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thirty-four

Miles

S he’s alive.

Seeing her face, that she’s breathing, is a relief like I’ve never known. I prayed we weren’t too late. That I could set things into motion, and it seems I’m just in time.

I shake the book in my hand, bringing the attention to me. “Hello, Senator,” I say evenly.

“You’re the boyfriend?”

“Yes, and also the owner of the book you’re so desperate to find.”

I assess the room, taking in the dead body on the ground across the way and Penelope’s red-rimmed eyes. There’s a mark on her face, and I instantly see red. Someone fucking hit her.

He’ll pay for that.

Her lips are parted, and confusion fills her beautiful eyes. “Miles? What are you ... ?”

I take a step and the dickhead with a gun shifts. “I wouldn’t shoot me since I’m not an idiot, and you should know there are contingencies in place if that happens.”

The senator lifts his hand and the bodyguard steps back. “You have contingencies?”

“Yes, I’ll warn you now that if I’m not walking out this door with Penelope and Kai in ten minutes then everything in this book, all the names, dates, locations of bodies, and all the other fun things that are in here will be blasted out in an email to fifteen different news agencies. There will be no rock you’ll be able to hide under. No corner of the world where this won’t touch you. So I’d put that gun down, and let’s discuss the options,” I say, stepping farther into the room.

They have no idea that Ainsley’s newspaper already has the contents of this book, and there will be nowhere they can escape this, but I bluff until I have Penelope out of this room.

It’s clear that this doesn’t sit well with him as he shifts and waves his hand, indicating his man should lower the gun. Once that’s out of the way, I walk over to Penelope and pull her up against me.

“Are you okay?” I ask softly.

She nods quickly. “Kai,” she breathes.

“He’s fine,” I whisper. “Trust me.”

I heard him screaming, assuming they were together, but when I opened the door, there was only one man, who had Kai in his grasp, and I didn’t hesitate. I was able to take care of him quickly and grabbed Kai, sending him to Quinn, who was waiting two doors down.

Once I knew he was safe, I came to get Penny.

I return my attention to the matter at hand. “This book was an interesting read. I can see why you were so eager to get it back.”

The senator’s jaw tics, and I push Penelope slightly behind me.

I continue on: “Here’s how this is going to go. You’re going to let Penelope walk out of here right now, and then we can negotiate.”

Penelope gasps. “No!”

Her hands are at my back, and I have to fight to keep my eyes forward and not comfort her. The only thing I give a shit about is getting her out of here to reunite with Kai and her brother.

He laughs. “I don’t think so.”

“That’s fine, your clock is ticking either way, so it doesn’t matter to me. I wonder what the news will report first. Maybe the way you’ve funded a crime ring? That might be too mundane, though. It could be the fact you’re funneling money through a charity for children but it’s only lining your pockets ... that would be a good one to start with. Taxpayers just love those kinds of stories.”

While we were planning, I strategized every option, and the only thing we knew was that we had to prepare for the worst. That all of us might not make it out or I would die trying to save Kai and Penelope.

No matter what, this will be over today.

Taunting him is the only thing I can see that will allow Penelope to walk out the door.

The senator looks at Penelope, me, and then his bodyguard, whose jaw is clenched tight. He definitely doesn’t want Penelope to leave, but his options are really limited.

“What assurance do I have that if I let her go, you won’t release the information?”

“You don’t. You just have to believe that I would never let harm come to my family.” We may not be married. We may not be together, but I love her and Kai. They are my family, and I will protect them until my dying breath.

Her fingers tighten in my shirt, and then I feel her forehead against my back.

He rubs his tongue against his teeth, and I wait in silence. “If she goes and she speaks a word, I’ll kill the kid.”

Little does he know that’s not an option. “Understood.”

“Go,” he says to Penelope.

Penelope doesn’t move, so I step back, forcing her to go closer to the door I came in. “Penelope,” I say firmly, keeping my eyes on the two in front of me. “Go now, I’ll be there soon.”

She shakes and her breathing is labored. “I don’t want to leave you,” she whispers.

“Know that I love you and plan to marry you, but now you need to walk out the door.” It’s the first time I said it, but if I die, I want her to know how I feel. “Now, go.”

“Come back to me,” she whispers, and then I feel the warmth of her body leave me.

Her loss is a physical ache that I feel in my bones. I just had her back, and I had to let her go, but I have no regrets. If I die here, it’ll be for the woman and little boy I love. For the people who made me the happiest I’ve ever been, and that’s a sacrifice I’d make every day.

I glance at the clock. I have six minutes remaining, so I don’t delay. “Here’s option number one ... I’m going to leave this book with you and all the disgusting shit you’ve done and walk out, with nothing ever being said. We’ll forget you, everything we’ve read, and you’ll forget all of us. The second option is ... you hurt anyone that I love and every single fucking detail is leaked. If you follow us, every detail is leaked. If you ever come near us, every detail is published. I have every safeguard in place for this, and I swear to God, if I feel even one ounce of these things happening, I won’t hesitate to ruin your life to protect the people I love.”

“You think I’m an idiot? The fact that you have copies of it is enough of a reason to kill you.”

I shrug. “Maybe, but it’s been six years where she could’ve destroyed your life, and not a peep. Six years that all she did was want to live a life away from this hell. If you let her and Kai go, stop chasing them, then the information stays hidden, but that’s a choice you have to make.”

He has no idea that the contents of this book are basically in another language. I was just fortunate enough to find someone who was able to put the pieces together. Even now, Ainsley is working on compiling all the information to release her story in two days.

I don’t like that he’ll have two days where he could come after us. None of this sits well with me, but I have to believe I can keep them safe that long. He may have the power now, but the tides will change, and when it does, he’ll pay for his sins with Penelope and Kai well away from it.

“Well, you’ve surely thought of everything,” he says.

“The choice is yours, Senator.” I glance down at my watch. “You have less than five minutes.”