Page 146 of Finding Denver

“You’ll have help. Guidance. I’ll be here, and the moment Finn and Ronan are back on their feet, you can step back again. But right now, we need you. And you know I’m the last person in the world to admit that.”

Her breathing is slow, even, like she’s bracing for impact. “Ranger will try to take advantage, too.”

“Can you control him?”

“Maybe. Maybe …” She swears. “I can try.”

“Then you’re already stronger than most of us,” I say. “Can I count on you?”

Her gray gaze meets mine. Not long ago, we argued bitterly over my opinion of her. I told her I didn’t trust her. She told me to remember who the fuck she was. We were on opposite sides.

Now, we have to stand together so we don’t lose everything.

An anguished scream fills the hall. I rush out to see Helena on her knees, the doctor before her. She’s sobbing into her hands, and Antonia is by her side, holding her. Danielle is holding a crying Alison. Taf is standing by, watching in silence.

Who, who, who, who? But will any answer be easy? Will losing any of them be something we can handle?

The world seems to soften around me, Helena’s cries dulling as I meet Taf’s tear-filled eyes. He mouths a name to me. A name that means this situation is far worse than I could have imagined. It’s no longer about waiting for him to wake up.

The fractures in our lives have been split wide open.

Denver is by my side, and her voice is croaky. “Who?”

Somehow, I speak. “Finn.”

Finn McEwan is dead. A legend. A powerful man. The one we needed to pull us all together once he woke up.

If Ronan survives, he just inherited an empire.

If he doesn’t …

“We need to get to work,” Denver says quietly, lifting her head to look at me.

She’s right.

We do.

Epilogue

AXEL

My phone rings, and I grin when I see her name. I answer quickly, pulling up at the red light, the last of the sun’s rays dipping below the horizon. “Perfect timing! I’m on my way home.”

Denver says, “Good. Can I bring a plus-one to your wedding?”

My heart bursts and I cheer loudly, her laughter filling the car. “Yes! You’re really coming?”

“I really am.”

“As long as that plus-one isn’t Dad, that’s fine by me. We’re thinking August. It cools down a bit, so you won’t be a lobster in the sun.”

Denver tuts. “I buy stocks in sunscreen. I’ll be fine.”

“The sun hits different out here. I was pink for the first three months.”

“Well—”

The line cuts off. I glance from the red light to the darkened screen, wondering if my phone has died. “Denver?” I tap the screen, and it lights up, so I call her back. It goes tovoicemail, and I wait for it to beep. “Did your phone die? Call me back. I want to discuss flights. I love you.”