And maybe they are.
Tears spill down her cheeks, and I brush them away with my thumbs. “I love you too, Magnolia Grace. I’ve loved you for longer than I probably should admit.”
She lets out a sob-laugh, pressing her forehead to my chest. “You damn well better come back to me.”
“Nothing’s gonna keep me from coming back to you,” I promise, tilting her chin up and pressing my lips to hers. The kiss is a promise and tastes like tears and hope and everything I’ve ever wanted.
When I pull back, she’s crying harder, but she’s also smiling. “Go. Dakota’s probably waiting.”
I kiss her one more time, then force myself to let her go. At the door, I turn back, and she’s standing there with her arms wrapped around herself, looking small and scared and brave. Exactly the woman I know she is, in all the iterations she is.
“I love you,” I say again, because I need her to hear it one more time.
“I love you too. Be safe, hotshot.”
Dakota and I arrive at the buy point just as the sun is climbing higher in the December sky. The temperature has dropped overnight, and our breath comes out in white puffs as we get out of the truck.
Everyone’s already wearing their hunting masks when we pull up, so we pull ours up. My heart’s pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat, but I force myself to walk normally, to act like this is just another day, another thing that we’re doing.
As I’m standing out in the open, waiting for Randy to give us instructions, I notice Cody looking at my boots. Those same worn boots Magnolia convinced me to wear the first time I came out here. My stomach drops, but I keep my expression neutral behind the mask, praying he doesn’t recognize them.
Randy approaches with a duffel bag. “Cash first, boys.”
Dakota and I exchange a glance, and then he pulls out the envelope of department money. $15,000 in cash, all marked and ready to track. He hands it over, and Randy counts it methodically, his eyes never leaving the bills.
“Good,” he finally says, zipping the bag. “The deer are in…”
He doesn’t get to finish.
Suddenly, there are sirens everywhere. Police cruisers come roaring up the road, Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team vehicles blocking exits, Fish and Wildlife SUVs surrounding the property. My grandfather’s voice booms over a loudspeaker.
“This is the Laurel Springs Police Department. You are all under arrest. Put your hands where we can see them.”
Chaos erupts.
Some of the guys try to run, but they’re tackled immediately by uniformed officers. Others put their hands up right away, smart enough to know they’re surrounded.
And then there’s us.
Officers swarm toward Dakota and me, and I know what’s coming. We talked about this in the briefing. In order to make everything look legitimate, to protect our cover in case any of these guys have connections on the outside, they have to arrest us too.
“On the ground! Now!” An officer I recognize as my uncle Nick yells, his gun drawn.
Dakota and I comply immediately, dropping to our knees and then lying face-down in the cold dirt. My hands are wrenched behind my back, zip-tie cuffs cutting into my wrists. It’s for show, I know it’s for show, but my heart’s still racing. I’ve never been arrested before, even if it’s fake. So this is an experience for me, regardless.
“Clear!” another officer shouts.
As they haul me to my feet, I catch sight of Cody. He’s staring right at me, his eyes boring into mine through both our masks. And in that moment, I swear he knows. I swear he recognizes something—maybe the boots, maybe the way I carry myself, maybe just a gut feeling.
But there’s nothing he can do about it now.
We’re all loaded into separate police vehicles, and as the cruiser pulls away from Freedom Farms, I allow myself one small moment of relief.
We did it.
We fucking did it.
Chapter 26
