Epilogue
“I t doesn’t look real . Can you believe this is real?” Bristol wanted to pinch herself.
She had always dreamed of going to Europe someday, had imagined what it would be like to experience all the different cultures, the cobbled streets of ancient towns and villages with their historic buildings. But nothing could have prepared her for this view.
“I feel like I’m in a postcard or a movie or something.” She was trying her best to focus on that and stay in the moment, rather than give in to her growing anxiety about what was coming up next.
“It’s not bad,” TJ agreed, helping himself to a warm pain au chocolate from the napkin-covered basket between them at the wrought-iron table on the hotel terrace. He had gone all out booking the trip for them. This hotel overlooking the lake was breathtaking, and easily ten times more luxurious than anywhere she’d stayed before.
“Not bad?” She shot him an incredulous look. “It’s breathtaking.”
In the distance, the mountain peaks were dusted with snow. Below to her right, Lake Zurich glittered in the golden late-September sunshine. Their hotel was right in the historic heart of the old city center, nestled just inland from the lake’s northern tip.
They’d arrived yesterday afternoon after a few days in London and had explored a bit. Zurich was a vibrant mix of old and new, a center of heritage, a financial and industrial powerhouse. Especially the banking, tech, and medical sectors.
Which was why they were here.
TJ’s phone beeped, face down on the table. He picked it up, read it, and texted someone. “It’s your dad. He says hi.”
She shook her head in disbelief, tried not to feel offended. “Say hi back.”
“Already did.” He put the phone away, carried on eating as though nothing had happened.
It was surreal that TJ and her dad were texting buddies. They had met the morning after that horrible day she’d been taken hostage. Their initial meeting had been chilly and stiff, but over the past few weeks her dad had thawed toward him considerably. They both loved the NFL, which helped, and her dad was always watching those NatGeo documentaries about drug smuggling or law enforcement operations against dealers and cartel members. Now he called or texted TJ about them, asking him questions for “expert insider info.” It seemed to amuse TJ.
As for him and Cassie, their relationship was still very much a work in progress. Cassie had grudgingly accepted him into the family circle, but still gave him the hairy eyeball occasionally. Though to be honest, Cassie had trust issues with men. And Bristol secretly loved how loyal and protective Cass was with her.
But it would be nice if her dad would text her as often as he did TJ now. She glanced at her phone to check that she’d turned off silent mode. No messages from her dad or Cassie. Jeez. “What time are we leaving for the hike?” She was wound up, could try to blame her jitteriness and fatigue on jetlag, but that wasn’t the real problem.
She was nervous.
“Around ten should give us plenty of time to get to the pickup spot.”
A shuttle bus was taking them from the center of Old Town up to the base of a mountain to meet the rest of the group for the three-hour hike. “Okay.”
It was just before nine now. Only a few minutes until...
She busied herself with spreading butter and jam on bits of a flaky croissant and tried her best not to give away how anxious she was.
“You okay?” he asked, somehow picking up on it anyway.
“Yeah, fine.”
Life had felt like a whirlwind since the day she’d blown his cover, and they were just now coming to the other side of it. TJ had officially given his notice to the DEA last week before leaving on their trip. He was taking these few weeks with her as a break from everything before deciding what to do after this. Once they got back and he officially moved into her place, he was thinking about applying at CPS.
Turned out the memory stick he had gotten from Leandro’s right-hand guy had contained all kinds of juicy and incriminating evidence on it. Those documents, videos, and files had allowed the DEA to dismantle the cartel’s operations in the Pacific Northwest.
Their trip so far had been wonderful. After the chaos of their early relationship and the whirlwind of the official investigation that followed, this time together was a gift. She’d learned so much about him over the past few weeks.
He loved rock music and Thai food. He had a dry wit that came out when she least expected it. He was tidy and brooding, although he brooded less and less since leaving the DEA. He was sexually intense in a way that got her body humming with a single heated look. And he snored a bit if he slept on his back.
Maybe later on she’d want to smother him with a pillow, but right now during the honeymoon stage, she found it sort of endearing. Mostly.
“Hey.” TJ reached over and grasped her hand. Tugged her toward him.
She blew out a breath, got up and allowed him to pull her into his lap. He engulfed her in a firm embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head. “It’s gonna be fine,” he murmured.
She sure as hell hoped so.
“I wouldn’t have asked you to be here for this otherwise.”
She nodded, her cheek rubbing against his chest. He would never do anything to hurt her. And this was important to him. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are. Trust me about this.”
“I do.” It was the only reason she’d agreed to this.
“Good.” He kissed the top of her head. “Hey, there they are.” He released her.
Bristol scrambled off his lap and braced herself at the sight of her kidnapper coming toward them, pushing a woman in a wheelchair along the terrace. TJ rose and stepped in front of her to greet them warmly, shaking hands with Nico and then the wife.
“Glad you could both make it,” TJ said to them. “And this is Bristol.” He turned to her, curled a heavy arm around her in reassurance.
She stared at Nico, feeling stiff and awkward, the disquiet inside her growing. How did one greet their former kidnapper? “Yes, hi,” she said to him. She was doing this mainly for TJ, but also a little bit for herself. For closure. Because TJ cared about him, and had convinced her that Nico was actually a decent guy in spite of everything he’d done.
The wife seemed sweet though. “Hello.” Bristol gave her a genuine smile, relieved that the initial shock was behind her.
“I’m Liana,” the other woman said. She was bundled up in a thick, cream sweater and lap blankets to keep her warm in the crisp morning air. Her cheeks were rosy, her long blond hair twisted into a single braid over one shoulder, and her sky-blue eyes were friendly.
Bristol liked her instantly. Wondered if she knew she was married to a cartel contract killer.
“How are you feeling?” she asked. Liana looked great, but that could be deceptive. Primary progressive MS was a terrible disease that stripped away quality of life along with function and dignity over time.
“Leave it to a medical professional to go straight there,” TJ said wryly.
Bristol couldn’t help it. She was far more comfortable focusing on Liana than Nico, and yes, she was incredibly curious about the medical treatments Liana was receiving here.
“It’s fine,” Liana said with a light laugh. “Nico said you’re an ultrasound tech?”
It was still weird to think of him as Nico and not Angel, the cartel hitman. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Best they’ve got,” TJ said.
Bristol raised her eyebrows. “Well, that’s lovely of you to say, but he’s exaggerating,” she said to Liana.
“I’m not. Everyone at the hospital thinks so.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Really? Like who?”
“Travis, Grady, and Brandon for starters.”
“What? When did you talk to them?”
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “You’d be surprised who I’ve talked to.”
Yeah, she probably would be. He was still so damned mysterious in a lot of ways. She was doing her best to peel back all his layers one at a time.
“Here, sit down and eat with us,” TJ said, gesturing to the table.
Nico pushed Liana’s chair close to the table, then moved around to take the seat beside her next to TJ. Bristol sat across from him, aware of the weight of his stare as she studiously avoided looking at him.
This was still bizarre and uncomfortable. The man had literally broken into the condo and taken her hostage. Now they were sitting at the breakfast table together in Switzerland.
TJ slid an arm around her back, his large hand wrapping around her shoulder in reassurance. His fingers squeezed gently. She released a slow breath, drawing strength from his presence.
“Bristol.” Nico’s voice was quiet. Calm.
She forced herself to look at him. Her pulse skittered. TJ tightened his grip slightly. She could almost hear his voice in her head.
It’s okay, Slugger, promise. I’m right here. It’s gonna be okay.
She drew in a breath, pushed the residual fear aside. “Hm?”
Nico’s gaze was steady on her. “I’m sorry about what I did. And I’m sorry you were scared.”
Whoa. Bristol blinked at him. She hadn’t expected him to come right out and say it, let alone in front of the others. But he seemed completely sincere, and maybe even a little regretful.
She darted a look at Liana. How much did she know about what her husband had done?
Liana was watching her silently, with sympathy and kindness.
Bristol cleared her throat, reaching for grace and understanding. She didn’t know what he’d told Liana, but couldn’t imagine he’d told her the whole truth—for her own protection as much as to preserve her image of him—and she certainly wasn’t going to bring it all up in front of Liana.
“Rumor has it you had good reason.” Acting out of desperation to save his wife had a certain element of nobility to it. A twisted nobility.
And he hadn’t hurt her, though he could have at any point. He could easily have killed her to prevent having a witness once TJ had boarded the Sea Siren . Instead, he’d left her out of harm’s way in the cabin and had even tried to reassure her a couple of times.
Whatever else he was, he wasn’t a monster.
“I did.” Nico glanced at Liana, and the adoration on his face went a long way toward convincing Bristol that TJ was right. Nico seemed like a good person.
Her nerves eased. She’d come to this meeting hoping for closure and to satisfy her curiosity about Nico and his wife. She hadn’t expected to get both within the first five minutes of meeting them, or to start liking the guy.
But she had. Now it was time to move forward. “Anyway, apology accepted.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Really?” He cocked his head at her. “Does that mean we could maybe start over?”
She considered it, surprised it mattered to him. And just as surprised at how much she wanted to erase her memory of him before and replace it with the man sitting in front of her now. “Sure.”
One side of his mouth kicked up, and he reached a hand across the table. “I’m Nico. Nice to meet you.”
She stretched out her own hand, met him halfway. “Bristol. Hi.” She shook with him.
The last of her inner tension melted away. She felt lighter instantly, the weight in her stomach miraculously gone.
TJ squeezed her again, leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Thank you,” he murmured, too low for the others to hear. She leaned into him in answer.
The server came and took Liana’s and Nico’s orders. Bristol and TJ each ordered another latte. It was all suddenly so normal, the conversation resuming as though the previous exchange between her and Nico had never happened.
Over fruit and pastries, Liana told them about the treatments she had been receiving at the private medical center here—Bristol presumed under a fake ID.
She had so many questions. If the DEA or FBI knew where Liana and Nico were, they hadn’t done anything about it. TJ didn’t know the details either. He’d told her Nico might have worked out some kind of immunity deal with them. But there was also a chance he and Liana had entered WITSEC, and were now living here under new identities.
“So it’s working?” Bristol asked, fascinated by what Liana had told them. She was receiving cutting-edge stem cell technology aided by AI, along with various immunotherapies and brand-new pharmaceuticals as part of the clinical trial.
“Seems to be.” Liana’s teeth flashed when she smiled. “I’m in remission.”
Bristol smiled back. “That’s fan tastic .”
“Yeah. The difference is already like night and day,” Nico said, watching his wife with such pride and love it put a lump in Bristol’s throat. He’d risked everything to give Liana this chance. “She’s getting stronger every day. Her appetite is back, her coordination is improving, her energy level is up, and she’s sleeping better too.”
“Speaking of appetite...” Liana peered at the napkin-strewn basket in the middle of the table. “Got any more of the chocolate ones left?”
“I’ll order you a basket of your own,” Nico said, grinning.
Bristol had a feeling that if Liana had asked for the rarest, most obscure delicacy in Switzerland, he would have tracked it down for her.
They visited for almost an hour. The conversation shifted from Liana’s medical situation to TJ and Nico reminiscing about their time at the DEA academy together.
Fascinated, Bristol ate up every detail about what TJ had been like back then, and found herself laughing along with them at times. Meanwhile, Liana ate three pains au chocolat , a large tropical fruit smoothie, and some strawberries.
“This mountain air is really doing you good,” Nico told her, then winced as he checked his watch. “Damn, we have to start heading back.”
“Here, take these with you.” Bristol hurriedly wrapped up the remaining pastries from the basket in a clean napkin and handed them to Liana. “You can snack on them later instead of having to eat hospital food.”
“I won’t say no, but you should see the meals I get there. A five-star chef makes us gourmet meals three times a day, and snacks if we want them.”
“One more perk of private, experimental holistic care,” Nico said, rising.
Bristol was dying to know how he was funding all this. She was half-convinced that he’d done all this under the radar somehow, because surely the government would have seized his assets, including investments or whatever money he had in his accounts.
He and TJ embraced and back-slapped each other.
Bristol stood and leaned down to hug Liana gently. She felt frail under the thick knit of her sweater, but her healthy coloring and sparkle told Bristol the treatment was going very well indeed. “You take care of yourself, and keep kicking ass in there.”
“Oh, I plan to kick it into total submission. I’ve got plenty of lost time to make up for and lots to live for.” She smiled up at Nico.
“Where will you go after the treatment’s done?” Bristol asked them.
They looked at each other. “Not sure,” Nico said. “But it doesn’t matter, as long as we’re together. Home is wherever she is.”
Bristol put a hand to her chest. Awww, come on. What kind of hitman said things like that?
His gaze shifted to her. “I’m glad I got the chance to see you again.”
Now that she’d gotten to see and meet the real him, it was impossible for her to reconcile him with the man who’d taken her captive. “Same.” Without overthinking it, on instinct she reached up to hug him.
He stiffened in surprise, then returned the embrace. Gently, but held on for several seconds before letting her go and stepping back. And she could tell by the relief in his smile that he’d needed that as much as she had.
TJ stepped up beside her and set a hand on her waist, the heat of his hand sinking through her sweater. It felt like he was claiming her in front of the others, and she liked it way too much. “You guys take care,” he said.
“You too. Keep in touch.” Nico turned Liana’s chair around and wheeled her away.
She and TJ watched them until they disappeared inside the main dining room.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his hand squeezing her waist.
“I’m glad I did it. I needed that. And you’re right, he is a good guy after all. I liked him. And her, of course. What a warrior.” When he didn’t respond, she glanced up and found him staring down at her with a mixture of pride and something else. Something more intense. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing. Just you.”
“What about me?”
“Your bravery. And your huge, caring heart.” He shook his head. A slow smile curved his sexy mouth, the pride in his dark eyes warming her more than the bright morning sunshine. “Do you know how much I love you?”
She suppressed a gasp. He’d never said the words before. “How much?” she whispered.
“So much that I want to rebuild my life with you at the center of it.”
Ohhhh, man...
Her knees went a little weak, a sappy smile spreading across her face. He was the most complicated man, with depths she was only beginning to discover. And, apparently, he was a stealth romantic too.
She drew in a breath, blinked fast as tears gathered in her eyes. “Are you trying to make me cry in public? Because that’s how you do it. And by the way, I love you too.” She threw her arms around him, hugged him tight and buried her face in his chest. It mashed her glasses against the bridge of her nose, but she didn’t care. She’d never been this happy.
She couldn’t wait to tell Cassie about this.
He nuzzled the top of her head, his hold turning possessive. “What do you say we skip the hike and head back to the room for a while instead?” His low, intimate tone sent spirals of heat curling through her.
Her pulse quickened, her body already tingling in anticipation. “I actually hate hiking. And anyway, the only thing I’m interested in climbing right now is you.”
A laugh burst out of him, the carefree, happy sound ringing in the clear morning air. He tipped her chin up to plant a kiss on her lips, smiled down at her. “Slugger, you can climb me anytime you want.”
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—The End—