My shoulders slumped as his footsteps clanged against the metal, leaving me alone with my men. “It almost doesn’t feel real.”
“Well, it is, sugar.” Spade placed a kiss on my cheek. “And now we get to live out all those dreams of the future.”
A grin tugged at my lips as I turned and wrapped my arms around Spade, squeezing him tightly to my chest. He returned the embrace with just as much vigor, leaving my ribs aching in the best way. Kellan and Merrick joined in, my three men cocooning me in their warm, comforting arms, where I’d happily stay from now on.
“We’re free.” The words rolled unbidden off my tongue, like a prayer or a sign from some higher power. “It’s really over.”
We let that sink in. Those six years that had separated us had threatened to break us and tear us apart, but they only strengthened us. It gave us the power and means not only to escape, but to wrench our freedom from Angelo’s clutches and release the town from the iron grip the crime family had held it in for far too many years.
Chapter Thirty
Giana
Aflashofredhairflew across the parking lot the moment I climbed out of the van. Sophia hurtled toward me, nearly knocking me over as her arms clamped around me, tugging me roughly into her. I nearly tripped over my own feet, but she held me up despite our height difference.
“I was so worried,” she said into my shoulder as I returned the hug.
“It still doesn’t feel real.” I closed my eyes and soaked in the moment.
I never imagined I’d be telling Sophia about any of this a few months ago, but she now knew everything. My guys did too, and for the first time in years, I no longer felt the suffocating pressure of isolation on my chest.
“So he’s really gone?” She pulled back, her hands gripping my shoulders so she could survey me.
“Yes.” I grinned, elation bubbling up inside me, filling me with the warm glow of hope. It had been so long since I truly dreamt or hoped that the sensation was almost foreign.
“And you trust this Lorenzo?” That same hope glimmered in her sapphire eyes, like she wanted to believe it, but it almost seemed impossible after everything we’ve been through.
“For now, but we’ll monitor him.” She wrapped me up in another hug, her chest careening with mine so hard it nearly stole the air from my lungs.
Merrick grumbled something under his breath about my arm, but I ignored him. Sophia was relieved, ecstatic, and excited—her energy was exactly what I needed. Otherwise, I might just convince myself that none of this was real.
The guys had been pissed to find out I’d been grazed by a bullet and hadn’t told them. They made sure I was seen by the paramedics even though it was barely a scratch.
She let me go as the rest of the guys, and Francine joined us. “Did everyone make it out?” Francine asked as she wrapped her arm around her grandson, Charlie.
I grimaced and looked at the guys. We’d gone with the few Demons who were hurt—Nicholas was one of them—but there were a few who were declared dead when they reached the hospital, including Josh.
Kellan slid his arms around my waist, drawing me back against his hard chest like he’d read my mind.
“Three didn’t make it. Josh, Jared, and Steven,” Merrick said, his eyes darting to his feet.
It was the hardest on him since he was the one who built the Devil’s Demons with nothing but a dream for the future. He felt responsible for them, but we’d taken every precaution we could’ve. Everyone was aware of what was at stake, and one ormore of us could have been among those who did not leave that mansion tonight.
I took his hand, and he squeezed mine back, each of us lending the other our comfort and sharing the pain. None of them would ever be forgotten, and we’d make sure their families were taken care of for the rest of their lives.
“We’ll give them the funeral they deserve.” Francine clasped his shoulder, dragging his gaze up from the ground. “Every single one of them knew exactly what they were fighting for tonight. They knew there was a chance that they wouldn’t make it out. Don’t let this tragedy rest on your shoulders; it’s the entire town’s weight to bear.”
The few other townspeople who’d circled us, including Mr. Richards, Liam, Sebastian, and Zane, all voiced their agreement.
“We’ll help their families,” Liam said, flashing me a smile that had Kellan stiffening behind me.
I nodded and placed a hand over Kellan’s, reassuring him. Three guys were more than enough for me. Thank you very much.
Despite the late hour, it seemed like everyone was up. Some congregated in small groups around the parking lot, while others peered out their windows, the warm glow of lamps illuminating the space from within.
The whole crowd was talking excitedly, the hope shining around the motel as though we’d all just summoned the sun. The group continued to talk among themselves, but I tuned them out, my mind still trying to catch up with everything that had happened tonight.
Spade pushed his way to my other side and took the hand that was on Kellan’s. The two exchanged a look over my head, but I blocked them out, just soaking in the moment. The four of us were here together. This was both the beginning and the end. There was still work to do, but the threat was gone. We wouldn’thave the Barones shaking down business owners and stalking through the night like predators, taking whatever they wanted, no matter the cost.
