Page 46 of Freeing Denver

He shakes his head. “Ms. Merrick needs me.”

“You’ll look after her?”

Something close to tenderness flashes across his face, and he nods. “With my life.”

Chapter 12

Denver

Iwatch from the doorway as Colt holds Holly in his arms, her little feet dangling as he extends the embrace. Her face is buried in his shoulder, her cheeks pink from crying, and fresh tears roll down my face. Helena, Antonia, and Wesson are already in the car. Charlie is behind the wheel.

And we’re saying goodbye.

It isn’t safe for them. Ranger and Spider plan on bringing pain, and they’ll do that by hurting those close to us.

The agony of this life is being the catalyst for danger not just for yourself, but for everyone you love. Holly being close to us right now puts her at risk, and as much as it pains us both, she needs to go. They all do.

Axel approaches from inside the house to stand in the doorway with me, and we watch as Colt puts a crying Holly into the car.

I convinced Axel to stay in New York. I made it clear to him that there’s no mediation in this. He cannot be on both sides, and although I hated saying it, I told him he had to choose, because moving between Ranger and me would put him at risk.

He chose me.

I’ll always be grateful for that, because I wouldn’t have judged him if he’d stayed with Ranger.

Colt returns to the house, and his expression would have been unreadable to me a few months ago. I’d have assumed he was cold, shut down, taking it all in his stride, but now I know him better.

He’s in pain.

I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek to his chest as we remain in the cold.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble into him, holding back more tears. “It won’t be for long.”

But it could be. It could be weeks, maybe months, before this is over, and there’s no telling what the outcome will be.

As the sun dips, we head inside. Dinner is takeout, and conversation is all business or nothing at all. It’s like we’re all too afraid that if we talk about Holly, Helena, or Antonia, we’ll break.

I lock my phone after receiving a text from Samuel. “The meeting for the casino deal is in two weeks. The land is technically yours now, so I’ll need you. Can you come?”

Colt nods. “I’ll be there. It’ll be nice dealing with something semi normal.”

Something other than Ranger and fucking Spider.

Colt returns to silence beside me, and Axel is on my other side. The head of the table is empty. I don’t think any of us are ready for someone to sit there yet. We’re like kids playing house, secretly hoping our parents come home soon.

Colt’s phone rings and he exhales, kissing my temple. “It’s Alexei. I’ll take it in the office.” I watch him go, my brows pinched together in concern.

“He’ll be okay,” Taf says, smiling weakly from across the table. “Silence is his thing while he processes.”

I nod. “I just wish there was an answer.”

“There is,” JJ says. “It’s just a crappy one.”

He’s right. We know what we have to do. We have to fight. We just don’t want to deal with the repercussions of that.

The front door opens and closes, and Alison appears at the doorway.

Ronan’s half-sister has visited almost every day. She sits by Ronan’s bed, reading to him or telling him about what she’s learning at Harvard. They’ve allowed her to stay in the city for a while, given the circumstances, and it’s been nice having her around.