Epilogue
Charlie woke up and reached for the other side of the bed expecting to find Declan beside him, but he wasn’t there. Declan was gone. Charlie’s heart raced. Not again!
His moment of panic subsided when he heard someone climbing the stairs to the apartment. Declan appeared with a couple of cups of coffee and a paper bag in his hands.
“Oh, thank god,” Charlie said, flopping back down on the bed.
“Bad dream?”
Charlie nodded.
“We’ve been through a lot, Charlie. It’s going to take a while to get over it, but things will settle down…eventually. If you want, I can set up an appointment with Michael for you. She’s great with trauma cases.”
“So that’s what I’ve become—a trauma case?”
“No,” Declan said. “You’ve just proven that you’re a real live person. Now here,” he said, passing Charlie the bag, “these will help.” Inside were a couple of pains au chocolat from Gwen’s café.
Declan put one coffee on Charlie’s bedside table, then crossed around to the other side. He stripped out of his T-shirt and dropped his jeans.
“Ooh. Shopping commando. I like that,” Charlie said.
Declan climbed into bed and pulled the covers over him. “Hey, scoot over to your side and give me a little bit of room.”
Charlie moved, plumped up his pillows and sat up beside Declan. They sipped their coffees, and in no time Charlie’s chest was sprinkled with pastry crumbs. He pointed to them and Declan leaned over and cleaned them up with his tongue.
“So,” Charlie started, “not that I’m dwelling on the subject, but do you think they’ll ever find Jasmine?”
Declan took a sip before replying. “It’s hard to say.
They’re sure she’s left the country, and she’s obviously smart enough to head somewhere like Indonesia or Vietnam where they can’t be compelled to send her back.
Hopefully we won’t have to worry about Jasmine for a while.
In the meantime, Interpol’s keeping an eye out for her. ”
“What if she uses her Monarch connections to get revenge?”
“Well, for starters, I don’t think we’ll have to be concerned about Tyler and Julie.
They’ll be out of circulation for a long time.
And with the information Harold Vanstone was able to track down on those other properties where Monarch operated illicit businesses— I think they’ll be too busy to worry about us, for the next little while at least. Without really trying, we managed to put a big dent in organised crime in this city. ”
Charlie passed Declan a big chunk of pastry. He absent-mindedly popped it into his mouth.
Charlie stared off into the distance.
“You okay?” Declan asked. “I know you never expected things to get that rough.”
“You’re right, there,” Charlie said. He looked Declan in the eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. I thought I was going to lose you.”
Declan took his hand. “But you didn’t. I was so impressed at how you kept your cool through the entire thing.”
“Well, of course I did,” Charlie said, with a swagger in his voice. “I was pissed that I might have to find another boyfriend, and hot guys like you aren’t exactly hanging off trees, you know.”
Declan swatted him. “Bored of living with me so soon?”
“Nah.” Charlie tucked his head under Declan’s bulky arm. “I’m still good with it.”
Declan nodded. “I promise you one thing about this job—whenever you think things are getting boring, that’s when all hell breaks loose. You don’t regret getting involved in this business, do you? Or getting involved with me?”
Charlie settled back into his pillows and smiled. “I love what I do, and I love my life—our life, although I’m starting to see that it’s sometimes hard to separate the two of them—work and personal lives, I mean.”
“I’ve been giving that some thought,” Declan said. “What would you say to moving out of here and getting a new place of our own?”
Charlie turned toward Declan. “Do you mean it?”
Declan nodded. “Mrs B was saying that she and her sister haven’t been getting along so well since Duck came into the picture.
She said that if she had to choose between her sister and the dog, she’d choose Duck any day.
She’s looking for a new apartment. I was thinking that we could give her this place, for as long as she wanted. ”
“That would be brilliant!” Charlie exclaimed. “So where would we go?”
“We could maybe rent a house on the other side of town—somewhere with room for a van and a car in the driveway. A place that isn’t connected to work, where both of us can make a home together.
” Declan frowned. “I know this place has been a big adjustment for you. The truth is, I think we could both use a little more space.”
Charlie squealed with joy. “I’d love that!”
“And after we find a place, we could take a little vacation. You deserve to be spoiled.”
“A vacation? Like real people do? Where would we go?”
Declan smiled. “I have an aunt who I haven’t seen in a long while. She lives on an island off the west coast. It’s beautiful there in the fall.”
“What’s it called?” Charlie asked.
“Marsh Island. It’s actually named after her family. They have a nice inn there, from what I remember. We’d have fresh air, fresh seafood and a chance to do something just for the two of us, with no clients or interruptions. What do you think?”
Charlie paused. “They don’t have spiders on that island, do they?”
“If they do, I promise I’ll keep them away from you,” Declan said. “What do you say?”
Charlie pictured the two of them on a peaceful little island away from the big city. What could possibly go wrong? “That sounds like heaven.”