“Investigation is underway. But an informant is claiming it was a power move by another crime family.”
Dakota glanced at me. “Is this our fault? Are they dead because of us? Because we accidentally outed their fake marriage?”
“Highly unlikely,” the guy said quickly. “There’s been a power struggle between two crime families for a while. Looks like one finally made the first official act of war. Or the crash truly was an accident.”
Dakota shifted beside me. “But … but this changes everything, doesn’t it? I mean, if Senator Webb and Victoria are dead …”
I could hear the hope creeping into her voice, fragile and desperate.
“There’s nothing to be gained by killing us,” I realized. “Have you brought in Romano?” I pressed. “Because he’s the real threat here. He has to be the one who sent us those flowers.”
“We looked into it,” Reeves said. “Found no ties to the flowers and him or his associates. Same with the attack on Dakota.”
Still, both had to be from him. Right? Who else would have done that?
“Besides, here’s the thing,” the detective continued. “With Senator Webb dead, Romano has much bigger problems than two social media stars. His path to the White House just crumbled overnight. And with that plane crash, two crime family organizations are now under official investigation. Including his. And officially at war. So, he has bigger fish to fry.”
I exchanged glances with Dakota, then Ryker, before turning back to the detective.
“You’re saying we’resafe?” Dakota leaned forward.
“The last thing Tony Romano wants is more attention from law enforcement,” Reeves said. “Going after you two now would destroy everything for him.”
Dakota looked at me, then back to Reeves. “So, what happens now? Does someone else in the Romano family take over their vendetta against us?”
Reeves exchanged a look with Ryker that made my stomach tighten.
“From what our organized crime unit tells me, the Romano family is in full damage control mode. They’re liquidating assets, cutting ties, trying to disappear before the Feds connect the dots between Webb’s campaign and their operations.”
Holy shit.
“Are you saying …” Dakota could barely let herself voice it. “Are you saying the threat is actually gone? Forever?”
“What’s left of their operation has much bigger problems than some influencer couple who accidentally exposed a flirtatious picture,” Reeves said. “They’re trying to avoid federal prison right now. Every soldier, every lieutenant … they’re either fleeing the country or focused on covering their tracks.”
“It’s over?” she asked.
“It’s over.” Detective Reeves left no doubt in his tone.
The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like I’d been holding my breath for weeks and could finally exhale. That crushing weight I’d been carrying—the constant fear that something would happen to Dakota, that I’d lose her before we even had a real chance—suddenly lifted from my chest.
Dakota’s hand squeezed my thigh, and when I looked at her, I saw tears in her eyes. Relief, pure and overwhelming.
“We can actually”—she swallowed hard—“have a normal life?”
“You can have whatever life you want,” Reeves said, standing to leave. “As for the Romano crime family, the threat is eliminated.”
After he left, Dakota and I sat in stunned silence for a long moment. Then she launched herself into my arms, and I held her tight, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling her heartbeat against my chest.
“It’s really over,” she whispered against my neck.
“It’s over,” I repeated.
For the first time in weeks, Dakota felt safe in my arms. For the first time since this nightmare started, we could think about the future instead of just surviving the present.
It felt almost too good to be true …
52
