Page 43 of Freeing Denver

“Wait.” Lucas waves a hand between us. “You’re together?”

“Keep up, dipshit,” Keto says.

Lucas retaliates by tossing a pen at Keto. “I mind my own business; why do I care who the boss is fucking?”

“You do now,” Alistair mumbles, closing his laptop.

Keto ignores them both. “So it was Ranger who killed Finn?”

“No, that was Vince Capelli,” I say.

“What? Why?” Charlie looks confused. “’Cos of the arm-breaking thing?” I nod. “Fuck. Was his death one of us?”

Denver examines her nails with an air of total innocence. I say, “His death is irrelevant. What matters is he’s gone, and Dante has taken his place.”

There are simultaneous hoots and groans. Charlie looks thrilled, but most don’t—probably because they know how Dante works. He’s swift, brutal, and sometimes unnecessarily violent. He does it all with a smile, though, and for his family, so it’s hard not to like him.

“Is this thing real?” a deep voice asks from the back of the room. Cain’s arms are folded, his figure totally still as he looks between Denver and me. “I mean no offence, but I’m not willing to risk my men if you end up going back to your husband, Mrs. Luxe.” If any other man had called her that name, I’d likelybristle, but that’s just Cain’s way. He addresses people formally, always maintaining distance.

Denver doesn’t seem bothered by the insinuation. “I won’t be going back to Ranger, Mr. …?”

“Calloway.”

“I’m divorcing my husband, Mr. Calloway,” she says. “It’s been a long time coming, even before anything happened with Colt. Whether I was standing here or back home, I’d be starting the process to leave him. I won’t be Denver Luxe for much longer.”

Cain gives a small nod. “And who will you be?”

“Denver DeLuca.”

“Denver DeLuca-Harland,” I say, and Denver’s eyes snap to mine, her cheeks turning pink. A slow smile creeps across her face. “Whenever she’s ready.”

Not the way I thought this conversation would happen, but our relationship hasn’t really stuck to any rules. The one thing I know for sure, though? I’m marrying this woman next to me.

“We’re witnessing something beautiful right now, and I’m all here for it,” JJ says. “But, y’know … war.”

Right. Fuck.

“What’s the plan, Colt?” Charlie asks.

The plan. The one Denver, Alistair and I went over last night, and then again this morning.

“First things first, we remove any power Ranger might be gaining. We ensure he has no protection, which means we strengthen relationships with every cop we know and try to gain the favor of anyone who has held out from accepting bribes. I want someone on our side in every official government building in this city, someone we can rely on. Then, we encourage Ranger to go home.”

Charlie says, “How are you gonna do that? You nearly threw him off a balcony and he’s still here.”

“That’s my job,” Denver says. “I start some fires in San Francisco, ones only he can put out.”

“Literally?” JJ asks.

She smiles. “No, but I know what buttons to press. I know where the bodies are buried, and the money is hidden. I’ll make a few calls and start the process.”

Cain says, “Process?”

“To destroy Ranger Luxe,” she says simply. “Professionally. Financially. I’ll drag his reputation through the dirt, while maintaining enough distance to not let it affect my name or my businesses. By the time I’m done with him, the only thing people will feel for Ranger is pity.”

Everyone in the room gapes at her.

“You sure you wanna marry her, Colt?” JJ asks out of the corner of his mouth. Denver tuts at him. “What? You’re ‘hell hath no fury’ personified.”