“Connor, I don’t know what to?—”
“Don’t get all sappy on me. We’ve got work to do. Trinity needs to get to New York, right?”
I nod as Connor exits the warehouse because I can’t argue with that.
“Brody?” Trinity squeezes my arm before I can follow him. “Will you give me the drive?”
With no hesitation, I pass the hard drive into Trinity’s palm. She inspects the object with a strange, furrow-browed expression.
“Trinity?”
The drive slips from her fingers and bounces twice on the cement floor.
Before I can bend down to grab, she lifts a booted food and stomps.
The drive cracks in two, but she doesn’t stop. She smashes it into as many pieces as she can, grunting with the effort.
I step back to let her live with the moment.
She’s releasing the past and the hold it’s had on her for nearly half her life. The glitter of tears in her eyes appears cathartic. She’s not crying from sadness, just releasing the pain of ghosts long gone.
When she’s satisfied with the damage, she stills, her chest heaving. Her fingers twitch at her sides, her hair wild around her face.
She’s beautiful.
Once I place my hand on her shoulder, she folds, curling her torso against my chest as I press my lips to her hair. “You okay?”
She sucks in air. “I think so. I…didn’t think I’d ever do that.”
I glance down at the remains of the drive on the floor. “Don’t you want to use that information? To find Angelica’s killers?”
She just surveys the damage for a moment, panting softly in the cooling evening air.
“No.” She shakes her head against my chest. “I think…Angelica would want me to move on. And now…I think I’m ready to do that.”
With my hand on her back, I hug her tighter.
I think she’s probably right, but my opinion doesn’t matter here.
Trinity’s given up the guilt, and as long as she’s happy, I’m happy.
We both sigh, the stress of the past several days falling away like the powdered sugar off a beignet. When she looks up at me, I hook one hand behind her neck, burying my fingers in her feathery curls. I kiss her, absorbing her hot breath, her lavender scent, her energy, her essence…and giving her mine.
We’re free of the past, of our chains. Free to move forward however we both choose.
Together.
Pulling away, I brush a wispy lock of hair from her face. “I’m never taking my eyes off you again, princess.”
She smiles so brightly that I think I may go blind, but losing my eyesight would be worth it. “You better not. I don’t ever want your gaze straying, Mister Gallagher.”
I loop my free arm around her waist and pin her hips to mine. “I hope you’re prepared for the consequences of those words, Trinity.”
She cups her soft hand over my cheek. “I love you, Brody Gallagher.”
Weightless. That’s the only way I can describe the strange bubbling in my chest. I’m floating—falling—the ground beneath my feet gone for good.
She’s the only thing anchoring me. My center of gravity. This woman is my universe, and I’ll go to the ends of the earth for whatever she needs.
