Page 44 of Freeing Denver

She seems pleased with that. “Thanks.”

“Not a compliment, Deluxe,” he adds.

“The next step,” Alistair cuts in, his patience clearly wearing thin, “is the families. Colt and Denver need to put on a united front. Like Cain said, they won’t support her if there’s a chance this is a fling and she ends up going back to Ranger. Denver and Colt need to be seen as strong. Not temporary.”

“And it also means I’m going to be spending a lot of time in the company of enemies while I try to regain trust,” I add, looking at Cain. “That’s where I need you.”

His people are trained to the extreme of any other hired muscle I know. They’re all ex-military, some having worked in the depths of government agencies that most have never even heard of. They’ve fought wars kept out of the public eye and assassinated rival government officials under the cover of not existing.

“If you’re in,” Alistair says. Finally, Cain looks at Alistair. The tension between them is palpable, years of bitterness strung like piano strings, and one wrong word could clip them.

Cain shifts his gaze to Denver. “I’ll discuss that with Ms. DeLuca.”

A clear snub at Alistair, and even me, but I have a feeling it has more to do with him liking Denver’s promise of vengeance against Ranger.

“And you should all know now …” I brace myself. “I’m Finn’s son.”

A pin could drop, and the sound would resemble a bomb.

It’s out there now. The truth of who I am, who Finn was to me, and the reality of it hurts. He always felt like a father and acted like one, too, but I never had to guts to speak to him about it. I never had the opportunity to hear him say the words, and I never will.

Charlie lets out a chuff. “Holy fucking plot twist. Is anyone making notes? I can’t fucking keep up.”

“How?” Lewis asks. “I don’t understand.”

Taf says, “Well, Lewis, when two people love each other very much?—”

“Enough of that,” Alistair interjects, and the low chuckles in the room taper away. “The circumstance is irrelevant. What matters is Colt is next in line.”

“Regardless, the moment Ronan wakes up, he’ll still take over,” I say. “Once Ranger is gone and Spider is dealt with, Denver, Holly and I are leaving.” The looks they give me range from shocked to hurt. They’ve been by my side for years, fought and bled for me, and I’m walking away. But during our recovery, Denver and I made plans. Actual plans. We’re leaving the city, going to England, and we’re not coming back. “We’re tired. And these last few weeks?—”

“You don’t need to explain, Colt,” Charlie says. “You’ve been through shit. We get it.” Everyone nods, and Denver slips her hand into mine.

“He’s right,” Lucas chimes in. “You deserve to be happy, boss.”

Happy. Free. Away from a life I’d once fought for.

The relief washes through me, and I nod. “Then there’s also Spider to deal with.”

“If we can find the fucker,” JJ says. “How he managed to get away after the funeral is a mystery. No one has seen him since.”

“At least Axel Luxe got a right hook in,” Taf says, flashing a grin at Denver. “He’s more fun than his dad.” A thud under the table and Taf wincing tells me JJ kicked him, a rare jealous streak coming out.

“Speaking of Axel, where does he stand in all this?” Charlie asks. “You’re leaving his dad.”

Denver releases my hand. “Axel never wanted me to marry Ranger. It’s complicated, but he supports whatever decision I make. He’ll be here for future meetings, and?—”

Alistair’s head snaps in her direction. “You never told me that. So now he knows the location of both safe houses?”

“He’s on our side, Alistair,” she hits back.

“He’s a Luxe,” he reminds her. “How do we know he won’t tell Ranger? We still don’t even know how Vince found both Finn and Colt’s homes to plant those bombs. We’re trying to protect ourselves, and you’re telling Ranger’s son everything?”

Denver steps forward. “I trust Axel.”

“I don’t!”

“I don’t give a fuck!”