Page 54 of No Mercy In Red

His eyes twinkled, amusement tugging at his lips. “Max, there is literally nowhere in the world that you could go where I would not follow. I thought I’d made that pretty clear by now.”

A soft laugh escaped me, relief and happiness swelling in my chest. “I know, I just... I guess I wanted to hear you say it again.”

He cupped my cheek gently, brushing with his thumb lightly as he looked down at me with undeniable intensity. “Where you go, I go. No hesitation.”

A comfortable silence stretched between us as I tiptoed up to kiss him softly. He deepened the kiss gently, his hands gripping my hips, holdingme securely against him. When we parted, our breathing was slightly heavier, Connor’s eyes glinting with affection.

“You’re sure about leaving this behind?” He asked softly, genuine concern laced in his voice. “You don’t think you’ll regret it?”

I shook my head slowly, certainty strengthening my voice. “I won’t regret leaving behind death, darkness, and all the pain. My father would have wanted me to be happy, Connor. To have a real life filled with love instead of vengeance.”

He nodded slowly, eyes searching mine carefully, as though looking for any hint of hesitation. “Then, that’s exactly what we’ll do. I want to give you that life, Max, starting with freedom. I have something for you.”

He pulled me over to the sofa, pulling open his laptop and slid it over to me, eyeing me with caution. “I found a way for this to all go away; I didn’t want to bring it up until you were certain that you were ready to leave all of this behind.”

I looked at the laptop in confusion, then back at Connor. “What is this?”

He nodded toward the screen, “Press play.”

I pressed play on the video, Joe’s face popping up into view with him sat in the basement, a dark hoodie on with the hood pulled up, barely showing his face, but he was recognisable enough. I looked to Connor confused but he just nodded toward the laptop. The video played with Joe, admitting to all of the murders, admitting to killing all of the men that I had killed. My lips parted, my breathing hitching as I heard Joe’s voice say how he’s confessing to his crimes because of the guilt getting to him. But that he could not hand himself over to rot in a prison, so he has fled the country, and that they will never find him.

I turned to Connor in absolute shock, my eyes wide, “How... how did you get this?”

“I filmed myself in your basement and used a programme to change my face to Joe’s. I used an editor to change my voice to sound like his,” he breathed. “This way, Joe didn’t die for nothing, this way, he died to give you the life you deserve in a sick, twisted kind of way. This ties up all the loose ends Max.”

I just stared at him, in utter awe, in shock, at this beautiful, yet terrifying man. “I... I don’t know what to say.”

“I can send it right now, from his email to the head chief. This is it Max, your way out. Our way out. If you are truly ready to leave your fathers legacy behind, this is how you can do it.”

I nodded, not knowing what else to say as words escaped me entirely. I watched as Connor loaded the video into an email from Joe’s account, sending it over to the Chief of Police. This was it; this was the end. No more searching for the killer, for me. I was truly fucking free. All because of Connor.

I cupped his face in my hand, looking directly into his beautiful dark eyes, tears blurring my vision, “Thank you, Connor. I don’t know what else to say. Thank you.”

He closed the space between us, placing a gentle kiss against my lips. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you Max. I said I wanted to give you the life you dreamed of, this is only the start.”

Chapter 40

Connor

Iwatched Max sleeping peacefully beside me, her dark hair cascading across the pillow like spilled ink, lips softly parted as she breathed steadily.

My chest tightened at the sight of her. I reached out gently, tracing my thumb across her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips. I’d spend months obsessing, longing, losing my fucking mind over this woman, and now, here she was—mine. Not just a fantasy, not just an obsession, but the woman I loved more fiercely than I’d ever thought possible. I exhaled softly, rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling, my heart racing as I thought back to the confession I had sent from Joe’s email. It was all wrapped up neatly, finally giving her the freedom that she deserved. I knew it was twisted, sick even, but it was the only way I could think of freeing her from the life that shackled her down. I owed her that much, after everything she’d been through—everything she’d survived. I swallowed heavily, grief briefly flickering through my chest. Joe had been family, the brother I’d never had, and the weight of his death still pressed heavily against me. Yet, as fucked up as it was, if forced to make the same decision, I knew I’d do it all over again. There wasn’t a thing in this world I wouldn’t sacrifice to keep Max safe, to keep her happy. That realisation was dark, terrifying even, but I felt no shame in admitting it. I’d never hidden my darkness, and neither had she.

Max stirred beside me, mumbling something unintelligible as she moved closer, her head settling comfortably against my chest. I smiled, softly brushing my fingers through her hair, breathing in the scent of vanilla that always lingered around her. It was strange how quickly life had shifted—how my entire world had changed from watching Maxine through a screen, to holding her in my arms every night. My obsession had evolved, becoming something so much deeper and richer. Transforming into something I had never anticipated. Love. Not just desire, not just need, but genuine, soul-deep love. I glanced toward my nightstand, my pulse picking up speed as my thoughts drifted to the little black velvet boxed tucked away inside. It was something I had picked out weeks ago, the moment I had laid eyes on it, I’d known. It was perfect—elegant yet dark, unique, just like Max. I’d had the inside engraved with words that symbolised everything we had become, everything we would ever be:‘Forever, my little fox’.A slow smile tugged at the corners of mouth as I imagined her reaction, that beautiful face lighting up in surprise, those intoxicating eyes wide. I’d give her the world if she asked. I’d give her every last piece of me willingly.

My phone vibrated suddenly on the bedside table, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced over to see a text from Lara flashing across the screen:

‘I’m kidnapping your girl for the day. Nails, lunch, shopping. The works. She needs a break, and I need some Max time before I go.’

I chuckled softly, carefully sliding out from beneath Max and reaching for my phone, quickly typing back a reply:

‘She’s all yours for today, but I want her back tonight, safe.’

Her reply was instant:

‘I promise I’ll return your psychopath in one piece, stalker.’

I smiled, shaking my head as I stood up, pulling on some sweatpants and heading into the kitchen to make coffee. Despite everything, Larahad become someone important to me too. She’d accepted Max’s truth with more grace than most people ever could, and I was grateful for her unwavering loyalty to the woman I loved.

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