Page 120 of Taking Denver

The man’s gaze darts between Ranger and me.

“So, he’s worthless.”

Ranger shrugs a shoulder. “For information, yes. For revenge?” He meets my eye. “That’s up to you.”

Not long ago, I stood on a dancefloor in Ranger’s arms and vowed to myself never to take another life. I was stepping intoa role I couldn’t avoid, but that didn’t equal murder. There are legitimate businesses owned by Luxe Industries, and I could run them all. My celebrity alone could keep me busy with interviews, brand deals, and red carpet events.

I stand at a crossroads once more, but the meadowed path I wished I’d taken all those years ago feels like a lie now. Sunshine and rainbows, flowers and hollowness.

Happiness is fragments.

Power is whole.

I consider the man before me. He might not have been the one who pulled the trigger that ended Ethan’s life, but neither was I, and yet, Sebastian blames me.

I can blame this man, too.

Ranger is right. It’s up to me to decide whether he’s worthless or not.

Revenge. A dish best served cold, apparently. But I feel distinctly warm as I pick up Ranger’s gun, hold it to the man’s head, and pull the trigger.

Epilogue

DENVER - 6 MONTHS LATER

“Croatia,” I say, scooping more pistachio ice cream into my mouth. Leaning against the hood of the car, the sun warming my face, I watch my personal security, Lewis, think.

The sun shines off his bald head, and he licks his ice cream. Ranger hired him two weeks after our wedding, and it was our first argument. Ranger said Lewis gave him bad vibes, but I know he just hated that through the entire interview, the bodyguard had me howling with laughter as he regaled stories from the military.

He’s more than experienced, and I adore him. I call him my very own Stanley Tucci, and he tells me not to, but he secretly loves it.

“There’s an original Egyptian Sphynx there.”

My mouth drops open. “You lie.”

“Nope.” Lewis also says he knows at least one fact about every country in the world, and he hasn’t disappointed me yet. Lewis’s smile fades as he looks behind me. “Are you sure I can’t kill paparazzi?”

I glance over my shoulder at the photographer. “That’s just Jay. Ignore him.” I wave, and the pap waves back at me. “Hey,maybe people will think we’re having an affair.” Lewis grimaces, and I punch his arm. “Rude.”

“You’re too high maintenance. Just hearing you argue with Ranger puts my blood pressure up. I’d call him a saint for putting up with you, but for obvious reasons, I won’t.”

I grin, and my phone rings. “Ah, looky.” I wiggle my phone screen at Lewis, then answer in my sexiest voice, “Denver Luxe speaking.”

“You cunt.”

I cackle silently. “Gwen, whatever is the matter?” I straighten up off the car, placing my sunglasses on my face.

“You fucked me over,” Gwen hisses at me. “You knew the Merricks were speaking with me, you fucking knew?—”

“Listen, just because Robert Merrick happened to come by information about you and your fuck-up in Chicago doesn’t mean it was me who told him,” I say sweetly. “But I guess that’s what happens when you leak information to cops.”

Gwen has six bars in the city. They’re small but still competition for the new Pulse and my other clubs, so I intervened when Robert Merrick, the head of one of the smaller families in San Francisco, was looking to invest. He was a good friend of my dad’s, and I’ll always look out for him out of respect.

Screwing Gwen over is just a bonus.

She shrieks down the phone. “I’m going to cut all your fucking hair off, you bitch.”

“Hey,” I snap. “That’s too far.” She hangs up. I grin. “I think she likes me.”

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