Epilogue
HOW TO BE ME – REN & CHINCHILLA
HYLAND
Unloading Sabre’s jet on a private landing strip in the barren expanse of Wales’s endless countryside is no easy feat. At least we’re a smaller group after separating in Estonia, sending the Falcon Team and intelligence department on a flight to London.
I hold the bag of fluids connected to Axel’s IV line high enough to avoid getting tangled while his wheelchair is carried down the metal steps. He’s groggy, thankfully. Unaware of the fact that Blaine Madden of all people is carrying him to safety.
“Easy,” I mutter.
Blaine sets the chair down with Warner’s help. “He’s fine.”
“He will be. Get Ember, please?”
Nodding, Blaine ascends the steps back up into the private jet. The fact that he doesn’t question my delegation of Ember’s safety to him speaks volumes of all we’ve survived together in the past forty-eight hours.
Warner fusses over Axel, checking that his feet are seated in the footrest and the IV lines aren’t tangled around him. All Axel can summon is a lopsided, drug-addled smile.
“You’re so pretty,” he coos.
I burst out laughing. “Oh, damn.”
“Shut up,” Warner snips back. “Thanks, Ax.”
“Such big, beautiful blue eyes…”
Axel trails off in a round of semi-lucid laughter. I’m fighting back a hysterical fit of my own. The doctor we paid handsomely with Sabre’s funds did his best to patch up Axel’s badly cauterised wound, but he faces a long road ahead.
Arguably, not much longer than the trauma we all must live with. I’m not sure any of us can scrub the image of crashing into a random, deserted restaurant only to find Ember slumped on the floor, covered head to toe in blood.
Next to a corpse.
Antonio Gael’s very dead corpse.
My body shivers at the mere thought. Sure, I’m fucking proud of our girl. She didn’t need to wait for our tracking beacon to kick in and backup to arrive. Oh no. Not our Ember. That woman had it all handled long before we arrived in a panic.
Waiting for Blaine and Ember to emerge into the cool winter morning, I rest a hand on Warner’s shoulder. “Did you get some rest?”
“Nah.” He shakes his head.
“We can’t track Madden in this state. Leave it to the Falcon Team and everyone back at HQ. He can’t have gone far.”
“Nolan Madden abandoned his residence and slipped away. That’s unacceptable to me, Hy. This case isn’t over until he’s dead or behind bars.”
My head pounds just thinking about it.
“Can we take a small win?” I sigh. “Please?”
“Is there much to celebrate here?” He gestures at Axel.
“Injuries aside, I think there is. Our prime target is in a body bag. Gunnar Slaughter’s on his way to a holding cell in the bowels of Sabre HQ to be torn apart by Hudson. Gracie is going home. Even Nolan’s victim is alive in the ICU, set to be reunited with his parents.”
“Hy—”
“No. Cut the shit and take a win for once. Take multiple fucking wins, you stubborn idiot.”
Warner manages a tiny smile. “We’re running away from our enemies to hide in the middle of nowhere rather than facing them. Is that a good result?”
“We both know that Nolan Madden won’t take our assault lying down. He’ll attack and attack hard. The safest place for Ember and our team right now is off grid until we can regroup.”
“There’s nowhere we can hide from that man,” Warner disagrees. “He’ll tear London apart to find Ember and Blaine. This is just a short-term solution.”
“You have to run with it for now. We need to lie low. Ember needs time to rest and heal. You do too. We can’t fight Madden if we’re dead on our feet.”
Squeezing his shoulder, I release him with a final back slap. He rolls his eyes at me then refocuses on the jet’s steps. Blaine reappears with our flame-haired goddess curled beneath his arm.
Convincing Ember to let the Falcon Team take Gracie with Rayna and Fox was an hour-long screaming match. She was set on going with them. It was Gracie herself who convinced Ember to relent, pleading with her to go so she could return to her family.
Then Ember locked herself in the plane’s bedroom and didn’t emerge for the entire flight. Judging by her blotchy, red-spotted face and swollen eyes, she needed time alone to come to terms with all that’s happened.
“Where are we?” she croaks at the base of the steps.
Warner leans into Blaine’s space to lightly touch Ember’s cheek, careful of the fresh swelling.
“About thirty miles east of Briar Valley, love.”
She wriggles out from under Blaine’s arm to stretch. “Gotcha.”
“Come on, we should take cover.” I grab hold of the handles on Axel’s wheelchair. “They’re expecting us.”
Warner seizes Ember’s hand while Blaine hooks an arm around her shoulders, keeping her upright between them. For days, none of us have slept much. I’m sure we all look as exhausted as Ember does right now.
Pushing the chair towards the small hangar on the other side of the landing strip, we greet the border officials who have already been told to stand down by a well-placed call from the one and only Kade Knight. The master diplomat strikes again.
Axel yelps when we hit a bump in the accessible ramp, head flopping so he can glare up at me. “Careful with my sweet ride, man.”
“Apologies. Didn’t mean to harm your Ferrari.”
“She’s a Lamborghini.” He blows a raspberry. “Canary yellow and oh-so sexy.”
“What have the doctors got him on?” Warner mutters.
“I’m not sure.” Blaine chuckles. “But I’d very much like some of it.”
The tinkle of Ember’s tired laughter is music to my ears. I look over my shoulder to peek at her smile, however faint and brief. It chases some of the new shadows from her eyes. Ones that weren’t there before this operation.
If I have one task ahead of me, it’s to erase those goddamn shadows for good. They have no place there. We saw some harrowing shit, but Ember took her life back into her own hands. She eliminated Gael. That alone is reason for her to smile again.
Inside the hangar, our welcome party almost causes me to pull up short. It takes a second to overcome the surprise of seeing Ethan’s warm smile after all this time. He doesn’t hesitate, just grasps my hand as he bundles Warner into a hug.
“You guys look like absolute shit.”
“We missed you too.” I grin at our missing team member.
“It’s been a quiet couple of years.” He scrubs a hand over Warner’s silver-streaked hair. “When did you get so old?”
“Piss off.” Warner bats him away.
“All that stress is showing, old man. Glad you’ve come around to my way of life. Maybe we can shave a few years off with a couple weeks hiding out in the mountains.”
“You are old.” Axel chooses that moment to slur.
Snickering, Ethan takes a look over him. “This the patient?”
“Soon to be corpse,” Warner supplies. “He’s flatlining. Think we should call it.”
“Shh!” Axel presses a finger to his lips. “It’s past your bedtime, Grandpa!”
I’d throttle the pup on Warner’s behalf if we hadn’t found him on death’s door in a locked cage. He’s earned himself some leeway before his next beating for being a blabbermouth.
“Ember, this is Ethan.” Warner nods towards him. “Our ex-team leader. He retired and lives in Briar Valley with his partner now.”
“Hey.” She waves a limp hand.
“Hi, Em. Glad you’re safe.”
“Me too.”
“And it’s fiancé now,” Ethan corrects with a glance around our circle.
I give him the side eye. “When were you going to mention that?”
“Ryder got me drunk one night and popped the question. I couldn’t exactly refuse.”
Punching him in the shoulder, I leave the wheelchair to grab him around the waist. “You sly shit! I don’t know whether to be happy or mad.”
“Alright, alright.” Ethan playfully shoves me away. “Enough celebrating. Ryder’s playing the role of bride to be. Go fawn over him and his wedding plans instead.”
“Congrats.” Warner beams at him.
“Thanks. So who else do we have coming along?”
Clearing his throat, Blaine shifts uncomfortably on his feet. Ethan casts him a perplexed look as if he can’t figure out how to place him. Then shock and disbelief take hold. After all, we did dismantle the Madden empire together.
“Are you… Blaine fucking Madden?”
“Hello again, Ethan.” Blaine avoids making eye contact. “You know that isn’t actually my name. Just Blaine Madden will suffice. Less of the fucking part. Or failing that, Blaine.”
“Right.” Ethan blinks rapidly. “What the fuck?”
“It’s a long story,” Warner hedges.
“Clearly. What the hell have I missed? We put this guy behind bars.”
I plaster on a weak smile. “Actually… it’s a fun story.”
“Fun?” Warner splutters.
Ethan fights to compose himself. “Let’s get you all somewhere safe. Then I’ll raid Killian’s homemade whiskey supply, and we can dive into this fun story that involves a wanted criminal standing on my doorstep.”
“Can’t wait,” Blaine murmurs.
Leaving us to gather the few belongings we travelled with, Ethan walks over to the other side of the hangar where the bathrooms are located. I frown while watching him rap on the ladies’ door.
After a long pause, the door swings open. My breath catches at the golden-olive skin of the woman who emerges. It’s been almost three years since I last visited Briar Valley to help Ethan move after the Sanchez case was wrapped.
In that time, Willow hasn’t changed. She still radiates joyful optimism with her effortless smile and warm, open nature. Even her midnight-black curls and full curves haven’t changed a bit.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” She saunters over to us.
“Come here, you.” I drag her into a bear hug. “Hey.”
“Hi. Glad you’re safe.”
“Me too.”
Willow sinks against me, her soft curls smelling of pine and fir trees mixed with her floral shampoo. I hold her close for several seconds then let go so she can breathe again.
“Thanks for the wakeup call.” Willow’s radiant hazel eyes search over me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Just figured we should call ahead.”
“I’m joking, Hy. Where’s the trouble?”
“Behind us, hopefully,” Warner inserts. “But it’s coming our way.”
She casts Ethan a look. “Then it sounds like you need a place to disappear. Thankfully, helping people vanish is what Briar Valley does best.”
Enveloped in a hug, Warner thanks her again. Willow pats him on the back as she whispers assurances. In her mind, she owes her life to Sabre. I don’t think it’s quite as clean cut as that. She fought damn hard for her own justice not so long ago.
When they separate, Ember lifts her head to greet Willow. I spot the moment that the pair lock eyes, a strange sort of tension rippling between them. Ember stiffens into stone, suddenly looking wide awake with huge pupils.
“Em?” I reach for her.
She seems to shake herself, still trapped in a stunned stare off. Willow almost stumbles on her feet, a hand flying up to rest at the base of her rapidly bobbing throat.
“Oh my… Ember?” she whispers in awe. “Is that really you?”
Much to our disbelief, the pair gawp at each other like reunited friends.
“Hello again, Willow.”
To be concluded in…
Trapped Truth (Anaconda Tales #3)