Page 130 of Jagger's Remorse
She's quiet for a long moment. "I've never thought that far ahead. Past the revenge, past the takeover. What do you do when you get everything you've been working toward?"
"You live. Really live. Not just survive."
"Is that what we've been doing? Surviving?"
"Until recently, yeah. But this?" I gesture between us. "This is living."
We make love again as full darkness falls, slower this time, memorizing each sensation.
Her nails rake down my back when she comes, and I follow her over, burying my face in her neck.
"Promise me something," she says as we dress.
"Anything."
"If tomorrow goes bad, if Eduardo—" She stops, takes a breath. "Don't come after me. Don't start a war you can't win."
"Scarlett—"
"Promise me."
I kiss her instead of answering, because that's a promise I can't make.
A promise I won't make.
She's mine, and I protect what's mine.
Even from Mexican cartel bosses. Even from herself.
We ride back under a canopy of stars, her arms tight around me like she's afraid I'll disappear.
The compound feels different when we return—still home, but not the whole world anymore.
"Thank you," she says as we head inside. "I needed that."
"We both did."
"Think we can just... stay here? Build a little cabin by the lake and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist?"
"We could," I say, knowing we won't. "But that's not who we are."
"No," she agrees. "We're the people who face the monsters. Even when the monsters are family."
Tomorrow the traps spring. Tomorrow we find out how deep the betrayal goes.
But tonight, we had something just for us. Something clean and real in all the mess.
Sometimes that's all you can ask for.
***
The next day passes and we're waiting at the airstrip.
Full crew—me, Scarlett, Poncho, Hammer, and a few others I know I can trust.
The airstrip stretches out before us, cracked concrete slowly being reclaimed by nature.
"Everyone in position?" I check.
