Once Remy had Royal secured, I put my gun away and vaulted across the room to Kennedy, pulling her into my arms.
“We’ve got an ambulance on the way,” I told her. “Let’s go.”
“He’s the one who needs a paramedic,” she snapped. “And what did you three think? That you’d just bust in and rescue me? I didn’t need a fucking hero. I saved myself.”
When I finally got her to look at me, I smiled. “Yeah, that’s true. But you can’t blame me, can you? I didn’t want to lose you.”
“I didn’t come for you,” Remy bit out waspishly. “I was trying to save this piece of shit before you cut him up with a machete. How do you always have one?” He rolled Royal over and forced him up, laughing when he saw that Kennedy had really beat his ass. “Do you know how much paperwork there would have been if you’d killed him?”
“I want to press charges,” Royal wheezed. “She broke in and attempted to kill me when I wouldn’t take her back.”
“Nice try,” Dom shot back at him. “We’re responding to reports that you carried an unconscious redhead into the house. Not only that, but there’s a warrant for your arrest for attempted murder.” He turned to Kennedy. “Do you think you can keep your mouth shut for a minute so I can get this out? If you interrupt me, I’ll have to start again.”
When she nodded, Dom turned back to Royal. “I’ve got my body cam on for your safety and mine. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”
Royal didn’t answer.
I couldn’t wait to see him spend the rest of his life in prison.
When Kennedy pulled away from me, I almost stopped her, but I didn’t. She was safe, and there was nothing I needed to protect her from. She stepped up to Royal, without a hint of fear in her eyes.
“I win.”
Epilogue
Kennedy
I held Cassie Lane Townsend in my arms and marveled at the beauty that was my niece. She had her mother’s eyes, but even at two days old, she had the intensity that Remy had from the day he was born.
“You did good, big brother.”
He stood over us, watching his daughter like a hawk, with a ridiculous smile on his face.
“I know,” he preened. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
“Her mother would like to hold her now,” Parker announced to the room as a whole. “She’s hungry, my boobs hurt, and if she’ll just eat one more time, the nurses told me that we can go home. Finally. It’s been forever.”
I didn’t want to, but I gave her to her mom, but not before pressing the tiniest of kisses to her forehead. “I love you, Cassie.”
I started crying as I said it and didn’t even pretend like I wasn’t. “I’m so frickin’ glad your momma named you Cassie, do you know that? Your auntie is gonna look after you forever, you know that?”
She went to her mother, completely oblivious to what I’d said. But it was true. That little girl wouldn’t ever worry about anything.
“Moooom,” Nox groaned as he walked into the room with Linc at his back. “Do you have to pull your boob out now?”
He covered his eyes and plopped down in the chair on the other side of the room.
“You can come with me if you want, Nox.” I grabbed my purse, ready to head home and get some sleep finally.
“No.” He shook his head with a smile. “I don’t wanna leave little Cassie. She needs me now. I’m her brother.”
Damned if I didn’t burst into tears again at that.
“Are you okay, Auntie Kenny?”
“I’m fine,” I choked out around the sobs. “You’re just so cute, Nox. So responsible.”
He jumped out of his seat and hugged me hard. “Maybe you just need some tacos, Auntie. That always makes you feel better when you’re sad.”
“I think you’re right,” Linc said from my side with his hand on my back, rubbing in small circles. “Taco Bell on the way home?”
I sniffled, nodding. “Yeah. Tacos sound good.” Which sounded ridiculous since I was still crying.
When I finally left, after another two hugs from Nox and a super awkward kiss for Cassie that resulted in me almost being squirted by Parker’s boob, I climbed into Linc’s truck and closed my eyes.
I meant what I said when I promised him that he was what I wanted. I didn’t need children to be happy. But sometimes I dreamed about them. Little girls with Linc’s blue eyes, clinging to their father’s leg while he tried to move around the house. Or a boy who called me momma.
Linc pulled into the Taco Bell drive-thru and ordered for me, making sure to get all of my favorites, and I looked down at the diamond on my hand.
“Oh, hey, Officer Hayes.” Henley Moore, the teenager who actually might have saved my life, greeted Linc in the drive-thru window. “How’s Kennedy doing?”
I stuck my head forward. “I’m doing good. How are you? Did the insurance stuff get worked out? I told my insurance that I was the one at fault in the accident. I’m old, I can handle a little bit of an insurance hike.”
“Oh, yeah, it did. They just called me the other day, actually. Thank you so much for that. It’s hard enough trying to save for college and stuff, but they were going to slap on like over a hundred dollars a month for insurance after that.”
“Good,” I told him. “You swerved to miss a moose in the road. That’s not on you.”
“Thanks, Kennedy.” Henley completely ignored Linc. “Your tacos are on me today, okay?” He held out the bags. “Have a good one.”
“I like that kid,” I told Linc when he pulled out into traffic. “He’s a good one.”
Linc nodded. “Yeah he is.”
He told me everything that happened. Everything Henley did that resulted in them being able to break down the door, which is what bought me the seconds that I needed to get the bat.
Those tacos were the best thing I’d had to eat in a week, and they weren’t even good. It was Taco Bell, after all. But they hit the spot, a hole in my stomach that I didn’t realize I’d been missing.
“You ready for bed?”
I looked up from my lap to see Linc standing there in pajamas a few hours later. I must have completely spaced out. Holding out my empty plate for him to take, I slid the blanket off my lap and got up.
“Yeah.” I yawned. “I don’t even remember eating dinner.”
“It’s okay.” He kissed my forehead. “I got some work done while you just sat there. It’s been a long few days with the baby getting here.”
“Yeah.” I followed him into the kitchen. “Any word on a date for Royal’s trial yet?”