Mayer, Tyler, and Derrick were waiting in the living room, dressed up like they were going to the Oscars. The TV was all set to the news station but muted, and hyped-up pop music hummed through the speaker systems. Around the place, they’d hung glittery homemade banners and streamers.Happy Federal Investigation!they announced, andWelcome to Your Early Retirement!
Cash took the whole scene in, then had a deep, long laugh. Derrick popped up when he saw them, a big grin on his face. He was wearing what looked like a vintage tuxedo from the nineties, baby blue in color, and he had a plate of snacks in his palm. “Cheese cubes?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Cash said, then plucked a few up and casually handed one to Lawrence and to Raiden. “I have to say, after spending the last decade envisioning the downfall of Horizon Zed, I never pictured this.”
“Why thank you, Cash,” Mayer said with a smile. “I’d like to think we have a unique way of doing this.”
“Don’t we all,” Lawrence added. He jumped over the back of a couch, then plopped into his seat. “Now come on, we’re going to miss it!”
Cash poured them all glasses of champagne, and when he got to the couch, Lawrence was bouncing excitedly in Raiden’s lap. They all clinked glasses, and Cash curled up closer with Raiden, taking Lawrence’s legs in his lap.
The scandal had tumbled out of control over the past days. Cash fed documents to carefully selected journalists, dumping drool-worthy scandals and outrage-inducing schemes. It was fun as hell, and he knew it must be like Christmas for the reporters. While Lawrence’s friends fed the outrage machine and got eyes on the truth, Declan gathered the proper files and made his case to law enforcement. He knew where most of the crooked agents were and trusted his instincts and his contacts from the security agency to take it from there.
Finally, that morning, it all hit a breaking point, and Horizon had announced the upcoming press conference. Tyler turned up the volume as it started, beginning with Lawrence’s father and Mackey announcing their resignations. They all cheered when Mackey ran away in disgrace, and Lawrence bounced up to pour another round of champagne when a bipartisan group of senators came out to announce a formal inquiry into Horizon Zed. By the end of the evening, the sudden arrest of Reed was just a cherry on the sundae, and he laughed as the reporters flashed the bitter man’s scowling face across the screen, over and over again.
Cash caught Lawrence’s hand. “Are you okay? It’s a lot to see your father disgraced like this.”
Lawrence nodded. “I am okay, thanks. I’m just glad it’s over.”
Raiden hugged Lawrence tight from behind. “And with Reed locked away, we can stop hiding out. We’ll still take security precautions for a while, and Cash and I will always be there to keep you safe. But the biggest danger is over, sweetheart.”
“Speaking of,” Cash said. “I had an idea. I’ve lost my bike and all my equipment, but I haven’t lost the studio. Now that I’m done running heists out of my home, I don’t really need all the space.” He paused. After how many times he’d run straight into danger, it was funny to feel nervous about this kind of thing. “Why don’t you two move in?” he said. “There’s plenty of space.”
Lawrence relaxed back into their arms. “Wow,” he said. “Really?”
“Sounds good to me,” Raiden said, dropping his voice to a growl. “And it’s a hell of a lot easier to make sure you two are safe if we’re sleeping together every night.”
“I’d love that,” Lawrence said sweetly. He caught Cash’s gaze, his chocolate eyes bright and shiny. “I could even sell my condo. I don’t know what my father’s resignation means for my trust funds, but I’d be happy to cut the last ties with him and put the things he gave me to better use.”
Cash straightened in his seat. He stroked Lawrence’s leg and felt the rise and fall of Raiden’s chest beside him. Cash had never thought beyond revenge, but now that he was there, he couldn’t be happier that the next chapter started with love.
