“Secured,” Mikhail answered before Jake could. “My father won’t be following us. Or anyone else.”
There was something in his voice that made me not want to ask for details. Not in front of Nora.
“The authorities?” I asked instead.
“Anonymous tip,” Jake said, squeezing my hand. “Local police and Interpol will find him when the storm clears. Along with all the evidence they need.”
I nodded, a complex mix of emotions washing through me—relief, exhaustion, lingering fear, and overwhelming gratitude. Nora was safe. We were all safe. It was over.
As if reading my thoughts, Jake leaned closer. “It’s done, Ella,” he murmured. “He can’t hurt either of you ever again.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, and Nora nestled securely between us. Outside, the storm raged on, but in here, in this moment, we had found our shelter. Our safety. Our family.
“Let’s go home,” I whispered.
Chapter 27
Ella
The trip back to the MacGallan estate was treacherous, the storm growing fiercer with each passing mile. We followed the other vehicle in front of us, driven by Rory. By some miracle, all of us were accounted for. The four reapers, Mia and Connor. Declan navigated our vehicle with grim determination, the SUV fishtailing occasionally on the snow-packed roads. Nora remained tucked against my side, her small body gradually warming, though she still trembled intermittently.
I couldn’t stop touching her—smoothing her hair, rubbing her back, reassuring myself that she was real and safe beside me. The terror of the past twenty-four hours had left me raw, as though my skin had been peeled away, exposing every nerve.
“How did you find me?” Nora asked finally, her voice small but steady. “I thought no one would know where to look.”
I exchanged a glance with Jake over her head. “Jake put a tracker in your boot,” I explained. “The one with the loose sole that you’re always complaining about.”
Her eyes widened as she looked down at her feet. “Really, I thought that was a stone! That’s so cool! Like spy stuff!”
Despite everything, I had to smile at her enthusiasm. Even after being kidnapped, my daughter’s resilience amazed me.
“Exactly like spy stuff,” Jake agreed, his voice warm with affection. “I knew that loose sole would come in handy someday.”
Mikhail watched this exchange silently from the row behind us, his expression unreadable in the dim interior light. When Nora turned to look at him, however, his face softened.
“Are you okay, Dad?” she asked, the word still new and tentative on her lips.
“I am now,” he replied.
Finally, the MacGallan estate loomed ahead, lights blazing through the swirling snow like a beacon. As we pulled up to the main entrance, I saw several figures hurrying down the steps to meet us. Wren was at the forefront, her face tight with worry.
“They’re back!” she called over her shoulder, pulling open the SUV door before we’d fully stopped.
The next few minutes were a blur of activity. We were ushered inside, out of the bitter cold,into the warm embrace of the mansion. Nora was immediately swept up in a flurry of attention—blankets, hot chocolate, concerned questions—while Mikhail was led away for medical attention. The cut above his eye looked worse in the bright light of the foyer.
Jake stayed at my side, his hand at the small of my back, a steady presence as Wren guided us to a sitting room where a fire blazed in a hearth large enough to walk into.
“You both need to warm up,” she insisted, pressing mugs of something steaming into our hands. “You’re half-frozen.”
I sank onto a sofa, suddenly aware of how exhausted I was. Every muscle ached, and now that the adrenaline was fading, I felt hollow, emptied. Jake settled beside me, his thigh pressed against mine, solid and reassuring.
“You should rest,” he said quietly. “Nora’s safe. You can relax now.”
I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off my daughter. She sat cross-legged on a plush rug near the fire, already chattering away to Kat about the kittens in Jake’s barn. The normality of it was surreal after everything we’d been through.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “Not yet.”
Jake nodded, understanding without need for further explanation. He moved his arm around myshoulders, drawing me against his side where I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
