I’m breathless as the killer they call James declares his love for me. In the backyard of the brother he stole me from, in full view of anyone who cares to watch.
“Did you know Vincent was going to try and marry me tonight?”
He gazes down on me, the light catching his green eyes, making them light up for a moment. “I know everything, Harper Fenici.” I smile at that. “I may not always remember everything, but I have it all locked away up here.” He taps the side of his head.
“I can’t decide if you’re a brazen fool, an evil mastermind, or a gentle man.”
He grins. “I was foolish enough to believe I could have a woman like you. But my determination paid off. I’ve had my share of evil moments. But evil begets evil. And the people I killed were doing their share of begetting. As far as a gentle man, well”—he smiles—“only with you, Harper. And our children, when they come.”
I rest my head against his chest again, and we dance that way, barely moving, content to be in each other’s arms, even if we are in the lion’s den. Until finally my feet are tired and I get sleepy. And then he leads me upstairs to my room and we undress each other slowly. He touches my body like he’s never touched it before. He worships it. Not sexually, although it turns me on so bad, my nipples perk and my sex throbs.
I touch him too. I search his body for scars. I search his mind for misgivings. But on both accounts, I find none.
No scars. Just a perfect man.
No misgivings. Just his honest love.
And in that moment, I release myself to him completely.
“I am yours, Six.”
“And I am yours, Come.”
He takes me to bed. I stretch out on the white sheets. Naked. Bare for him. And he worships me in a new way. Our first night as Six and Come is filled with talking and laughing. Touching and loving. And the climax of my night has nothing to do with sex.
He fills me up in a different way now.
He fills me up with love.
The next morning he wakes me slowly with a light touch across my breasts. “It’s time, Harper.”
We promised each other we would not talk about today until it was really here. And now it is. “I’m listening.”
So he talks. And he tells me all about this day before it even starts. He gives very elaborate details. He gives a timeframe and backup options—just in case. He gives me everything I’ve ever wanted to know about what this day means. What my code means. And what we need to do in order to have a future together.
He gives me hope.
Chapter ThirtySasha
“It itches.” I scratch the bodice of my fancy dress. It’s made up of bunched-up fabric that gathers together in long lines of wrinkles along my torso. Who the hell wears this shit? “And tights? Why the f—”
“Sasha,” One snaps. I’m getting on his last nerve, but I don’t care. “You said you wanted to do this. You came to me, remember? Do you want to go to the party or not?”
I squint my eyes at him. Merc is suddenly starting to look like a much better option as far as mercenary friends go. “It’s my party.”
“It’s Harper’s party. You’re just there to ruin it.”
“Yeah, well…” I got nothing. It’s true. I’m just there to fuck it all up. And save Nick. And Harper. But mostly Nick. After we made all those plans about getting the files back, he thinks he can go off and try and do it alone? I don’t think so, buddy.
“Now,” he says, straightening my hair. “What will you say when the Admiral confronts you about being shot on the boat?”
“Sir, my Uncle One—”
“Skip the uncle part, kid.”
Asshole. “Sir, One alerted me to Tet’s plan to kill me and brought me a special bulletproof life vest.” I had to cop to that part of James’ plan. Obviously, One needed to know how I survived.
“If he asks anything else, you just defer to me and act like a kid. Just drink some fucking punch and eat cookies.”
Right. I have to control the eye roll.
The car pulls up in the valet area and One and I exit the hotel lobby and get in. The compound is about a thirty-minute drive north, so we have a lot of time to think about what’s happening.
The problem I have is, I don’t know why he agreed to this. I leveraged the missing file over his head. The one Merc still has. The one everyone needs in order to make both files work. The one Nick and I would have right now, if this asshole next to me hadn’t drugged Harper and stolen it at the last second. I told One that James has the missing file. I feel bad for James. Using him to lure all the players sucks. But he’s the only one who can handle what I’m sending. He’s the only one who can deals with gang members and assassins. Nick is not experienced enough. Harper is probably useless. And I’m not big enough.
So…
“OK, put on your game face, kid.”
I’ve been wearing my game face since last Christmas when Ford left my grandparents’ ranch.
The car pulls up to the gates of the private community and the driver slides his window down and hands over the paperwork.
It’s not legit. It’s not even an invitation. Why try and fake it? So we decided to just announce who we are and see what happens.
After twenty seconds on the phone inside the gate house, we’re waved through.
The driveway leading up to the main house is flanked on both sides by towering palm trees waving in the wind. There’s so many flowers blooming, the scent of them is almost overwhelming. Almost enough to make me sick.