“It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” I frowned. “When will the nightmares stop?”
“It takes time.”
“I want to be done with this.”
“Give it time, Haven.”
In the moonlit darkness, I gazed up at him. “What would I do without you?”
“You’ll never know.” He kissed my forehead and then ran his fingers through my hair. His voice grew intense. “I already told you that I’m never leaving your side. I love you.”
My heart warmed. “I love you too.”
And I meant every word.
So much had happened.
We’d shared things that others hadn’t.
Will we ever get over it all?
Pastor Miller had died from Alexander’s bullet. The agency was still investigating the situation and had placed Alexander on leave until further notice. His father told him that it was more a formality.
Our relationship came up. The higher ups had a lot of unease with it. I’d been told that I may not return to the unit due to the relationship. While I knew the position might have been temporary anyway, I enjoyed working with Alexander, Brett, and Tina. For now, I remained on thirty-day sick leave. I had no idea what would happen when I returned.
I hope they let me stay with the unit.
Meanwhile, Vernon pled guilty to kidnapping and suffocating the Fullbrooke Six. For now, he sat in jail. Soon he would have a sentencing in court.
I’d called Mrs. Mable a few times to check on how the church was doing. She was so brokenhearted she retired from the church. Attendance had weakened too. No one could enter the building without thinking of the monsters.
Mrs. Mable caught me up on other things. She told me that Vernon’s mother went to visit him in jail each week, but he always refused to see her. He only took visits from his grandmother. Poor Mrs. Miller remained in the house most of the time. Mrs. Mable said she only came out to shop for groceries or go see Vernon.
Additionally, many of the Fullbrooke Six’s parents moved out of the state. I’d heard Melody Luther’s mother had gone to New York and began a nonprofit to help parents with missing children. There were even whispers that she’d gotten engaged to a Manhattan lawyer with kids.
Meanwhile, the sad news of Pastor Miller and Vernon spread across town and the State. Due to the scandal, the Colors of Love was taken off air. Ratings had been lowering anyway. Perhaps, they thought it was due to the serial killings in the town where it was filmed. Or maybe, the world was tired of unrealistic love stories about slaves and their masters.
Weeks ago, Sean visited me in the hospital twice. It had been awkward moments. Alexander remained by my side, holding my hand. Sean barely stayed for a few minutes. Granted, he probably didn’t want his family knowing he was coming to see me anyway. But I knew that he saw the love in Alexander’s eyes and the fierce way he held my hand, telling all to stand back.
I never saw Sean again.
Sheriff Michaelson and Sheriff Bran faced their own problems too. Once the Angel Maker had been dealt with, an investigation opened up into the dead Deputy Martelle. With a search warrant, the FBI hacked into the Tipsy Pig owner’s cloud. There, they discovered footage of both sheriffs discussing drug trafficking. They had even laundered close to a million dollars for a local biker gang in Colesville. Some of those money drops had occurred right at the Tipsy Pig’s bar. The dead deputy had also carried out many of those exchanges. Sheriff Michaelson, Sheriff Bran, and several of their deputies now sat in jail, awaiting their days in court.
Jesus. Everyone’s lives have been turned upside down.
Noise sounded from the first level of our new island home.
I sniffed the air. “Is that bacon?”
“Yes.” Alexander grinned. “My mother is up cooking early.”
“Your mother? Really?”
“She will be my mother-in-law. She tells me that all the time. I might as well get used to it. Either way, she’s been down there for a while.”
I grinned. “Mom is still doing the most.”
“She’s amazing.”
“True, but Mom has enjoyed her time in Bali so much that she’s spoiling the shit out of you.”
“Do you think she likes her villa?”
Alexander had rented her one for a month. It sat twenty feet behind our house. It was luxury to the key and even provided a cleaning lady that came by her place twice a week. At the moment, Mom was living her best life, snapping selfies on the beach, and bragging to all her friends back in Fullbrooke.
And just in case she felt a little lonely, Alexander gave her keys to our place to let her know she was always welcome. She took that invitation and made us breakfast every morning. The whole time she hinted that she wanted grandbabies and that spring was a great time for a wedding.
I raised my head to check the clock. “She’s here super early. It’s six in the morning.”
“Because it’s Wednesday.”
“What?” I giggled. “Why does that matter?”
“She has an early yoga class on Wednesday. It’s at 6:30. She’ll be heading out soon.”
“How do you know that?”
With a wicked smile, he shrugged. “Sometimes, I sneak out of bed and chat it up with her.”
“Oh God. You two are quite the little pair these days.”
“She’s so much fun.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you both like each other.”
“Me too. Especially since she’ll be my mother-in-law one day.”
“Will she?”
“Yes. You don’t have much of a choice, Agent Barron. I told you before; I’m not going anywhere.”
“Wow. You’re lucky that I’m fine with that decision.”
“No.” He kissed my lips. “You’re lucky that I don’t have to chase you because I always catch the person that’s running.”
“You sure do.”
I stretched and left his hold. “I should go down and thank her.”
“No. She usually leaves in a minute.” Before I knew it, he gathered me back in his arms. “Let’s talk about that nightmare.”
I frowned. “We’re not talking about it.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “I told you that you had to talk about your nightmares, so they would go away.”
“Well, we’ve talked about them and they haven’t left.”
“You want a counselor?”
I groaned. “No, but I probably should.”
“I’ve gone many times after tough cases. It’s completely normal.”
“I feel broken.”
“Parts are broken. That’s a fact.”
My frown deepened. “Did you have to say that parts of me are broken?”
“Yes. I say that so you will focus on healing them instead of pushing it all to the back of your head and moving forward.” He ran his fingers through my hair some more. “What was the dream about?”
“I was in that church again. Pastor Miller was pushing me down into the water.”
I quirked his brows. “What did you do?”
“I fought back.”
“Hmmm. You weren’t tied to the chair this time?”
“No.”