King’s expression was grim. “We keep it. Document everything. If Rosalind tries anything else, we have leverage.”
“She can’t,” I said, my voice certain. “Not yet. She lost. The case is over. Going after Simon now would only expose her.”
And she’s too smart for that. Too calculating.
“But she’ll know we know,” Simon said. “Won’t she?”
“Let her,” I said, my hand tightening on him. “Let her know that we see her. That we know what she did. Maybe it’ll keep her from trying this shit again.”
And if it doesn’t, we’ll be ready.
Nav nodded, gathering the documents back into the folder. “I’ll make copies. Send them to Fury in New York too, just in case.”
“Good,” King said.
Nav grinned. “I told you I’d find it.”
The tension in the diner eased slightly, conversations resuming in hushed tones. But the revelation hung in the air, heavy and undeniable.
Rosalind Winthrop had prosecuted Simon not because he was guilty, but because he was convenient.
Because her son was dead, and someone had to pay.
I looked down at Simon; his face turned up toward mine, his eyes searching.
He’s free. He’s safe. And everyone knows he’s mine.
“You okay?” Simon asked again.
I nodded, my thumb brushing over his spine. “Yeah,” I said quietly.
And for the first time in six years, I actually fucking believe it.
Chapter Forty-Two
Simon
The house felt different when we walked through the door.
Quieter.
Emptier.
Like the world outside had been so loud and chaotic that coming home felt like stepping into a vacuum.
Tony closed the door behind us, the lock clicking into place with a finality that made my chest tighten. I shrugged out of my suit jacket, draping it over the back of the nearest chair. Tony did the same, his movements methodical, controlled.
Too controlled.
My hands shook slightly as I loosened my tie. The adrenaline from the diner still coursed through me. Goliath’s kiss, Tony’s claim, the revelation about Rosalind. Everything felt surreal, like I was living someone else’s life.
Tony came out.
In front of everyone.
He claimed me.
He fucking claimed me.
