her 'the American version of herself.'"
Charlotte's fingers were already moving over her keyboard. "Let me see... yes, here we go. Eleanor Hayes. Just made partner at Hayes, Winters & Associates last year. She owes her mother everything, and her mother owes Dad everything."
"Think she'll take a midnight phone call?" Jack asked.
"She'll take the call if I have to wake her up myself.
" Charlotte paused. "But Jackie, even if Eleanor agrees to this, there's no guarantee she can pull it together in time.
Eight hours to prepare for a custody modification hearing?
That's barely enough time to read the file, let alone build a defense. "
"We have to try, Char."
"Right then." Charlotte's expression hardened with determination. "I'll call Alex now, she can reach out to Eleanor. But I'm also putting Rawiri on this. If we're going into battle, I want to know everything there is to know about this Sarah Davis woman."
Jack opened another messaging window, this one labeled simply "R."
"Already on it," he said, typing quickly. "Rawiri's one of the best intelligence gatherers in the Southern Hemisphere. If there's dirt to be found, he'll find it."
The laptop chimed with Charlotte's call ending, then immediately chimed again with an incoming message from "R."
"Brief received. Already running preliminary searches. This Bradford Kensington character has an interesting reputation. Give me two hours for full workup on all parties."
"Jack," I said carefully, "what exactly are you asking your people to do?"
He looked at me, and for a moment I saw past the easy charm to something harder underneath.
"Research, Sophia. All legal, all above board.
But thorough. If Sarah Davis has skeletons, if Kensington has a history of sharp practices, if there's anything that might help Nate's case—we're going to find it. "
The laptop chimed again. A message from Charlotte: "Eleanor is in.
She's pulling an all-nighter and gathering her team.
Says she'll be in the courthouse at 9AM sharp.
She sounds absolutely furious about the lawyer consultation conflicts—apparently that's a career-ending ethical violation if it can be proven. "
Jack smiled, but it wasn't his usual warm grin. It was something sharper. "Looks like Ms. Davis picked the wrong family to fuck with."
Another message from Rawiri: "Preliminary findings: Sarah Davis is running a startup funded by venture capital.
She's been suspected of using digitally altered photos of the child in her marketing materials.
This is potentially massive fraud if her investors believe she's an active parent. Full financial analysis in one hour."
Jack paused, reading another message that had just come in. His eyebrows shot up.
"What?" I asked.
"Rawiri just sent Nate's military background check." Jack's voice was quiet, almost reverent. "Sophia, did you know Nate has a Navy Cross?"
I blinked. "A what?"
"Navy Cross. It's the second-highest military decoration in the US.
Only one step below the Medal of Honor." Jack was still reading, his expression growing more amazed.
"Jesus Christ. He ran through enemy fire in Fallujah to reach wounded Marines.
Carried two wounded civilians to safety under sniper fire.
Rawiri says even he was impressed, and he's ex-NZSAS, spent months in the mountains of Afghanistan. "
"I had no idea," I breathed. "He never... Nate never mentioned anything like that."
"Of course he didn't," Jack said softly. "That's exactly the kind of man who would never bring it up. But Sophia, if Sarah's lawyer tries to paint him as unstable because of his PTSD..."
"They'll be attacking a genuine war hero," I finished, understanding dawning.
"Exactly. And if Eleanor can get that into evidence..." Jack's smile was sharp. "Well, let's just say judges tend to take a very dim view of attorneys who attack decorated veterans. And venture capital firms, even moreso."
I leaned back in my chair, watching this man I loved coordinate what was essentially a precision strike to save people he'd never met. "Your family really doesn't mess around, does it?"
"When it matters? Never." He pulled me close for a quick kiss. "Besides, Nate gave me advice once that helped save our relationship. I owe him."
"What advice?"
"To own up to my mistakes and hope you'd forgive me." Jack's expression grew thoughtful. "He said that sometimes showing up means admitting you fucked up. Best relationship advice I ever got."
As I watched him work, I realized I was seeing a side of Jack McKenzie I'd only glimpsed before.
This wasn't just my charming paramedic boyfriend.
This was someone who'd grown up understanding that, as the saying went, with great power came great responsibility— and that sometimes the right thing to do was use every resource at your disposal to help good people.
Tomorrow, Sarah Davis was going to learn that the McKenzie family never fought to lose.