Beside him stand two women, one a beautiful petite blonde, whose bare feet on the cement would suggest this is her home.
And on the other side, a striking raven-haired woman whose face holds a frightening resemblance to Kenji’s.
Only her eyes are soft and warm, not cold and maniacal.
And when the car pulls to a stop, she graces us with a radiant smile.
“Thank God,” the blonde gasps as soon as we unload, and to my shock, she races toward Miko, throwing herself into his arms.
Even more unexpected is when he pulls her closer to press a rather intimate kiss to her lips.
“You’re here.” Gio sounds surprised as he strides forward to pull Leo into a hug.
“Anika called as soon as you left the house. We drove straight down,” Leo explains, only furthering my confusion.
What the hell is going on here? Where was Leo before?
Leo steps toward me then, his hand landing heavy but warm on my shoulder before he pulls me into the first hug I think I’ve ever received from him. “Stephanie, it’s good to have you back,” he says simply, but the weight behind the words is enough to undo me all over again. Becauseback from the deadis what he means.
Jackson turns in Gio’s arms, and Gio finally sets him down, though his hand lingers on Jackson’s back.
“Jackson, Stephanie, let me properly introduce you to everybody,” Gio says. “Those are my twin brothers, Raf and Sandro. That’s Miko and his wife, Anika.” He gestures to the blonde still wrapped in Miko’s arms. “And this is Leo and his wife, Sora.” Gio indicates the raven-haired woman, who steps forward with tears in her eyes now.
“I’m so sorry for all the pain my family has caused,” she breathes, confirming my suspicion.
But I don’t have long to think about it as she pulls me into a hug.
And in an instant, I know she’s nothing like the man who terrorized me.
She releases me, stepping back with a breathy laugh as she looks down at Jackson. “It’s so wonderful to meet you both. I know how much you mean to Gio.”
It’s all so much—too much.
The warmth, the welcome, the feeling of being folded back into something I thought I’d lost.
And at the same time, so much has changed.
I feel like I blinked and life had moved on.
We move inside, the brothers close around us, voices low but steady. Somewhere between the front door and the living room, I hear Miko’s voice, calm but certain. “Kenji’s gone.”
I look up sharply.
Raf nods, his tone grim. “I put a bullet in his eye. Saw him hit the pavement. His men dragged him back inside, but he wasn’t breathing.”
Gio exhales slowly, the tension in his shoulders shifting—not gone, but altered. “Good,” he mutters.
I should feel relief, too, and part of me does.
But the bigger part of me is just… tired.
Because I know it doesn’t end here.
Kenji might be gone, but there will be another.
There’s always another.
We settle in the living room, Sora bringing water and a blanket for Jackson, who curls up on the couch beside me.
