Chapter Forty-Two
Isabella
“It has to be me,” Colton said as we stood by the penthouse windows the next morning. His reflection in the window showed the tension in his jaw, the way his shoulders had gone rigid with resolve. “I’m the only one who can access certain servers without raising alarms. There are files that even Sari can’t gain access to.”
“I know.” Part of this was my fault, if I hadn’t lost that thumb drive during my capture, this might not have been necessary. But there wasn’t time for guilt. I kept my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my chest. The thought of him returning to the bank each day, of being separated after everything we’d been through, made my heart race. We knew crucial evidence about the trafficking operation was stored on internal servers. Evidence we needed to take down the entire network.
Evidence we could only get from inside.
“The board expects me back anyway,” he continued, moving to stand behind me. “My sudden departure for a ‘family emergency’ was already pushing the limits of believability. Any longer and they’ll start digging.”
I leaned back against his chest, letting his solid frame ground me. Through the glass, I could see the bank’s tower looming over the city, a monument to power and corruption disguised as modernism and progress.
“Rodger will be watching you,” I said softly. “After the rescue, after everything...he’ll know something’s wrong.”
“Let him watch.” His tone was harsh, absolute—that quiet danger that still thrilled me. “I’m not the same man who left. He’ll learn that soon enough.”
I turned in his arms, needing to see his face, needing the reassurance that only he could provide. I traced the prominent line of his jaw with my fingertip, enjoying the shudder that went through him. “And what about me? I’m supposed to just stay here? Hide while you walk into danger?”
“You’re supposed to stay alive.” His hand covered mine on my stomach. “Both of you. If they discover you survived...”
The words hung between us, heavy with the implications of discovery. My survival would destroy their trafficking empire, expose their lies.
Put our child in danger.
“This is unbearable,” I whispered against his chest. “Being helpless. Being hidden.”
“Not helpless.” He tilted my face up, making me meet his dark eyes. “Each night when I return home, you’ll review everything I bring back, analyzing the data with Interpol. Building our case.” His thumb traced my cheekbone. “And keeping our baby safe while I dismantle their empire from within.”
The mention of our child made something fierce rise in my chest. After weeks of uncertainty, after the joy of confirming Colton was the father, after finally feeling whole again...now we had to separate. Had to return to danger and deception.
He had to become their man once more.
“How long?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Two weeks, maximum.” He pressed his forehead to mine, and the touch made my pulse quicken even more. “Long enough to access the servers, download the evidence, and plant the programs the Interpol hackers created.” His arms tightened around me fractionally. “Long enough to make them believe I’m still on their side before we expose it all. We’ll have to come at them from both angles—legal and physical.”
I closed my eyes, breathing in his familiar scent. Remembering how far we’d come since that first kiss in the vault. Since the library at Ashworth Estate. Since everything changed.
“Promise me something?” I whispered.
“Anything.”
“Promise you’ll come back to us.” My hand fisted in his shirt as I pulled him even closer.
He kissed me then—not gentle, not careful, but fierce with both power and possession. When he finally pulled back, his eyes burned with something that made my breath catch.
“I will always come back to you.” His voice was rough with emotion. “To both of you. Nothing they do, nothing they try, will keep me from my family.”
Family. The word still felt surreal. Impossibly wonderful.
“Besides,” he added, a hint of a smile reaching his lips, “I have excellent motivation to hurry home each night.”
His hand slid lower, and that familiar desire crept up between us.
“Colton...” Warning and want tangled in my voice, each trying to win out.
“I know.” He stepped back slightly, though his hands stayed on my hips. “We need to finish the security setup. Review what you need to do in case there’s a breach here. My number one priority in all of this is keeping you safe.” He brushed a final kiss across my forehead before moving to the dining room table, now covered in laptops and surveillance equipment. “The team finished the sweep for bugs. The penthouse is clean, but we’ll do daily checks. No phones except the burners.”
I followed him to the table, forcing myself to focus on work rather than the ache of impending separation. The plans were already laid out—building schematics, security patrol schedules, server access points.
“The cameras are live,” I noted, checking the feeds on one laptop. Every angle of the penthouse’s exterior covered, plus key points in the building.
I studied the security feeds, memorizing angles and blind spots.
A car horn blared seventeen stories below, making me jump. Colton’s arms came around me instantly, steadying. Protecting.
“This is torture,” I said again, softer this time. “I hate that they’re making us hide.”
His mouth found my neck, making me shiver. “Just be careful. It won’t be forever. Just long enough to destroy them completely.”
I turned in his embrace, needing to touch him while I still could. His body was warm and solid against mine, comforting me in this moment before everything changed again.
“We have an hour until you need to leave,” I whispered against his throat. “Until you have to become their golden boy again.”
His grasp on my hips tightened. “And how should we spend that hour, Mrs. Moreau?”
It was the first time I’d heard my new name. It felt like a warm cape that wrapped around me, both protective and real.
“Reminding ourselves what we’re fighting for.” I stretched up to kiss him, letting him feel everything I couldn’t quite say. “Reminding ourselves that some things are worth any risk.”