38. Epilogue
One year later…
“Take a left at the next hallway,” Emma chirps in my ear. “You need to exit out the side door.”
“Right,” I mutter, slinking past another security camera with my head down. This hit has taken way too fucking long, and the fact that Mr. Christianson, the sex trafficker, is now dead, makes everyone feel better.
“No, I said go left,” she giggles. “Not right.”
I shake my head at her goofy humor, something that’s blossomed in the last year of our relationship. It took a lot of cover up when it came to Jared—but once Jude uncovered his bad debts, it wasn’t that hard to write it off to the rest of the world. Emma’s return was uneventful. She called her attorney and said she had taken a vacation.
And that was that.
We put the past behind us. All of the past.
Fucking ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as the size of diamond on her left hand—or the fact that she’s found her career as my partner.
“What do you want for dinner? I’m starving,” she mumbles into the headset.
“Order takeout,” I tell her, finally catching sight of the exit of the hotel. “I’ll pick it up on my way home.”
“Lydia’s coming over tomorrow.”
“Lydia comes over almost every fucking day,” I groan. “But fine. I get it. they’re moving to Oregon soon.”
“Yeah, I know,” she sighs. “It would be a good place to raise kids.”
“Then we’ll move to Oregon, Little Red.”
She laughs, and the sound of it makes me fucking smile. It never gets old, and we’ve found some sort of strange balance in the world, albeit unconventional to most. Emma and I share the same monsters, though after Jared, Emma’s hunger has been satiated by good sex and proper love.
Well, and being my partner.
I breathe out a sigh of relief as I take the exit out of the hotel, and then slink to the burner car on the outskirts of the lot. I slide into the driver’s seat and start the engine, leaning my head back against the seat.
“Done,” I sigh, putting the car in drive. “Tell me where you want dinner.”
“How about I meet you at the Italian place off Boulevard? I’ve already fed Major, and I think he’s needing a break from me.”
“Crazy dog. I can’t imagine ever needing a break from you,” I say as I pull out onto the highway. “I’ll meet you there in forty-five minutes.”
“Love you,” she hums into the line.
“Love you, too, Little Red.” I hang up the phone and make the drive as quickly as possible, dying to see Emma after a long fucking day. Killing is part of the job, and it’s nice to share my job with someone who also shares my bed. She gets me.
And she gets that I love her more than anything in this fucking world. I’ll give her anything she wants, including kids. Though, we’ll have to retire when that happens, and if it doesn”t, I”ll love her all the same.
***
I step out onto the concrete, clutching my phone in my hand. I took an Uber from the beach house so I could ride back home with Luca. I smooth out my black T-shirt, and then search for a familiar face in the crowd. After only a few moments of scanning, my gaze locks onto golden eyes that soften as soon as they meet mine.
I smile and wave stupidly. He tips his head back and laughs, amusement lighting up his face. No one would know he”s a dangerous man in this moment. But in reality, Luca is a monster. He’s violent, dark, and has urges that frighten most… But to me, he’s the greatest thing to ever grace this earth. He understands me, and why I snapped—and I understand him.
And that’s why I love him so fucking much.
“Only my wife would wave like that,” Luca greets me, leaning in and kissing my lips. “I swear, you’re something else.”
“I like to make my presence known,” I joke, nudging him as he takes my hand.
“Hmm,” he muses, leading me toward the entrance of the restaurant. He stops me short, however.
“What is it?” I asked, seeing his expression shift.
“Have you talked to Jude?”
“No…” My voice trails off as I glance around him. “What’s wrong?”
He lets out a sigh. “We’ll talk once we get inside.”
***