40. Chapter 40
SEAN
LONDYN IS ASLEEP IN MY arms, exactly where I want her to be.
All I want is to capture everything about this moment and never forget it: the weight of her head on my chest, her hair spread across my skin, the rhythm of her breath.
I kiss the side of her head, inhaling her scent so it sticks in my memory.
I'm completely ruined for all other women. Londyn is it for me.
Fuck. I love her. That's something I never thought I'd find, yet here's the proof in my arms.
I've spent my life drifting. Moving from base to base as a kid, learning to hold parts of myself back, because getting too attached only meant more pain when the inevitable orders came for my dad.
And when we settled for a time in South Korea, I was still the kid who was only half of them.
Always the outsider. Always the one just passing through.
Then came the Marines. Structure. Brotherhood.
But even there, I kept myself at a careful distance.
I made buddies, sure, but they all joked I was forever a soldier, even in my personal life.
I struggled to let down the persona and let anyone see what was underneath.
Wunmi was the first crack in my armor—a sister I never had, but always desperately craved.
When I lost her, I rebuilt those walls higher since I'd been stupid to ever let them down. I made them impossible to breach.
Until this woman in my arms found a way over.
I really don't know how this works—two broken people, each carrying trauma that won't ever fully heal, with scars that tell stories we'd rather forget. How do we move forward?
Conventional wisdom says we're a disaster waiting to happen.
But fuck that. The way I see it, she's already my family. She's already more essential than oxygen.
I'd do anything for her, and that makes me feel more human than I have in years.
Yet now that she's here, I have more to lose. And that's terrifying.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I slowly reach over, careful not to disturb Londyn's perfect weight against my chest.
Mike: Our guy's back in Cali. Just saw this online.
I tap the link he sent and the footage loads.
Alan Miller is on a red carpet, his smug face plastered with that camera-ready smile.
He's answering some entertainment reporter's questions.
I wish I could jump into the screen and strangle him, make sure he never smiles again.
How dare he even fucking look at Londyn, let alone touch her.
I pause the video because I'm getting too heated. My entire body is tense and Londyn shifts in her sleep like she's sensing it. Taking some careful breaths, I calm myself down enough to finish the video clip.
My sound is off but I read the subtitles. He mentions a new project and how excited he is to start shooting next week in San Diego.
My fantasies run wild, spiraling into a thousand different disasters befalling him—a fiery plane crash that leaves him mangled, nothing but scar tissue and pain for the rest of his life; a prop gun swapped for a real one on set; or, if the universe is feeling extra generous, certain parts of him getting cut off.
He's lucky he escaped me that day.
If Londyn hadn't been at risk in that SUV, I would've taken the shot.
Me: Thanks. Keep an eye out for anything else.
I set my phone on the nightstand. Londyn shifts slightly against me, her lips parting to release a soft sigh.
I adjust my arm to cradle her more comfortably.
At least we know where Miller is. Since he's not in town, I don't think Josh is either.
This means it's probably safe to return to Londyn's apartment and get some of her things.
But something still isn’t sitting right. It never has.
The Navy Caps. The timing. The pieces have never fit together, and that's making my gut so unsettled it hasn't stopped churning since the attempted kidnapping.
If Miller had Josh planted at Londyn's work for five months, waiting for the right moment, why the Navy Caps too? What the hell was their purpose? Josh could've gotten access to employee records and easily found Londyn's address. Why the extra surveillance?
It doesn't add up.
All I know right now is that the Navy Caps have been dark for weeks and Miller is temporarily occupied. But he'll return. Men like that don't just give up after one failed attempt. Londyn got away from him six years ago, and he's spent all this time tracking her down. That's pure, insane obsession.
Maybe his work is keeping him in California for now, giving us this small window. But he'll be back. I'm certain of that.
Londyn can't stay in Manhattan. She's a sitting duck at a known location. We need to go somewhere he can't find her. Somewhere overseas where we can regroup and she can decide what she wants to do next.
Would she want to press charges? Take him to court? Maybe if she steps forward, others will follow. Maybe with the help of a lawyer, all the women he's hurt can put him in jail for life.
But going public would put her in the spotlight again, and I'm not sure she's ready for that. It has to be her choice and her timeline.
Whatever she decides, I'll be right there. For the first time in my life, I understand what it means to be anchored to another person. Not just by duty or obligation, but by something deeper. Something that feels like finally finding where I belong after a lifetime of wandering.
I stare at the ceiling, my thoughts continuing to rotate while Londyn sleeps peacefully in my arms. Two hours pass, but they feel like minutes.
"Hey."
The single word is softened by sleep, but it pulls me immediately out of my head. I glance down to find Londyn blinking awake, her eyes still heavy.
"Hey, yourself," I say and then press a kiss to her forehead.
She smiles up at me and my heart beats in that pattern that tells me I'm hopelessly in love. "I don't know how you just sit here with nothing to do while I sleep," she says.
"I like holding you."
"But aren't you bored?"
My thumb traces her cheekbone. "There's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing."
Her lips part and she gets dreamy-eyed, then we kiss. I'd love to lose myself in her softness again, knowing that she's here and safe and mine, but we need to talk about what comes next. I've given her time this week to process and heal, but we can't keep ignoring the outside world.
When she sits up, I take her hand. "There's something I need to ask you."
After a yawn, she says, "Mmm, what is it?"
I hesitate, wondering how to frame this without scaring her. "How would you feel about leaving for a while? Not just the hotel, but New York. The country."
The line of her shoulders stiffens. "What do you mean?"
"Mike found footage of Miller. He's back in California starting a new project."
"So… do you think it's safe to go back to my apartment?"
"Briefly. But I don't think we should stay. We can't linger in your apartment, only get some essentials. Miller found you once, so he'll find you again. I think we should leave and then figure out next steps."
"I don't…" She sighs. "I'm just so tired of running from him. I don't want to this time."
So fucking strong. "I understand. I don't see this as running. When coming up with a plan, it's better to be in a secure location. The apartment isn't secure. I don't think the country is either. We need to be completely gone and somewhere he won't think to look. It's a tactical advantage."
She smirks at that. "Tactical advantage?"
"My brain's been in soldier mode while you were sleeping."
Her soft laugh lights up my chest. Then we're back to business. "But… how long would we have to stay out of the country?"
"That's up to you," I say. "We could do a few weeks to escape all the stress and prepare for what comes next. Or… stay gone longer."
"What comes next? Like…?"
"Pressing charges against Miller. I'll get you the best lawyer I can find, and I'll be here with you every step of the way.
" I squeeze her hand. "But it means going public about what happened.
And maybe you need some time to prepare for that.
Maybe you don't want to at all. Mike and I could continue to dig and we could find some evidence that gets him locked away for something else.
There are options, but whatever you choose, I'm with you.
" Another squeeze. "But I do think we should leave. "
Her eyes drop to the mattress as her fingers absently trace the edge of the sheet. "Where would we go?"
"Anywhere you want. Do you have a passport?"
"Yeah."
I hold her gaze so she knows I'm here; I'm serious about going anywhere and doing anything for her. "You pick a spot, and we disappear for a while. Just until we figure out our next move."
"Well… my only friend lives in Australia," she says softly. "She's been asking me to visit forever. I'd love to see her in person. And see the beaches."
Raven Taylor. Her background check was clean, though… colorful. I feel comfortable taking Londyn to meet her friend.
"Then I'll book the flight," I say. "We'll have a couple of days to pack and prepare.
Then we leave." I study her, noting the hard line still in her shoulders, and the way she's curling into herself.
I know I'm rushing ahead and jumping into action because that's how I've been trained. I'm used to needing to adapt quickly.
But that's not Londyn's world. Asking her to pack up so we can leave in a matter of hours is a shock to the system. Just like I imagine it was the first time she had to do it. I run a thumb over her temple, trying to slow down for a second. "How are you with all this?"
Her voice shakes a little, like all of this is too much to contain.
"Well, confronting him is… I want to. I want him to face consequences.
But going public about the assault is terrifying.
I don't know if I'm ready to start talking about what happened over and over.
I'd have to tell the police, and the lawyer.
The media. It's a lot." She sits up with a bit more strength.
"As far as leaving, that's fine. I did this once before; I can do it again.
I can quit my job since I don't like it anyway.
I also have some savings to get us by. Not much, but we can make it work. "
"Money's not a problem."
She frowns like everyone else in the world would disagree with me. "Why? Oh, what about your company? How does this work with NexaProtect? I don't want you to—"
"I'm not with them," I blurt out, knowing it's time I come clean.
"What? I don't—"
"Don't hate me for this but, uh, I haven't been working through them.
" Her mouth falls open and I grimace from how long I let her think I had a company behind me.
"My friend, Declan, used to own NexaProtect.
I worked as his personal security for several years.
I'm still technically in the NexaProtect system, but I'm not working through them.
Actually, I haven't worked at all this past year.
I was taking some personal time. Then I was at the conference as a favor to Declan.
And… you needed me, so I came. I've been paying Mike.
But don't tell him because he has too much pride. He'll try to pay me back."
She releases a puff of air and then stares at me, unblinking.
I brace for the worst because she has every right to be mad that I lied.
"I can't believe you," she finally whispers, but there's no anger in her voice. There's something else there, and it's squeezing my heart because I don't know if it's good or bad.
She lifts her hand to my cheek, her fingers trailing lightly along my jaw. "I don't believe you're real. Are you?"
Everything in me stops, waiting, listening for her to say more, but she just looks at me with those big fucking eyes and my chest tightens so much I have to take a breath before it bursts.
"I'm real," I tell her, speaking around the ache. "And I'm yours."
Her eyes fill with tears, but there's a smile breaking through. "I never thought I'd find someone who would..."
"Who would what?"
"Choose me. Over everything else." She blinks rapidly, sending a tear sliding down her cheek.
I catch it with my thumb. "I'd choose you every time, beautiful. In every lifetime, in every scenario. It's always going to be you."
She leans forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. I pull her close to breathe her in again. I can feel her heartbeat against mine, our rhythms synchronizing.
"Australia," she says into my neck. "Let's go to Australia. But what about your life? I don't have anything here, but you have a life and—"
"My life is right here." I press my palm against her heartbeat. "The rest is just details."
She presses her forehead against mine and nods. "Okay. Let's do this."
I kiss her because I can't get over how damn strong she is.
And she's mine.