Page 43 of Faron
He smiled. “You have no proof.”
Viper dropped a folder on the desk. Every transaction. Every alias. Every name on the hit list.
“We don’t need proof,” I said. “We need you to disappear.”
“You’re not cops.”
“No,” I said, stepping closer. “We’re what shows up when the cops aren't enough.”
We didn’t kill him. We handed him off to a federal agent with a grudge and a badge.
By dawn, the operation collapsed.
Blue
Julia’s Place – Dawn
I stood on the rooftop with Faron, watching the sky bloom in cotton-candy pinks and warm orange streaks.
Below us, kids were already gathering. Playing. Laughing. The sound drifted upward like something sacred.
“You did it,” I said.
“We did,” Faron corrected.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a tiny silver charm on a chain—shaped like a heartbeat line.
“I found this yesterday,” he said. “Thought you should have something to remind you what kind of heart you’ve got.”
He clasped it around my neck, and I reached up to touch it—lightweight, but solid. Like him.
Then I turned, stood on my toes, and kissed him.
Slow. Certain. Full of everything we’d fought for.
Peace. Love. Home.
41
Blue
“So this is your home,” I said, taking in the ocean view. “You live on the beach, and yet you’ve been staying at my place in the city. And let’s be honest—it’s not exactly the safest part of the city.”
Faron shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Where you are is where I’m staying. Doesn’t matter what the roof looks like. I lived on the reservation in Texas most of my life. I’m used to doing without.”
“That’s right,” I said softly. “Did you ever find your sister?”
He shook his head. “No. I still have someone looking for her. When my mother left, Aponi was six. I’m sure she changed her name. We were close, but… my mother probably told her we were dead or something. My mom hated the reservation. Begged my dad to leave. But he couldn’t—he was the one everyone depended on.”
“That’s terrifying. To just have your whole identity wiped like that… your name, your life. But I bet she remembers you. I mean, how could anyone forget you?”
“You’re only saying that because you love me.”
“No,” I said, stepping closer. “I thought it before I fell in love with you.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close until there wasn’t space for air between us. “When did you fall in love with me?”
“Eight years ago,” I whispered. “When I saw you running across that open field to rescue a child from stepping on a bomb.”
