Page 116 of Claimed By the Deputies

“But I didn’t,” I reply. “Listen, my presence here is part of the reason Trevor brought this crap to Frost Valley. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Now you have what you need to take the rest of them down.”

Patterson is beside herself. “You’re serious.”

“Dead serious. It’s all there. Clear audio. I snapped some videos and photos from the car, too. A good DA will know how to make this stick.”

“I completely misjudged you,” she says, frowning at me.

“A lot of people did. No biggie.”

Patterson turns to Lucas. “You’d better put a ring on her finger, Sheriff. Otherwise, I’m gonna come back here and torment your ass until you do.”

“The last thing I want is you coming back here, Agent Patterson,” Lucas shoots back.

We all share a laugh, genuine and cleansing. We can finally close this chapter and move on. Rebuild, restart, restructure.

It’s not just the town that needs a fresh start; we all do.

Hopefully, I made Tim proud and he can now rest in peace.

EPILOGUE I

TASSIA

Six months was all it took.

I expected it to be much longer before I would see Mayor Hamilton and Dexter Wright in handcuffs and orange jumpsuits being escorted into the courtroom. But Patterson kept her word and then some.

They went down in flames.

All of them.

“I still say we should’ve stayed home,” Lucas mumbles.

We’re seated on a bench in the waiting area with a full view of the courtroom doors. A sea of journalists hound Hamilton and Wright as their lawyers and security officers take them inside.

“Mayor Hamilton, what will you do if you’re found guilty?” one reporter asks.

“Mr. Wright! Are you afraid the Sinaloa cartel will seek revenge?” another barks.

They’re all so hungry for a statement, anything that can be hot off the press and keep those online clicks coming. It’s a big machine they’re feeding.

“No, I’m good,” I say to Lucas. “I want to be here when they get their guilty verdicts.”

“That’s in the bag,” Mitch says as he brings me a hot tea and a bear claw from the cafeteria downstairs. “This new DA isn’t playing around, and the DOJ is keeping an eye on the proceedings. There’s already a stigma of corruption; they need to see Hamilton and Wright go down for this.”

“It’s just a shame things had to get this far,” I reply.

“How are you feeling?” Tyler asks me with a worried frown, sitting to my left.

“I’m fine. And I’ll be fine in five minutes, in case you decide to ask again,” I say with a laugh. He always does this, but I love it.

For all that brawn and brute strength, the man is a teddy bear at heart. Soft and overbearing in the best possible way, at least where I’m concerned. I have found great comfort in seeing these men adjust and adapt to our new life together, preparing for the incoming twins.

He plants a kiss on my cheek. “I’m here, if you need me.”

“I know, baby.”

I can’t take my eyes off Hamilton and Wright as they disappear inside the courtroom. The press isn’t allowed to follow, so they’re outside the doors, murmuring and taking notes, anxiously waiting for the conclusion.

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