“I will say a prayer for Blue, regardless if she is in this world or the next. Thank you for the gift.”
“I don’t think he sees himself as a gift.”
Sambah tilted his head. “I meant the gift of knowledge. King was stolen before his time, but at least now I know how. Soon I will find out why. Sometimes that’s all a parent wants, even if it never lessens the pain.”
“I have to go.” When I reached the truck, I opened the door and called out, “Sambah?”
“Yes?”
“Just promise me you won’t eat him.”
All I heard was laughter as he went inside the mansion.
* * *
On my drive home,I wondered if Sambah would execute Graham right away. Would he torture him? Or maybe he was the type of man who would offer Graham a last meal and give him a comfy bed to sleep in, drawing out the suspense. Graham might get one last night to think about the innocent lives he impacted with his ruthless behavior. Something told me that despite everything, he would never truly have empathy for the victims. Usually in the end, criminals only regretted what had led to their capture.
It was late, I was tired, and as I reached the mansion, a thin fog hovered over the ground like a soft blanket. The truck rolled alongside the stone walls that bordered our property until I reached the black iron gate. The Roman soldier on the arched keystone gave me a stern look as he always did. I swiped my card, entered the property, and drove to the underground garage. The glossy white floors lit up when the automatic lights came on. There was parking to the left and right with a workbench straight ahead. I did a slow turn to the right and then turned right again to park facing the wall.
Christian was standing in my usual spot, hands in his pockets, one foot propped against the wall behind him.
I got out. “What are you doing in here?”
“I had to escape the wee ones.”
“Aren’t they asleep?”
He branched away from the wall and then kissed my forehead. “They’re giggling, and it echoes in the lower level.”
“So go to your room.”
He raised his brows lazily and looked more exhausted than usual. “Wyatt’s having a private party for one in his bedroom with the pitiful music playing. Unless his ghost friend is keeping him company, but I haven’t heard him bickering.”
“Ah.” Wyatt playing sad music wasn’t a good sign. I walked to the back of the truck, tossed my green jacket over the edge, and let down the tailgate. “So… what happened?”
“Not much. We just had a few drinks.”
“No, I mean about Blue.” I sat on the tailgate, remembering how I left her on the sidewalk without a proper goodbye. “I guess I’m too late. I wanted to tell her about Graham—that I caught him.”
“You can tell her tomorrow at the breakfast table.”
I snapped my gaze up. “What?”
“She’s fine. She’ll be sleeping through the morning like a babe, but she’ll survive.”
“How?”
Christian wedged himself between my legs. “I’m tired, Precious. We can talk about that later.”
I nestled against his chest, a burden lifted from my shoulders. “You’re never tired.”
He stroked my back. “And where’s the little shite who’s responsible for all this mayhem?”
“I couldn’t bring him here with all the kids.”
“Aye, and you couldn’t turn him in either.”
I smiled against his chest. “I gave him to King’s father. Since King helped us, it seemed like a just reward.”
