When we break apart, she's smiling through her tears.
“So what now?” she asks.
“Now I tell you about my long morning, if you want. Then we figure out how to move forward together.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Whatever happens next, we face it as a team.No more secrets. No more protecting you by keeping you in the dark. You're in this with me. You get it all. The ugly parts too.”
She nods. “I can handle it.”
“I know you can.” I take her hand, lead her to the couch by the window. The city sprawls below us, indifferent to the war being waged in its towers and boardrooms. “That's one of the reasons I love you.”
We sit. She curls into my side like she belongs there.
Because she does.
“Start from the beginning,” she says. “Tell me everything.”
So I do.
CHAPTER 42
THE DREAM
EMMA
I drifttoward the central hub. A conference table with a view on one side looking out at the three founders' offices, and on the other, a huge panorama of Silverpoint. The business district gives way to the harbor area and the glittering ocean in the distance.
Kai is wrapping up his day to come home with me.Home. It feels right.
Logan is at his desk, hunched over his laptop, running a hand through his long hair in a gesture I've seen Kai do a hundred times. They've known each other so long they've absorbed each other's habits.
“Hey.”
Logan looks up, his face breaking into a grin. “There she is. The woman who made my best friend sprint across a lobby like a lovesick teenager.”
“I don't think he sprinted.”
“He would have if his ankle wasn't fucked.” Logan leans back in his chair. “I'm glad you two made up. He's been a nightmare to deal with.”
“He's been through a lot.”
“Yeah, well. He's not the only one.” Something flickers across Logan's face. A shadow that doesn't match his easy smile.
I pull a chair over and sit beside him. “What's going on?”
He hesitates, then angles his laptop toward me. On the screen is a sleek logo in red and black. Team Blaze. Images of motorcycles, riders in leather, a pit crew in matching gear.
“The acquisition,” he says. “It's been my dream for years. Finally got them to the table, and now...” He sighs. “I'm worried all this shit with Kaiden's family is going to blow back on the deal. The Hammonds have a long reach. If they decide to fuck with me to get to him...”
“Have they made any moves?”
“Not on this, but in the past they interfered when I tried buying other teams. I'm thinking of flying back to Spain. Be there in person. Show them I'm serious.”
I lean over his shoulder, studying the images. The team colors. The logo. The bikes gleaming under stadium lights.
“You're going to look great in that gear,” I say.
Logan blinks. “What?”
“The team colors. Red and black. They’ll suit you.” I tap the screen where a rider stands on a podium, trophy raised. “When you take over, what's the first thing you're going to change?”
