Page 110 of Tailored for You

I turned my back to her and walked to Enzo. Placing a hand on his chest, I let his heartbeat steady me. “What now?” I asked.

“Whatever you want.” He took my hand and pulled me back up the stairs. He closed the door, locking it behind him.

He took us to the front yard and held out a lighter.

“Light it up, drop it down over there.” He pointed to a spot on the grass next to the front steps. “Then, we walk away and never concern ourselves with her again. A threat eliminated.”

I thought it over, flipping the lighter in my hand. Was that what I wanted?

Yes, it was. I knew I wouldn’t feel one ounce of remorse over it. I wouldn’t think back and second-guess my actions, wondering if there had been a better way.

This was the better way. She didn’t deserve to go to jail at some luxury Club Fed.

I flicked the tip, lit the Zippo, and walked to the dry spot. I threw it down and walked back to Enzo, taking his hand.

Quietly, we got back into the car and started down the street. A loud BOOM shook the car, and the sky turned orange and red as the house exploded.

I smiled to myself, feeling like I could finally relax.

“Charles is still out there,” I said, musing as the cool fall air floated through the car.

Adrienne and her team at Bridge City had quietly inserted themselves in the manhunt. After dropping Charles and Apple somewhere in Eastern Europe, they’d track them, waiting for Enzo’s signal to bring them back.

Or at least Apple. I wasn’t sure what had happened to Charles yet. He hadn’t contacted Minnie, as far as I knew, but he also hadn’t made any purchases from his bank, according to Adrienne, who sent in daily reports.

It didn’t matter where Charles was, because while he was mean, antagonistic, and bitter, he was never truly the threat that Apple had been. And now she was nothing but burned ash in a basement.

“He is. When you’re ready, we can handle that, too.” He held my hand, rubbing his thumb along my knuckles. “Whatever happens, we’ll do it together.”

I smiled, kissing him as we drove home.

To Harper. To our life.

On top of the stairs, I leaned on the railing and stared out over the expansive backyard at Enzo’s villa. When he brought me here last time, I hadn’t had a chance to explore, opting to spend my time getting to know Enzo instead.

When he suggested we get out of the city and come here, I couldn’t pack our bags fast enough.

For weeks, I expected the cops to break our door down and drag me out in cuffs.

When I finally expressed my fears of getting arrested to Enzo as he held me one night, he promised to take care of it.

Two days later, news of Apple’s death made the news, with speculation aimed at the people she had stolen from.

My name was never mentioned. No one asked to speak with me. It seemed, for all intents and purposes, I was in the clear.

A tiny yell made me search for the cause of the noise. I found it easily.

At the patio near the pool sat a large table with an umbrella overhead, and a child-sized replica right next to it.

My shoulders shook as I laughed at the scene.

Harper was wearing a crown, a princess dress, and plastic heels. She had her favorite tea set out, along with a mix of fake pastries and real ones.

All of that was normal. What I wanted framed was the group of grown men crammed into the tiny seats wearing princess garments. Donovan had clip-on earrings, Angelo had a crown, and two other men had somehow squeezed their feet into Harper’s plastic heels.

“Amazing.” I turned and found Minnie a foot behind me, her phone up, snapping pictures of Harper and the guys. “I’m framing that.”

I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. While what happened to Apple made headlines, Charles’ name was never mentioned.