Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Grant
I’m trying not to make any sudden moves, but I can’t wait to shoot Dodger. As soon as I got to the roof, I saw a pool of blood and a man face down on the ground. Dodger stepped around an air conditioning unit with the gun held high and pointed right at me.
Fucking bastard.
“Dodger. What are you doing here?” Cara asks again.
I see hesitation flicker on her face as she looks at me and back to him.
“I thought you would have sent someone else,” she continues.
“I did. They’re arresting the Marlin as we speak.”
“Okay… that’s good. Let’s go downstairs to help,” she says.
“They don’t need our help. Why don’t you meet us in the car,” he offers.
She can’t see the gun he still has pointed at me underneath his coat.
“Okay, Grant can come with me.”
“No, I’m afraid I need him in the building with me.”
Cara starts to walk toward us.
“Cara. This is a direct order.”
“You never call me Cara anymore,” she says.
Dodger sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Get the fuck out of here,” he shouts.
“No.”
“Collins. I didn’t want it to come to this.”
The door to the rooftop swings open, and Cordelia and Taby walk out.
“Well, well, well, we’re all together at last.”
“What’s going on here?” Cara asks.
“The director here is on our side,” Cordelia answers.
Cara snaps her focus back to Dodger. It’s overwhelming to witness the pain in her eyes. They were friends. How could I forget that?
“Dodger. Please don’t tell me that’s true,” she pleads.
“I tried, Cara. I really tried to get you out of here, but you just don’t listen. You never do.”
Cara’s eyes shut, and I can sense tears are threatening.
“Let her go. You have me,” I interject.
Dodger’s gaze spews venom at me.
“Oh, that’s right, Cara and Grant. You two actually got married, and now, what? That’s right, decided to actually fall in love,” Dodger spits out.
“Dodger, what’s happening? Why are you doing this?” Cara begs.
Dodger looks over at Cara and back to me and starts to pace.
“I never was the one meant to get the girl. No matter how much I tried. After Cara told me she would never consider me as anything else, I can admit, something changed. I became even more focused on work at the agency. Then over the years…” he trails off and pauses.
“Dodger,” Cara croaks.
I can see he’s breaking my wife’s heart from this omission, no matter how much we both want to stop him.
“I asked myself, why am I doing all of this? I became the head of the agency, and for what? A life without women, money, and intrigue. That’s when I met Taby and everything fell into place.”
“You can still change,” I offer.
Dodger laughs loudly as he starts to pace once more.
“I did change. For the better. I may not have your wife, but I did accomplish what I wanted. Now this is it.”
Dodger faces me completely.
“You are going to die, Grant Sinclair, as the villain.”
“How so? You’re the one up here as a traitor.”
“No one will know that. Not when you and Mrs. Weston are dead.”
“Stop playing with your food,” Cordelia says boredly.
“I can’t do that,” he sneers.
“Kill them, and let’s go,” Cordelia demands.
Dodger pulls the gun out of his pocket and aims it at me as Taby does the same to Cara.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the only sign of hope that we have—Brad.
“Any last words?” Cordelia asks.
“Yeah. Get down,” I shout.
Shots are fired from two directions as Cara and I both face-plant onto the concrete roof. It all happens so quickly—one minute, I’m on the ground, and the next, my instincts kick in, and I’m bolting upright and running after Cordelia.
“I’m right behind you!” Cara shouts.
Cordelia’s quick as she jumps off the roof and onto an abandoned trash compactor. Without a second thought, Cara is in the air next in pursuit.
“Goddamn,” I say before I follow behind.
Cara raises her knife in the air and flings it at a running Cordelia. It lands in her shoulder blade, causing her to fall to the ground.
Cordelia screams as she tries to hold onto her wound. Cara straddles her, with Cordelia face down.
“Cordelia Miller? I have a feeling you’re under arrest.”
Cara pulls off her belt and uses it to tie Cordelia’s hands together behind her back. Cordelia shouts profanities the entire time.
Cara flashes me a brilliant smile at the victory.
“Are you okay?” Brad asks, out of breath as he catches up to us.
“We’re okay. You?” I ask while scanning him.
“Fine. We’re going to be okay.” He huffs.
“Wait…” I trail off.
“Don Williams. National security,” he says with an outstretched hand.
“I’ll be damned,” I say as I shake it.
“What about Dodger? And Taby?”
“With my partner. Up on the roof. Police should be arriving shortly.”
Cara gets off Cordelia and falls to the grass. I sit down next to her right as sirens come through and lights are flashing nearby.
“We did it, my love. We did it,” I say.
“We finally caught the Marlin.”
I lie down on the grass next to her.
“What next?” she asks.
“Anything we want.”
A knock on the hotel suite door startles Cara and me.
“I’ll get it,” I offer.
We’re in the suite living space, waiting to leave for California tomorrow. I get off the couch and go to answer it.
A doctor is at the door holding a medical kit.
“I hear we have a wounded animal too skittish to go to a hospital,” he says with a smirk.
Liam .
“That we do. Please come on in,” I say.
“Is he talking about me? Because I am perfectly fine,” Cara starts as she heads in our direction.
Liam and I round the corner and see Cara in the living room, preparing to say no to the doctor who has arrived.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she starts, still not realizing that it’s one of her best friends.
“Cara, sit your ass down and let me examine you,” Liam says.
“Liam!” she exclaims as she pulls him into a hug.
She takes a step back to sit down on the couch.
“How did you know where I was? That I was injured?”
Liam sets his medical kit on the coffee table and sits down next to her. A smug smile appears, and I’m instantly reminded that Cara has strong roots in her friendships.
“You think you can tell Grayson that the mission is over, and he’s not going to tell Harper, who’s not going to demand I check on you?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
Cara laughs as she holds out her bruised and cut-up arm.
“Okay, fair point. I’m so glad to see you.”
“I’m glad to see you too. Hopefully, next time, it’ll be under different circumstances.”
“Harper and Grayson’s wedding.”
“You going to that?”
“Of course! I’m one of the groomsmen,” Cara exclaims.
Liam laughs.
“Why would I assume any differently?”
Liam gets to work examining Cara’s wounds and getting them cleaned and covered. I’m grateful she’ll follow his instructions. When the on-site medic tried to examine her, she refused to be seen despite my pleas.
“All set.”
“Thank you.” She sighs.
Liam starts to pack up his kit.
“I hear you’ve been here for a bit,” she says.
He looks at her knowingly.
“You know, Grant and I might be moving to Charleston. Part-time at least. Why don’t you give it a try?”
“You’ve been trying to get me to leave Boston for a while.”
“I think it’ll be good for you. And with you being here… I think you agree.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
“Can you stay?”
“No…”
Liam gets up, and Cara does the same. He starts to head for the hotel door to leave, and I stay put, leaning against the television stand.
“I think I’ll head to Boston and pack up my belongings. Maybe Charleston will be good for me.”
Cara squeals and jumps up and down excitedly.
“Can I be the one to tell Harper?”
Liam laughs.
“Don’t. I think I want it to be a surprise.”
Back in California, Cara and I are watching the sunset on the beach ahead of meeting her parents for dinner.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she says.
“Only because you’re here.”
She snuggles in close to me as I wrap the blanket tighter around us.
“It’s almost time. We better go talk to them.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“I think it’s a good idea you picked a restaurant to do this in,” she says.
“Your dad is one of my dear friends. He’s not going to hit me in a restaurant because I married his daughter.”
“Maybe because you fell in love with her,” she teases.
“Perhaps.”
I pull her tighter into me.
“Cara? Grant? What’s going on here?” Luke shouts.
“Here we go,” Cara mutters.
Luke stomps through the sand and gets to us quicker than his wife, Catherine.
“Hi, Dad,” Cara says. She doesn’t leave my side, and I don’t let go either.
“Is this what dinner is about? The two of you together?” he asks.
Luke’s hands are on his hips as he waits for our response. We look at one another before turning back to him. Catherine arrives and has a wide smile, seeing us together.
“Yes, it is,” I answer.
I finally let go and stand up. Cara follows and loops her arm through mine.
“I’m in love with your daughter.”
Luke grins and shakes his head.
“I knew something was up with you two,” he says as he pulls me in for a hug.
“You’re not mad?” Cara asks.
Luke lets go of me and hugs her as Catherine watches on, giddy.
“Not at all. I always thought the two of you could work, but you were both always such the bachelors.”
We laugh in surprise.
“Grant, maybe you can help me with my companies so I can retire.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I joke.
Luke chuckles.
Catherine pulls me into a hug before taking Cara’s arm out of mine and onto hers. She starts leading Cara up the beach toward the restaurant.
“I can’t wait until you’re engaged so we can start planning a wedding!” Catherine says.
Cara looks back at me, panicked.
“Well, actually…”
Luke realizes what Cara means and sighs.
“Come on, let’s celebrate,” he whispers to me.
I sigh as we follow behind Cara and Catherine.
“But I’m not going to be the one to tell Catherine you got married.”
“We’ll leave that to Cara.”
Cara suddenly stops, and we all look in her direction.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Let’s take a quick photo. We are at our favorite spot. Now it’ll be all of ours,” she says.
The four of us get together, and Cara pulls out her phone.
“Say, Mrs. Sinclair!” Cara shouts.
“Wait, are you married?” Catherine asks, shocked.
“Let’s take the picture.” Luke groans.
Cara snaps the photograph, and we all separate. Luke and Catherine start to talk about what’s happening as I intertwine my hand with Cara’s.
“How are you feeling, my love?”
“Like the happiest person on the planet.”