Page 174 of Trapped Truth

“Jesus, Ax. Calm down.”

“He’s been bouncing up and down the whole drive home.” Blaine locks up his own Sabre-donated vehicle, offering his mother a helping hand.

“I can verify that.” Angela lightly grasps his forearm.

“And you didn’t kick him out on the motorway?” A laugh rattles through me.

“Trust me, I was tempted.” Blaine scowls.

“Yeah, yeah. Big, scary Phantom.” Axel blows a dramatic raspberry in his direction, earning himself a glare. “Love you too, dude. Now let’s go in!”

I’m roughly manhandled towards the gorgeous, red brick townhouse tucked behind blooming cherry trees and brightly painted picket fences. Warner had a hell of a time sanding and refinishing those to his militarily precise standards when we moved in about a month ago.

Our new home is a slice of blissful paradise beyond London’s chaotic energy. Like Brooklyn and her family, we opted to escape the city, retiring to a nearby suburb to lay down roots for our version of forever. Personally, I adore the quintessential countryside aesthetic of our house.

August heat warms my face as I’m steered up the front path and around to the side, bypassing the front door. There’s a gate leading to our back garden hidden out of sight. Also protected by the best security system money can buy, of course.

“Cover her eyes!” Hyland barks from behind us.

“Oh, crap.” In an instant, Axel’s palms cover my sight. “Keep walking, babe. I’ve got you.”

“If I hit a plant pot, you’re fucking dead.”

“I’ll kill him for you,” Blaine volunteers.

“Your criminal days are over. I can do the killing myself.”

“Damn, way to spoil all my fun.”

“You elected to retire. Deal with it.”

When Blaine announced his intention to hand the reigns of his remaining empire over to a fully healed Spyder, I honestly felt relieved. He’d been treading a fine line in shades of grey for a long time. If he continued, his plea agreement would have looked shaky at best.

But rather than forcing his hand, I resigned to accept whatever decision he made. In the aftermath of his father’s arrest and the subsequent dismantling of his operation, Blaine decided to walk away himself. Not just from his whole world, but from Sabre too.

“Did you hear that, unemployed bum?” Axel chuckles lightheartedly. “Only she gets to kill me.”

“I’m temporarily without a job.” Blaine’s retort cracks like a whip. “Not unemployed.”

“Semantics.”

“Shut the fuck up, pup.”

“Language!” Angela swats Blaine’s arm.

“Sorry, Mother.”

My lip aches from biting down to hold in my laughter. She’s a force of nature, that one. I think having Angela around is good for Blaine. Maybe even good for all of us. It’s nice to have some maternal energy in our lives.

Stumbling blindly, I’m steered onto what feels like grass. We must be in the garden. There’s a low hum of whispers, indicating several others nearby. As I’m about to chew Axel out, his hands vanish, allowing the sun to nearly blind me.

“Surprise!”

“Happy leaving party, Ember!”

“Surprise, Em!”

The happy shouts wash over me all at once. With so many bright, friendly faces gathered to shower me with love, I don’t know where to look first. Brooklyn stands with Hudson and Eli, bouncing baby Charlie on her hip. Jude and Phoenix stand farther back with Logan hanging off them.