66 - Monty
66
Monty
—
A faint twitch buzzes in my finger, like a spark igniting in the dark.
The subtle tremor spreads quickly, and my body begins to awaken, each muscle shaking off the paralysis with a stabbing warmth.
Relief consumes my senses, but so does the fury that still simmers in my chest, ready to explode the moment I’m free.
“Oliver.” Frankie tightens the sash on her robe, her green eyes ablaze with life. “I don’t know how or why you’re here—”
“I’m The Ghost.”
“Oh.” She makes a face like her head hurts. “I’m going to need to process that later. For now, will you go outside and watch for Rhett, keep him away from those planes, and maybe grab their clothes?” She motions at us.
“Of course.” He inclines his head and turns away.
“Oliver?” She waits for him to glance back and says, “Thank you. For everything.”
Another dip of his head, and he strides out of the cabin.
On the island, when he threw the fillet knife at me, his aim was deliberate, meant to grab my attention without harming me. With that single display of lethal precision, he proved he was The Ghost and solidified my trust in him.
He had about five seconds to promise me he would take down Frankie’s stalker before that photo arrived on our devices.
By the time I clicked the link, The Ghost was gone, melted into the background. Rhett never saw him through our camera phones.
I didn’t see him again until we boarded Rhett’s plane in Sitka and destroyed our phones. He emerged on the tarmac, floated out of fucking nowhere, and slipped onto our plane wearing a goddamn parachute, rifle, and ammo vest.
He hid in the cargo hold and didn’t speak to us on the way here. None of us spoke. We didn’t know if Rhett had eyes and ears in the cabin. If he did, he would’ve seen The Ghost jump from the plane a few miles away.
It was a risk that terrified me until we walked in and saw Frankie alive.
I flex my fingers, testing the strength returning to them. It’s agonizingly slow, but every second brings me closer to movement, closer to action. I breathe through the sensation, gritting my teeth as pins and needles stab at my limbs.
Wolf is the first to break free.
Shaking off the effects of the sedative, he finally regains enough energy to slip out of the rope and toss aside the IV fluid bag.
I can’t believe he had the strength to fling that knife. And with such accuracy.
As he rises to his full towering height, my heart thumps with disbelief and overwhelming emotion.
My son.
Alive.
He’s really here, flesh and blood, and he’s fucking perfect.
Circling the table, he approaches Frankie with slow, cautious steps.
Something flashes in her eyes as she watches him, something dark and tumultuous I don’t fully understand until she starts moving toward him.
Her face contorts with anger, grief, a violence that stuns me, even though I know the depth of what she’s been through.
She charges at Wolf, her glare murderous.
Is she going to hurt him?
“Tinker Bell…” He backpedals, hands up, trying to calm her. “Hold up.”
She doesn’t stop. She barrels toward him, fury and sorrow propelling her forward.
He stumbles around the row of corpses and bumps into my chair, his body close enough that I feel his heat. But it’s Frankie who holds my attention.
She’s a storm unleashed, crashing into him, her fists pounding against his chest.
“We grieved you for ten months!” Her voice breaks as she screams, “You left us! You tried to die!”
“Hey, hey.” He wrestles her swinging arms. “I changed my mind halfway down. I swear!”
“Why, Wolf?” She smacks his chest, losing steam. “Why?”
“I didn’t want to die a virgin.”
Her anger shatters, crumbling into sobbing wails that tear through the cabin. She breaks apart in front of us, and all I can do is watch as she releases everything she’s kept bottled up for so long.
Wolf shushes her softly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight with his cheek pressed to her head.
My chest tightens. My soul aches. As Frankie sobs into his bloodstained coat, he hugs her, comforts her, and it’s agony to witness. But it’s also something else, something I haven’t felt since Denver took Frankie.
Relief.
It’s over.
After tonight, after we hunt our prey and bring down our ruthless, bloody vengeance, we’ll go home.
No more searching.
No more stalkers.
No more death.
No more division.
We’ll be safe. Together. Our family. Whole for the first time.
Frankie lifts her head, her hands gripping Wolf’s face, her touch tender despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh, Wolf.” Her whisper trembles.
Then she kisses his jaw, nose, eyelids, and corners of his mouth, each press of her lips a plea, a question. “Are you real? Are you really here?”
“I’m really here, my little red wary berry.” His blue eyes shine as he kisses her brow. “I’m right here.”
He holds her close, his fingers running through her hair, comforting her.
I feel each touch like a physical ache in my chest, my heart threatening to burst. It’s surreal to take in, seeing my son alive, seeing the way he loves Frankie, seeing the way she clings to him.
I’ve lost so much. I lost Frankie twice. I thought I lost Wolf.
But I haven’t lost it all. Love lives and breathes. I feel it radiate from Kody and Leo at my side. I feel it wrap around us, fusing us together.
Frankie and Wolf pull apart, their breath coming in ragged gasps as they slowly turn to face me.
The air is thick and heavy as my muscles gradually come back online, allowing me to lift my head, to finally meet my son’s gaze.
He stares, really stares at me, for the first time. I stare back, unable to tear my eyes away from the boy.
No, not a boy.
A tall, handsome man stands before me. It’s like looking into a mirror and seeing my twenty-year-old self gaze back.
The connection between us kindles, an invisible thread of fire pulling us together, binding us in ways I never thought possible.
“I’m Wolf.” His voice is steady, strong, but there’s a hint of uncertainty he tries to cover with a cough. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” My throat tightens, and I fight to keep it together, to maintain my composure.
Oliver slips in with our clothes, passing them to Frankie before vanishing again.
She hurries toward us, dropping garments on our laps and untying the ropes that no longer need to hold us upright.
My muscles feel stiff, the drug still lingering. But I have the strength to pull on my pants.
Leo and Kody regain control, too, their limbs obeying sluggishly as they start to dress.
As I slide on my shirt, Frankie leans in and presses a deep, passionate kiss to my lips. It’s a shock to my system, pulling me back to life.
I grip her beautiful, tear-stained face and kiss her back, pouring every ounce of my love, my relief, into that kiss.
She eases away and moves to Leo and Kody, repeating the same gesture, kissing them with the same fierce love.
My gaze locks with Wolf, and we meld into a silent exchange, our eyes saying what our mouths can’t yet.
Father.
Son.
I’m sorry.
I love you.
Where do we start?
“I know everything about you.” He lowers his head, his eyes boring into mine. “Rhett visited me. Kept me updated on Frankie, Leo, and Kody’s escape from this place, on their transition into their new world.” His lips twitch, almost a smile. “I know all the struggles you’ve faced. And I know the four of you are in a relationship.”
There’s no judgment in his voice, just an acknowledgment of the truth as if he’s come to terms with the reality of it all.
“Congratulations.” He shifts his weight.
I don’t know what to say, unsure how to respond to this dreamlike moment.
I’m having a conversation with my son.
It’s unreal.
Frankie watches us and starts to say something, an apology forming on her lips.
“No. Don’t.” Wolf stares at her. “I’ve had ten months to think. You were right. You’re my sister. Without the dirty benefits.” A grin spreads across his face. “And you’re banging my dad.”
A suffocating weight lifts off the room, the tension breaking apart with that simple, self-deprecating humor.
“I have a lot of healing to do.” He lifts a shoulder. “A lot of soul searching. I need to master self-love like I mastered self-pleasure before dragging someone else into all this…” He motions at himself. “Sexy chaos.”
His words hit me deep, the honesty of them, the maturity I never expected but should have.
He was held captive for ten months in an outbuilding, listening to stories about those he loved continuing on with their lives, pursuing happiness, and finding love without him.
The devastation he must’ve felt, the hopelessness. I can’t fathom it.
I can’t rewind the clock and take that pain from him, but I will be at his side, every day, for as long as he lets me.
Finished with my clothes, I push myself up from the chair, my legs shaky, clumsy, but I manage to stand.
Frankie steps back, giving me space as I take a few tentative steps around the table, my heart racing.
Wolf regards me for a moment. Then he starts moving, meeting me halfway.
When I reach him, we fall into each other’s arms. The instant I feel his strong body against mine, I know I’m never letting go.
It’s not just an embrace. It’s everything we’ve lost, everything we’ve found, wrapped up in a hug. I hold him tight, my hands fisting in the back of his shirt. I feel him shaking, feel the emotion rolling off him.
Frankie’s sobs shudder through the room, but I can’t focus on anything other than my son, this miracle in my arms.
No words are needed. We just hold each other, father and son, united after so much pain, so much time lost.
My eyes burn with tears, hot and unstoppable.
When we finally pull back, I drag a knuckle across my wet cheeks.
I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe he’s here.
Before I can process it, Leo and Kody crash into us, their arms wrapping around Wolf, lifting him off his feet in a tangle of limbs and laughter and grunts of deep emotion. It’s pure chaos, pure joy, and I can’t stop the tears from falling as I watch them—my son, my brothers, my family—together again.
My gaze finds Frankie, and I crook my finger.
She rushes forward, her hands framing my face as she pulls me down for another kiss, this one slow and sweet, filled with all the love I’ve been holding onto for her.
“I love you,” she whispers against my lips. “I love you so much, Monty.”
“Love you more.” I deepen the kiss, fisting my hands in her hair, gripping hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you. I didn’t—”
“I’m okay. We’re all okay. We survived.” She glances at the corpses sitting at the table and grimaces. “We have some fucked- up trauma to unfuck. Lots of therapy. All the therapy. But we’ll sort it out. We’re going to have the happiest life together.”
She leans back, her eyes glimmering with tears and glowing with a smile.
A hand smacks the back of my head, snapping my attention to Kody.
His lips curl back, flashing a chilling smile as he holds my gaze. “It’s time to hunt.”