Page 66 of The Boss

When they parted, her hand brushed the cut along his cheekbone. “You bleed for me,” she whispered. “But I don’t want you to die, Leif. Iwant you to live. With me.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do,” he said. “I’ve spent my life fighting from shadows. Today I found the reason to fight in light.”

She lifted her head, eyes glowing. “We’ll make a new world, Leif. Not theirs. Ours. You and me.”

He cupped her face, fierce and certain. “Not surviving. Living. With you. Always.”

Her smile softened, radiant through exhaustion. “Then let’s live it together. Every breath. Every tomorrow. Together.”

He laughed, kissed her again, demanding and alive. The SUV roared toward the future, and with each mile the past sloughed away. She closed her eyes, mouth still curved as if his vow still stroked her lips. He held her closer, heart pounding with certainty.

They weren’t just heading home. They were heading into forever.

And as daylight spilled over them, Leif Severin knew one thing with searing clarity. He had found the only fight worth winning, and he would never let itgo.