Right? That was how these things were meant to work out? The bad guys got caught, killed, dealt with in some way, and then the heroine gets to skip off into the sunset for her happily ever after?
I snickered out loud at that thought. Bree always defined her storybook happily ever after as the main character getting marriage and babies in the end. It was something we’d had many, many arguments about—because shouldn't a kickass woman who'd saved the world deserve more? But I was fast coming to terms with the fact that people’s perceptions of happily ever after could vary dramatically.
For Bree, she was already getting hers in a way. She would have a hard road ahead with physical therapy and surgeries to mend her bones, but she had love. She had Dallas, who thought the absolute world of her, and she had her second chance at a baby.
"What's funny?" Archer asked, his thumb stroking over my cheek and coming away damp.
I met his gaze, searching his ice-blue eyes and remembering how cold and cruel I used to find them. "Just contemplating what our future might look like," I admitted.
His brow twitched. "Our future?"
I gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Yeah. Mine, yours... Kody’s, and Steele's. Ours. Is that a problem, D'Ath?" A touch of sass lit my tone, and I found I was slowly wading out of the numb haze I'd fallen into the moment my fingers touched the handle of the gun.
Archer's gaze narrowed slightly, then a grin tugged at his lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way, wifey." He cupped my face in his hands, kissing me tenderly, like an unspoken declaration of his love. Fucking hell, I thought shitty angry Archer was overwhelming? He had nothing on open, honest, and in-love Archer.
I scoffed a laugh. "You're such a liar," I accused him with an eye roll. "You hate having to share me."
He kissed me again, possessive and demanding, as his teeth pulled on my lip, making me moan.
"True," he admitted. "But I'll do anything to see you happy, Princess. Fucking anything."
"Arch!" Kody called out, coming through from the garage with his phone in his hand. "You're going to wanna hear this." He sat on the step beside me. Steele joined us, wiping blood-tinted, soapy water from his hands with a rag.
Kody held his phone out in front of us, the speakerphone icon lit up. "Alright, go ahead, Sampson, I've got you on speaker."
"Right then," the man on the other end said. "I'll send through documentation images shortly but wanted to give you a quick briefing. This guy was definitely the stalker you've been hunting. His bedroom held all kinds of incriminating evidence. Copies of your girl's schedule, printouts from security footage, codes for all our gates and surveillance systems. Boss, there's some creepy-ass dolls here, all with their hair dyed pink." He paused, exhaling heavily, and that creeping numbness froze me over again. "There's more. I'll package it all up anyway, but it looks like this kid has been obsessed for a long time. And I found different passports and licenses, all with different names and dates of birth. He could have been anything from eighteen right up to thirty-two."
The shocks weren't even hitting me anymore. It was all just noise because I'd heard what I needed to know. Scott was guilty. I hadn't just shot an innocent guy out of panic and paranoia.
Kody wrapped his arm around me, sensing I needed the comfort. Maybe because he was crazy intuitive.
"Thanks for that, Sampson," Kody said to the guy on the other end. "Box it all up and bring it back. We can have a more thorough look here."
"You got it, boss," the man replied.
Archer spoke before the call could end, asking the other pressing question. "Sampson, any signs pointing at a coconspirator?"
"None," Sampson replied, "Nah, this is a solo job for sure. Everything here screams sexual obsession, and those freaks don't play nice with others."
"Thanks," Archer replied, his tone edged with relief.
Sampson drew a breath, then hesitated like he had something else he wanted to say but second-guessed it.
"Something else?" Archer asked, frowning at the phone.
The call rustled slightly, maybe from Sampson releasing that breath in a sigh. "Yeah, boss. Just... this is some fucked up shit. If it were my girl..." He broke off, making a sound of disgust. "I understand this is crossing the professional line here, but you three better treat that woman like a goddamn queen the rest of her life. No one should have this crap happen. The fucked up psychological shit that this whack job has been cultivating? That's way worse than physical pain."
There was a pause, and my eyes burned hot with unshed tears.
It was Steele who answered, though. "That's exactly what we intend to do, Sampson." His eyes were locked on me, though, not the phone.
I didn't hear what their security guy replied before Kody ended the call, my gaze captured by the deep sincerity in Steele's eyes. He meant every word of that promise, and it warmed my cold heart.
"Alright, let's get this dealt with," Kody said, giving my waist a gentle squeeze before standing up. "Steele and I can handle the body if you want to stay with MK?" he asked Archer.
I shook my head, though. "No, I need to come with you. I need to see this right through to the end."
All three of them gave me worried frowns, but I shrugged off their concern. "Just give me five minutes to put jeans on."
"Hellcat, you don't have to—" Steele started to protest, but I cut him off with a sharp gesture as I stood up from my step.
"I do," I insisted, firm. "We're a team, right? The four of us? We're in this together, no matter what?" He nodded, and I flickered my gaze over the other two for their affirmations. "Then yes, I need to come with you."
I left it at that, hurrying up the stairs to my bedroom to get changed into more disposing-of-a-body appropriate attire. What the fuck that looked like, I had no idea. I just went clichéd and put on black skinny jeans, flat boots, and a black hoodie that I'd stolen from one of the guys. Boys’ hoodies were so damn comfy.
My knife went into the pocket of my jeans. Now that it'd saved my life three times over, I wasn't ever leaving the house without it again.
When I made my way back downstairs, I found the boys had changed too, throwing T-shirts, hoodies, and jeans on, seeing as they'd all been in just gym shorts before. The rolled-up carpet was nowhere to be seen, and the plastic-wrapped body was gone too.
To the unsuspecting eye, there were absolutely no signs that a man had died in the foyer less than an hour ago.
Steinwick totally knew, though. He was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips and a deep frown across his wrinkled face as he glared down at the tiles.
"Miss Danvers," he greeted me, looking up as I reached the bottom step. "I hope you're feeling better today."
I lifted my brow, then I remembered the bruised-up, giggling mess I'd come home as yesterday and jerked a short nod.
He gave me a tight smile. "Good. I'll ensure this mess is cleaned up before you get back, sir," he said to Archer, waving a hand at the spotless floor, which was missing its rug.
Kody snickered and rolled his eyes, but Steele scowled like Steinwick had deliberately insulted his cleaning skills.