I add a little sauce to my voice for that last sentence, and I watch Windsor’s eyebrows knit in concern. I have to remember that anyone else who’d been through a night like the one where the Cartel attacked would be absolutely traumatized.
I sniff. “They came bursting through the doors and started to round us up. I got away and called for help, but they caught me too. They were about to—” My voice breaks. “They were about to hurt the baby. Gabriel’s security team came in at the last second, and Gabriel fought his way through the ballroom to get to me and make sure the baby and I were safe. They shot him two times.”
I finish with a big fat tear rolling down my cheek. I deserve a fucking Oscar for this. Whatever steel edge Windsor came in here with has been blunted by my performance, and he hands me a tissue. When he speaks next, his voice is softer. Kinder.
“I understand that you and Gabriel have a family together, but if he’s a bad man, you’re only going to get hurt.”
I want to snap that Gabriel would never let anything happen to me, but I’m playing a part. Plus, I’m not that naive. I am a part of this now, and that might involve getting hurt somewhere down the line. I’ve made peace with that.
“Gabriel’s a good man.” I pat my tears dry like a grieving widow in a film noir. “He really cares about people. He would never do anything to hurt anybody.”
“Okay.” Windsor sighs. There goes his case. I can almost see it drifting away behind him, like smoke disappearing into the vents. “But if you did want to tell us anything, Ms. Wright, we could protect you. You and your son.”
Time for the nail in the coffin. I reach across the table and clasp Windsor’s hand, smiling as though grateful.
“Thank you, Detective Windsor, but I don’t need any help.”
He nods. “Okay. You can go.”
He escorts me back into the waiting area, where Gabriel is still in the same chair. He already completed his questioning.
“Ready to go?” Gabriel says, getting to his feet. His features pull taut as he fights through the pain.
I link my arm in his. “Let’s go.”
When we get outside, Gabriel pulls me to him on the curb before we get into the car. He kisses one cheek, then the other, and finally my forehead.
“What’s that for?” I ask, giggling.
Gabriel’s ink-black eyes swim before me. “I could have lost you that night,” he says. “I just want to make sure I cherish every last second we spend together, even if it’s outside of a police station following your interrogation regarding my criminal pursuits.”
“Alleged criminal pursuits,” I correct.
He grins. “Let’s go home.”
We have been living in the house on the leafy street for a couple of weeks now, but I’m still not used to the feeling of peace I get just from walking through the front door. It has been painted, decorated, and outfitted with handpicked furnishings, and now it is our home. This place doesn’t belong to the Bellucci dynasty or to the mob. It belongs only to us—me, Gabriel, Harry, and soon another little one who I can’t wait to meet.
I practically float through the front door. I’m so relieved that I can finally close this chapter of our life—the Cartel, Felicity Huffman, and the aftermath. It’s been a long few weeks, but it’s finally over.
“I want to sit on the deck,” I announce. Clara and Angelo have taken Harry out for the day, and since my interrogation took less time than I thought it would, we’ve got a couple hours to ourselves.
Gabriel, who had started to take his coat off, shrugs it back on. “It’s freezing outside.”
“So?” I grin.
He shakes his head, chuckling, and follows me through the house to the back door. The wooden deck was freshly stained a couple of weeks ago, and the railings painted a delicate cream. I perch on one of the comfy wooden deck chairs, and Gabriel brings me a blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders.
I have grown very fond of our backyard. It’s big, but not massive. It’s just big enough for a family like ours. There is a shed parked in the back corner, which I intend to fill with gardening tools once the spring comes back around. A crooked oak tree grows from the center of the yard, its gnarled branches reaching for the sky. Perfect for a tree house, just like Gabriel promised. The grass is lush and green, if a little overgrown. I will trim it tomorrow.
Gabriel sighs as he sinks into the chair next to me. I reach for his hand.
“What do we do now?” I ask. “The Irish are gone. The Cartel are gone. The last of the purple heroin has evaporated from the streets.”
“What do you want to do?” Gabriel counters. “We own the city. We can do anything we want.”
I can almost feel the limitless possibilities stretching out ahead of me. Anything we want.
So, Alexis, what do you want?
“I just want us to live a full, happy life together,” I say. “I want to raise our kids and have movie nights and go camping. I want to teach them right from wrong and feed them healthy snacks.” I look over at him, smiling. “I want to have romantic dinners with you. And I want to eat chips in bed without you getting annoyed about the crumbs.”
He squeezes my hand. “You can have everything except that last one.”
I stick my tongue out.
“We’ve got a couple of hours before Harry’s back,” Gabriel says. “I think I know how best to fill them.”
He starts to get up, and I cock an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
My mind starts to twist around the various potential interpretations of his words. It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted, but I’m never too tired for him.
Gabriel goes inside and comes out a minute later, holding my laptop. He hands it over to me, and I cock my head in confusion. How are we going to make this sexy? Are we going to send racy messages to each other from separate rooms?
Gabriel laughs. “You have a filthy mind, Ms. Wright.” He taps the laptop. “I think it’s time for you to finish your story.”
With everything that has gone on in the past few weeks, I completely forgot about the article I was writing. I didn’t want to finish it until there was a satisfactory conclusion to the drug war, and now there is. No more purple heroin. No more Cartel. Excitement bubbles through me when I realize that this is what I have been waiting for.
“Yes!” I exclaim. “That’s a great idea.”
I open the laptop and start typing away before Gabriel has even sat back down. He settles into the chair with a light sigh, and then stares off into the distance.
And that’s how we spend our afternoon—in silence, with a chilly breeze fluttering through the wind chimes. Me, writing about the past. Gabriel, dreaming of the future.
Epilogue I
Alexis
“Gabriel, I would like to remind you that it’s highly unusual to kidnap the bride after the ceremony,” I say, holding the long train of my gown in one hand and his hand in the other.
Gabriel laughs. I have not seen him without a smile once today, and it’s positively infectious. It’s almost unfair how handsome he looks. I nearly tripped over myself when I saw him waiting for me at the altar. His tuxedo fits perfectly, and there’s a sprig of baby’s breath tucked in the breast pocket.