Mitzy returns a smug smile. “It’s not magic, guys. It’s called technology.”
“Well, Eve’s father didn’t tell us the whole story,” Lily chimes in, adding a new voice to the story. “Jinx and I used to work for the DEA, and we thought Knox was a drug runner. Turns out that wasn’t true. The container we thought we were busting wasn’t filled with drugs. It was filled with girls.”
“There was a bit of a turf war.” CJ clears his throat. “Nothing Sam and I couldn’t sort out. Once we got Lily working on our side, she managed to crack Deverough wide open.”
“It wasn’t me.” Lily stands and collects empty containers and deposits them in the trash can. “Deverough cracked like I thought he would, and yeah, he moved the case forward, but it was really Eve who brought everything together. Without her foresight, we’d still be chasing our tail.”
“I don’t understand.” I glance around the bonfire, confused.
The fire pops, sending sparks up into the night sky. They look like the fireflies of New Orleans. I press a hand to my chest, missing my home, but I like California.
I love the family that found me and welcomed me with open arms, despite what my family did to them.
“All I did was get the ledger.” Eve dismisses Lily’s comment. “It was Jinx really, and Wolfe, who figured out what was inside. Benefield kept a ledger of every transaction and every order that came in. That’s what brought the Guardians to your doorstep.”
“Wow.” Sybil runs her hands down her arms. “That gives me chills. You’re saying I was in that ledger?”
“Unfortunately.” Jinx rocks back, hugging her knees. The fire lights up her face, a golden glow for a beautiful woman. “Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Sybil dismisses Jinx’s comment.
Sybil’s name on that list is a touchy, and awkward, subject. My mother put her name there, like she put the name of every girl Marco ever slept with. There was nothing random about the women who died. Each one was handpicked by my mother.
And that’s not the worst part.
She forced Marco to have sex with her while she watched the murder of each girl. Marco’s proclivity for young teens was not restricted to the sordid affair he and Sybil maintained.
That was something new I learned, but I don’t fault Sybil. My uncle twisted her mind and played to her fantasies. They continued their affair up until the night of my mother’s wedding to Marco.
I guess that was the last straw and what earned Sybil’s name on that ledger. Somewhere in the twisted, psychotic mind of my mother, that was Marco’s punishment.
As for Zoe, I’ve wracked my mind around that one. Zoe and Marco never had a sexual relationship, but he did obsess over Zoe when she was much younger.
That piece of the puzzle finally came to me in the middle of the night, waking me up from a dream.
Mitch Lancaster was my father’s accountant. He was the man responsible for taking all the dirty money and funneling it into various legitimate business ventures, such as the Belvedere, until it came out the other side squeaky clean. Those business meetings brought Zoe and her father to my home in the Hamptons, and that’s where Marco’s obsession over Zoe began.
My mother thought he slept with Zoe, and why wouldn’t she? Marco slept with a lot of sixteen-year-old girls.
I take in a deep breath and glance around the fire. These faces are new to me but more familiar as the days pass.
There’s nothing I can do about my father, my mother, or my uncle. I’m not one of them, and I’ve made a decision.
I know what I want.
As they trade stories of each of the missions that led to them bringing down a massive human-trafficking organization, I find Forest. He stepped away from the fire and stares out toward the ocean.
“Forest?” I don’t want to startle him.
The massive man spins around and smiles. “Are you settling in? Feeling like you need to get back to New Orleans?”
“Actually, that’s what I want to talk to you about.”
“How’s that?”
“Liam asked me to visit The Facility.”
“Ah, what do you think of the place?”
“It’s phenomenal, but I think you’re outgrowing the space.”
“Yeah.” Forest rubs the back of his neck. “We’re looking at expanding.”
“Well, if you decide to expand and need someone with experience running a hotel …”
“The Facility isn’t a hotel.”
“I know it’s not.” I hold up my hand. “And I didn’t mean to imply it was. It’s just that I have some ideas about The Facility. I have a vision for making it more.”
“More?”
“If I’m not overstepping?”
“You’re not overstepping. I’m always open to new ideas. It’s what moves us forward and brings us together. I take it this means I won’t be losing a Guardian to New Orleans?”
There’s been a lot of speculation about whether Liam will stay with the Guardians or join me back in New Orleans.
“For too long, I couldn’t see giving up the Belvedere.” Forest is easy to open up to. He’s the big brother I never had. “But I can’t stay there and run a business touched by the filth of my family.”
“Your family’s crimes are not yours.”
“I know that up here.” I point to my head. “But I’m still coming to terms with it in here.” I point to my chest. “I’m not giving up the Belvedere. I’ll keep it under the umbrella of my corporation, but I don’t need to be the CEO. I have other plans. Other dreams. And those dreams are here, with Liam, and with the Guardians.”
“I’m very happy to hear you say that, and you’re welcome to stay. There’s a place for you here. Set up a meeting with me and Skye, we’ll talk it over. In the meantime, I think there’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Forest pivots and gestures behind us. Liam is light on his feet, always sneaking up on me. “Looks like another one bites the dust. You’ve got yourself a good one here, lover boy.”
With those words, Forest leaves Liam and me alone. Liam holds out his hand and I take it. Our fingers intertwine just like our hearts wrap around the other.
“What were the two of you talking about?”
“I was asking for a job.”
“A job? What about the Belvedere?”
“It’s not home anymore.” I snuggle into Liam’s embrace. “You are.”
Behind us, the Guardians and their women laugh into the night, trading insults, stories, and tall tales with love and faith in the bonds that tie them together. In front of us, the ocean extends toward the horizon and to a new life we’ll forge together.
“I’m the luckiest man on earth.” Liam tugs me close and kisses the crown of my head.
It’s a simple gesture filled with more love than my heart can bear. But I will bear that burden. I’ll bear it happily with the man I love.
“I’m the happiest woman on earth.”
“Well, aren’t we the sappiest couple … on earth.” Liam laughs at that. “Come, you ready for a treat?”