“You hear about Tipponi?”
I nodded. “Kay and Collin went to California to visit his daughter.”
He bared his teeth and got an inch from my face. “I tied him to a chair and forced him to tell me everything. And after?”
I waited. We needed this. His mask was finally off, and there would never be another one to cover him up again. His faults. His mistakes. His tainted soul. They were all mine, and I love every single one.
“I unloaded a clip into his face and left him for dead in my apartment.”
Tears formed in my eyes, and I nodded.
“That’s why you're in this apartment with shitty little windows I know you hate.”
“They're fine,” I whispered as I pulled my hands up his back, loving the way he felt in my arms, how warm and solid he was.
“You still love me?” he snapped.
“Even after my heart stops, James, I will always love you.”
He groaned and pressed a harsh kiss against my lips. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. You fought for me. You never stopped fighting for me, even when I was the one pushing you away.” He backed us up, sitting on the bed and bringing me into his lap. I wrapped him in a tight embrace, resting my cheek on his head. We stayed silent for a few minutes, listening to each other’s breathing.
“I missed you,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
“I missed you too.”
“I can’t blame you for being brave, beautiful,” he admitted. When we were in the interrogation room, part of me knew it was both of us running high on emotions, fear, and lust. We both walked out of there surrounded by love, and even though it was wounded, I knew we would heal.
“Is Ray Romano really dead?”
James’ head left my body, and he looked up at me, raising a brow. “His body looks like a piece of swiss cheese, Haley. Why are you asking me that?”
I began to count off my fingers. “He was supposed to die at his Sunday dinner with Gwen’s dagger in his chest. Then, months later, he shows up at my company event. According to Kay, Collin blew up a building with Romano inside of it. Then, days later, he kidnaps Karina.” I sucked in a breath. “I just need to know if I need to be prepared or is this finally over?”
Amusement danced in his eyes and he rose up on his feet. He gripped my chin as his other hand pressed my body against his once more. “It’s really over. Ray Romano is dead. His body is being shipped to Washington.”
“Washington?” I asked, putting my hands on his chest.
“Yes. Don’t ask me about that. That shit is above my pay grade.”
A different type of tension settled in the air. Unfamiliar. I looked up at him. “Where do we go from here, James?”
He lowered his face, and as his lips brushed against mine, he whispered, “Wherever you go, I will be by your side. You want to explore the world? I’ll make the travel arrangements. You want to go back to New York? Our apartment is waiting. You want to stay here—”
“I am not living in this apartment, James. The windows are tiny,” I said, leaning back.
He smirked down at me, and my lips twitched in response.
“You are my everything, Haley Austen. I’ll make sure you have everything you want.”
“And what if I want to stay here in St. Louis? What if I want you to actually turn in that badge for good?”
His hand slid into my hair, pulling me back into him. “Consider it done, princess.” His lips met mine and just for a moment, I could taste our happy ending.
We just had to get through the rest of this shitshow first…
Chapter Thirty-Seven
