Jack studied her profile, the way exhaustion softened her features without diminishing their strength. She had walked into the fire for this truth. Crawled through tunnels. Stood in front of explosives with seconds on the clock. Not for money. Not for revenge. But for a woman she’d never met. For a child who had never been allowed to grow up.
“There’s another layer to this,” he said slowly. “If Eleanor’s son has living descendants, and if they establish a legal claim, then the Mitchell family fortune becomes subject to forfeiture. Businesses. Properties. Investments. That’s going to impact people who had nothing to do with Richard Mitchell.”
“That doesn’t make the inheritance legitimate,” Agent Chen replied.
“No,” Jack agreed. “But it does mean the fallout will be massive.”
Annie didn’t hesitate. “Justice usually is.”
Jack looked at her then, really looked, and felt something settle inside him. She wasn’t naïve about what they’d started.She wasn’t blinded by righteousness. She understood the cost. And she was still willing to pay it.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He startled at the sound, then pulled it free, surprised to see his mother’s name on the screen.
“Mom?”
“Jack.” Her voice broke on his name. “We saw the news. The bank. The explosion. Are you hurt? Is Annie with you?”
“We’re both okay,” he said, meaning more than just physically. “Shaken. But okay.”
A breath he could almost feel left her lungs. “Thank God.”
“How are you and Dad?”
“We’re fine. The agents are still here, but they say the woman behind it all has been arrested. They’re very serious people, Jack. They don’t look like anyone you’d want angry with you.”
He managed a faint smile. “That’s usually a good sign.”
There was a pause. “Your father hasn’t stopped thanking God. And I haven’t stopped praying for you since you drove away.”
Jack closed his eyes briefly. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You’ve scared me your entire life,” she said gently. “It’s part of loving you.”
He swallowed. “Mom… I need to tell you something.”
“I know.”
He opened his eyes, glancing back at Annie. “Do you?”
“You love her,” Maggie said simply. “And she loves you. And you’ve both been afraid for a long time.”
Jack felt emotion press behind his eyes, sudden and unexpected. “It took almost dying for me to stop running.”
“Then I’m grateful you didn’t die,” his mother said. “And I’m grateful she didn’t let you.”
He exhaled a soft, almost broken laugh. “We’re coming out to the ranch when this is over. If that’s okay.”
“Dinner will be waiting,” Maggie said without hesitation. “And your old room is exactly as you left it. I refuse to believe any son of mine is permanently grown.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When the call ended, Jack kept the phone in his hand longer than necessary, staring at the dark screen as if it might offer something more.
Home.
