Epilogue
“How much farther?” Reese asked, sounding impatient as hell.
Spike grinned. “You’ve been here before,” he reminded her.
“I know, but that was different. I didn’t know where we were going and what was waiting for me. And,” she added with a gleam in her eye, “I didn’t know what was going to happen when we got there.”
“You might not be quite as excited about this when we do get there,” Spike warned.
“Making love to you in ‘our’ cave, with your ring on my finger, and mine on yours? Not a chance,” she informed him.
The last month had been full of ups and downs. Their wedding was everything Spike could’ve asked for and more. Woody and Alaska had been their official witnesses, but the room was full of their friends. Her parents cried, and were thrilled that both their children were now married.
Reese had started her new job at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and absolutely loved it. Business at The Refuge was as strong as ever.
The not-so-good thing had been Reese’s nightmares.
She’d been surprised by the first one, telling Spike that she honestly didn’t know why she’d had it because, all in all, what happened to her hadn’t been that bad.
He’d insisted she talk with Henley, and while that helped, she still occasionally woke up fighting and screaming.
There was also the matter of the cartel members having disappeared into Mexico.
They knew where Reese lived, and that hadn’t sat well with Spike or the rest of The Refuge owners.
While they were confident in the security measures they’d implemented, they couldn’t keep their eyes on their women at all times, and they weren’t willing to confine them to The Refuge’s property.
Brick and Alaska had decided to put off their own wedding until things had calmed down a bit, and they were sure the cartel wouldn’t be coming back for any reason.
Spike knew Reese hated that her friend had to wait, but Alaska reassured her that being married or not changed nothing about her and Brick’s relationship.
They’d waited this long to get married, they could wait a little longer.
Spike and the guys had also had a conversation with Tex about whoever it was who’d tracked the tile on Reese’s keychain, and he was no closer to finding out who’d helped them than he’d been when Tonka had received the text about Jasna being safe and sound in one of the bunkers on the property.
Whoever it was, they were extremely knowledgeable about covering their tracks, which Tex admitted was frustrating not only on a personal level—he prided himself on his own skills—but also because abilities like that often came about because someone had a very good reason to want to stay untraceable.
But Spike had received some good news today, and he wanted to share it with Reese.
He’d hiked out to the cave the day before while Reese was at work, to prepare it for them. He’d definitely found the woman of his dreams when instead of wrinkling her nose and telling him he was crazy to want to actually spend the night in a cold, dark cave, she was over-the-moon excited.
He walked hand-in-hand with her, and even though it was chilly now that winter was approaching the mountains, he didn’t feel the cold at all.
“I never would’ve thought this is where I’d end up when I made that decision to go down to Bogotá to find Woody,” Reese said quietly.
“Me either,” Spike agreed as he lifted their clasped hands and kissed her fingers wrapped around his own.
As they got nearer to the cave, Spike began to get nervous.
He hoped she liked what he’d done to prepare for their arrival.
He wasn’t sure it was enough to make it special.
This was essentially their honeymoon. They’d been busy since their civil ceremony.
Hell, he hadn’t even wanted to chance making love with her until she was fully healed.
Reese, though, had other ideas. She’d only tolerated his holding back for a few days after the ceremony before she’d told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t make love to his wife right that second, there was going to be hell to pay.
He’d been cautious with her for the last few weeks, wanting her sore muscles to heal and her bruises to fade, but tonight they were both more than ready to let their passion fly.
Taking a deep breath as they reached the cave, Spike let go of her hand and nudged her forward. “Go on. See what you think,” he urged.
With a huge smile, Reese didn’t hesitate. She jogged ahead and entered the cave. Spike followed to find her standing just inside the entrance with her mouth hanging open.
The day before, he’d brought a blow-up mattress, a few blankets, two pillows, flowers, and a dozen candles.
He brushed past her and put down his backpack, which had food, clothes, and an extra blanket just in case, and pulled out a lighter.
He lit all the candles he’d strategically placed around the space and stood back.
The light dancing on the walls highlighted the petroglyphs, almost making them come alive.
“This is…Oh, Gus…it’s amazing!”
Smiling, and feeling a sense of relief wash over him, Spike turned and pulled his wife into his embrace. “I love you, Mrs. Fowler.”
“Love you back, Mr. Fowler,” she said with a small grin as she stared at him.
“I once told you that I’d bring you back here to honor the men and women who were here before us. Who maybe lay in this exact spot, although not on a blow-up mattress with pillows and blankets, and made love to the person they couldn’t imagine being without.”
“You did,” she agreed. “I think this is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me. No, I know it is.”
“Good. I want you to be happy, Reese.”
“I am.”
He smiled at her. There was nothing more he wanted than to lay her down, strip all her clothes off, and make love to her right then and there, but he needed to tell her something first. The news he’d found out that morning.
“Sit, sweetheart,” he urged, leading her to the bed.
She frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. But I need to have a talk with you about something before we eat.”
She sat. “What is it? Spit it out because I can see it’s bothering you.”
“Actually, it’s something good. I talked to Tex this morning.”
Reese frowned. “Your hacker friend?”
“Yeah, him. I mentioned he was a Navy SEAL, and he’s dedicated his life to helping others. He has a friend who lives in Hawaii. Another SEAL. His name is Baker.”
“Baker. Is that his last name?” Reese asked.
“No, his first.”
“It’s unique. I like it.”
Spike chuckled. “Right. Anyway, Baker has connections. Not like Tex, but connections all the same. He knows people who know people. People who aren’t necessarily on the right side of the law.
What I’m trying to say, and doing a shit job of it, is that you, we, don’t have to worry about the cartel showing up one day, wanting revenge or to get their hands on you. ”
“Why not?” Reese whispered.
“This guy, Baker? He called in some markers. Made it clear to certain people in power that The Refuge and everyone associated with it is off limits.”
“And that’s all it took? They just agreed?” Reese asked skeptically.
“Well…no. Baker knows people.”
Reese frowned, looking frustrated. “I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to,” Spike said. “Just be reassured that it’s over.
Pablo and his men won’t be returning. They were made examples of to the rest of the cartel.
It’s been made very clear that if anyone decides to step foot back in New Mexico, the entire cartel as they know it will implode from the inside out. ”
“This Baker guy is that influential?” Reese asked.
“Yes.” Spike held his breath, not wanting to explain any more.
The less she knew, the better off she’d be.
She didn’t need to know how the dark side of the world worked.
He hated that she’d been touched as much as she had by the lust, money, and power that certain industries could inspire.
And that was what the cartel was. In the simplest sense of the word, it was a business.
And money was their ultimate goal. Baker obviously had pull with those who could bring down the cartel like a house of cards.
“Okay,” Reese said after studying his face for a moment.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Yes. If you say we’re safe, I’ll believe you. I trust you, Gus. With my life. With the life of everyone at The Refuge. Our friends.”
Spike closed his eyes in relief. He loved this woman. So damn much. His eyes opened and he pushed Reese back until she was lying on the mattress. “How hungry are you?”
“Are we talking about food or something else?” she asked with a gleam in her eye as her hands slipped under the hem of his shirt and caressed his lower back.
His cock hardened immediately, eager for her touch. For her mouth. He didn’t need to clarify his question; he’d received his answer. He stood abruptly, his hands going to the belt around his waist. “Clothes. Off,” he grunted.
But he didn’t have to bother. She was already rushing to disrobe while keeping her gaze glued to his.
This was going to be fun. Making love with Reese always was.
“I can’t believe Alaska talked us into this,” Pipe grumbled as he straightened his bow tie. He felt as if it was strangling him. It had been a very long time since he’d worn a tuxedo, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in one now.
“Right?” Owl said with a grimace. “I would think if anyone should be here, it’s Brick. Or even Tiny. They’re the pretty ones.”
Pipe nodded. The long sleeves covered up most of his tattoos, but the ones on his hands and fingers were still visible above the cuffs of the jacket.
He stood out like a sore thumb in the room of bigwigs and cleaned-up men and women.
His hair was too long, his beard too bushy, his accent out of place.
Basically, he was the last person who should be at this fundraiser.