The door to the house opened and a male voice said, “Oops.”
They broke apart and found Darius grinning at them. “Bill just called Rafe with news, and we thought you’d like to hear it too.”
Ezreal took Sara’s unresisting hand, and they followed his friend into the apartment. It smelled like Rafe had baked pizza again. The others were gathered around the breakfast bar. Ahri ran over and gave them each a quick hug.
“Careful,” Sara said, “he got kicked in the ribs.”
“Oh. Those hurt.” Ahri stepped back.
“I was trying to compete with Rafe,” Ezreal said dryly.
“Are you all right?” Ahri asked Sara.
“I will be.” She glanced at Ezreal and meant it.
“I’ll put the call on speaker now,” his friend said, pushing the tray with the pizza toward them.
Ezreal’s stomach growled, and he remembered he hadn’t had any dinner.
“The police called in their dogs,” Bill said over the phone. “They thought he might have tried to go the back way between the two houses in search of the children. He did.”
“Did they catch him?” Ezreal asked around a bite of pizza.
“They found his body.”
Sara gasped and Ezreal choked on his food.
“He fell into an old abandoned well.” Bill’s voice softened. “Broke his neck. The police said he died instantly.”
Sara had dropped her piece of pizza. Ezreal took her in his arms.
“I know you loved him once. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” She held his gaze, that haunted look gone now. “I’m finally free of that monster. I don’t have to worry about him coming after us ever again.”
“That’s true, Mrs. Fortune,” Bill said. “You’ll want to either get that old well filled or get a decent cover on it, especially if you’re going to be having kids coming to that property for your music program.”
“Alex said the city was scheduled to fill the well next week,” Rafe said.
“What if the children had fallen into it in the dark?” Sara looked sick.
“But they didn’t,”
“Bill, do you need anything else from us?” Darius asked.
“No. I’m glad everyone’s safe.” He disconnected the call.
“So when’s the wedding date?” Rafe asked.
The room erupted with congratulations.
“As soon as we can get a license,” Ezreal said. “I don’t want to give her too much time to change her mind.”
“Not likely.” Sara cupped his face and kissed him.
