“Exactly.”
I left through the back door, taking the weapons with me. Mission accomplished.
The next morning, I listened in over the phone as our cop, Sam, interviewed Tony Brennan. The conversation went exactly as planned. Tony claimed ignorance. Said he had no idea what Eddie was talking about. Hadn't seen any murder. Didn't know where Eddie was now.
Sam, playing his part perfectly, leaned back in his chair. "If anything changes about what you remember, Tony, you call me first. I'll handle it. I'll be checking back."
Sam couldn’t say too much because he was wearing a body cam, making the entire thing look legit to anybody looking for information.
"I understand," Tony said quietly.
The interview ended, and I hung up the phone. It was done. The threat was neutralized. For now. If Tony talked, if anything went wrong, I knew what I'd have to do. Kids or not. But I'd given him a chance and given his kids a chance to keep their father.
Maybe that made me soft or weak. But I'd looked at that family and seen what I'd never had. And I couldn't bring myself to destroy it. I didn’t regret that.
I drove back to the hotel to Shanice, and the life I was building. When I walked into our room, she was reading in bed. She looked up, and her expression softened when she saw me.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Everything's fine." I stripped off my clothes and climbed into bed beside her, pulling her into my arms. "Just work. It's handled."
She settled against my chest, her fingers tracing patterns on my skin. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, baby." I kissed the top of her head. "But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."
She tilted her head back to look at me. "Promise?"
"Promise."
I held her close, breathing in her scent, letting the tension of the last day of events drain away. Shanice was safe and our life together could officially begin.
And for now, that was enough.
Mikhail
Iheld Shanice for a long time after I got back, just breathing her in, and letting the violence of the day wash away. But the longer I held her, the more the tension shifted. It changed into something darker and more primal. I'd killed a man. Had ended a life and spared another, and wielded power over life and death. And now I needed to feel alive. Needed to claim what was mine.
"Mikhail?" Shanice's voice was soft, uncertain. "You're holding me really tight."
"I know." I didn't loosen my grip. "I need you."
"I'm right here."
"No. I need you." I pulled back to look at her, and whatever she saw in my eyes made her breath catch. "I need to feel you. Claim you. Make you mine in every way possible."
Her pupils dilated. "I thought we'd been doing that for three days."
"Not like this." I cupped her face, my thumb brushing over her lower lip. "I need you to submit to me, Shanice. Completely. No holding back. No fighting. Just give yourself to me."
"I always give myself to you." Her expression changed to be one of concern, almost as if she was questioning what we’d been doing.
"Not like I need right now." My voice was rough, almost a growl. "I need all of you. Every piece. And I need you to trust me enough to let me take it."
She stared at me for a long moment. I could see the questions forming, I just hoped she didn’t ask something that I couldn’t tell her. I said a prayer in hopes that she would let whatever she was thinking go.
Then she nodded. "Okay."
"Say it."
