Not for long,I remind myself.
Once we've succeeded, Atty agreed that the only fitting end for Ambrose is a drawn-out death onourterms. And thank fuck, because I'd have done it with or without his blessing.
Systematically destroying his empire from the inside and recovering the Ashfords' collection, including Flo's contributions, is the icing on the murder cake. I'm going to enjoy every millisecond of his inevitable demise.
I take her head in my hands and tip her face to mine in the dark, lifting a lock of hair away from her cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Ro."
"What?"
"The thing you pulled with your car, and how you managed everything with Ambrose…you're incredible, you know that, right?"
She sighs and pulls away from my hands, sinking to sit on the edge of her mattress. "Don't be proud of me for the car. It was completely reckless and I?—"
"It was," I agree. "But it had the intended effect. I'm not sure if you noticed, but Atticus has been different since. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you how I found him that night after he got home…"
Her brow furrows.
"It's so fucking hard to get through to him, Ro. For him to really see that the things he does have consequences. But you got through. It took taking it that far for the lesson to sink in."
She sighs. "I don’t…I don't think I want to talk about Atticus."
I nod. "Okay."
"And you have no idea how close I came to fucking it all up—with Ambrose."
"What do you mean?"
She shakes her head, sighing again as I sit next to her.
"Ro?"
"Nothing. It was harder than I thought it would be. Knowing everything that bastard has done to you and the others—and then watching him smile and drink his fancy champagne and spew all this false empathy for my upbringing and?—"
Ro heaves yet another sigh, and I can tell there's something else she isn't saying.
Something's bothering her.
I slip off the bed and bend to my knees in front of her, placing my hands on her thighs so she'll look at me.
Ellie nuzzles into my waist, eager to play, but I need to take care of her mama right now. I dig around in the pocket of my leather jacket for the treats I brought with me and give them to her. "Go on," I tell Ellie. "I'll come and give you some pets before I go. Promise. Go lay down, sweet girl."
When I turn my attention back to Ro, her face is stormy.
"We weren't there," I begin. "But from what I heard, you didn't let on about anything. You were perfectly natural, awkward even, which is exactly how anyone in that situation would behave. You did well, Ro. Despite how difficult I know it would've been to share the same airspace as that bastard."
She snorts at that, like she still doesn't agree with me.
I can feel the tension in her thighs beneath my palms. See it in the way her shoulders are hitched high and pulled in tight to her body.
"Can we not talk about it anymore?" she mutters after a few beats of silence.
"Whatever you want."
This time, when she drops her head, I shift forward between her knees and cradle her face against my palms, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
When I pull away, she shivers, her thighs squeezing around me, and I know what my girl needs.
Tentatively, I find the hem of her soft sleep shirt and push it up her rib cage. She leans back as I dip my head to press another kiss there, first to her ribs and then her belly.
