Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
I reach up and trail my fingers over his cheek.
He glances at me, eyes questioning.
“Take me home,” I tell him.
“Where is home?”
“Wherever you take me.” I tuck my head against his chest and close my eyes, content to let him fly us toward the dawn.
Home turns out to be Roy Manor.
While Rex debriefs Hamish and Mina, I take a shower. There will be press conferences, stories to be told to the command staff, and procedures to be followed. But I’m happy to let Rex handle it while I take a moment alone. I stand under the spray, imagining the night’s events washing down the drain. There might be a few tears escaping along with the water, but when I turn off the tap, I feel lighter.
It’s over. I am at peace.
Rex told me that he had hired an assassin named Victor to help hunt BK. Victor happened to be tailing Ted to see if BK would reach out to him again.
I felt like someone was following me up the stairs in the warehouse. It must have been Victor. He assessed the situation, phoned Rex, and focused on freeing the family. Hamish and a team of explosive experts were en route and on call the whole time, but once the family was safe, they made the decision to stay clear.
I could be angry that Rex hired a criminal to do his dirty work, but one thing I’ve learned is that Rex is going to Rex. His sense of justice is warped, but he’s also going to throw all his money, time, and energy at a project until he gets his way. The result was that Ted’s family was saved. I’m not going to bitch about the means. For now.
There is someone I want to talk with, but I don’t have my phone back yet; I left it with Ted earlier. It feels like a lifetime ago.
“Alfie,” I call while I’m towel-drying my hair. From what I can tell, the AI assistant is always listening.
“Can I help you, Detective?” Alfie answers politely.
“Can you call Lacy Collins?”
“Dialing Lacy Collins.”
I smirk at the mirror. I could get used to having this kind of assistant.
“Lacy Collins is unavailable. Do you want to leave a message?”
“Yes, thank you,” I say, and Alfie cues me to leave a message at the beep.
“It’s me,” I say. I imagine Lacy’s face. In my mind’s eye she has more gray hair and deeper wrinkles around her eyes. I’ll have to tell her that in the heat of the moment when I faced BK, her advice saw me through.
Later. I can’t get through that right now. I still have to process everything I felt on that roof. For now, I tell her, “It’s done. He’s gone. Forever.” Simple, but it’ll get the message across. I wonder if she’ll be able to hear the emotion in my voice. Am I upset that I didn’t get to arrest BK for his crimes?
Not at all. I feel lighter, like the weight of the world has fallen off my shoulders. A burden I took on when I found Lacy’s murder book all those years ago.
Or maybe it was earlier, from the night BK came to murder my family. I think of that moment and what BK said about it on the roof, but the poison is gone, leached away. Because I survived. I went through hell, but I survived. And what’s more, I’ll be able to thrive.
The worst moments of our lives shape us but also fuel us. What happened to me made me develop my psychic abilities. What happened to Rex drove him to become a warrior. Tragedy shaped us, but because we are who we are, we’ve used it to fuel our growth. We were forged in fire and came out stronger. When the pain is gone, only the power remains.
When I step outside the bedroom, Alfie’s waiting.
“Take me to Rex,” I tell the little robot.
He leads me to Rex’s office.
Rex is there, leaning against his desk. He’s removed his body armor. His dark hair hangs spiky over his forehead, so he must have taken his own quick shower.
This is our first moment alone since yesterday. The flight here—first on the dark wings of Rex’s glider, then in a helicopter to the mansion—didn’t afford us much time to talk.
He doesn’t look up when I approach. He must still be processing. But I feel giddy, so I sidle up to him with a smile.
“We did it,” I say.
He’s got a hand over his mouth, rubbing as if in thought. It’s as if I’m not even here.
“Rex? Why won’t you look at me?”
He raises his head, and I see why. He’s furious. The heat of his anger hits me like the blast of a bomb.
“You left me,” he says. His voice is cold and dark, but I hear the sad little boy he was in his accusation.