Page 248 of Mine Again
“Uberto, send all the evidence and the extra anecdotal stuff to the Feds and Interpol.”
A faint voice comes through the line. “Pressing the button now. Hale’s done for.”
Luca hangs up without another word, smirking at his nemesis.
“All the evidence against you is on the way to every relevant authority.”
Hale raises his head proudly, as if posture alone could glue him back together. His nose is broken, blood smeared across his shirt, but he still tries to project the untouchable king.
Hate burns in his eyes. But underneath, I catch it, the flicker he cannot smother fast enough. Fear.
The man who spent years pulling strings and building illusions is crumbling. Without his empire propping him up, he’s nothing more than a spoiled brat who cannot stand being small.
“Guess you will make Interpol’s most wanted list now,” Luca says, smirking. “And the reward on my head will shift to you, the real mastermind of the Delaware and Berlin cyberattacks. Enjoy being someone’s bitch in prison.”
A sneer ghosts across Hale’s mouth but never finds a voice. He breaks eye contact, something he’s never done before.
“Take him to our warehouse,” Maximo orders his men. “He’ll try to bribe you. If he escapes, all of you are dead.”
We watch as they drag him off. Then Maximo turns to us.
“Since Isabella stopped Hale’s escape, she should get the reward. I’ll notify the police chief. They’ll want to take her statement,” he tells Luca.
Hello? Am I suddenly invisible?
What is it with men treating women like we don’t have a brain among us? It’s annoying as hell.
“My guest room is yours for as long as you like. I’m sure your family is anxious for your return, Isabella. They’re waiting for you at my house.”
Nowhe speaks to me… because it’s about my family.
I take a deep breath and let it go. This day is too glorious to get hung up on the little things.
“I’ll supervise Hale’s transfer myself. I don’t trust him,” Maximo says, excusing himself with a curt nod. “A car is waiting for you outside. See you back at my estate.”
Maximo’s men file out behind him, leaving the entry hall suddenly quiet under the huge glass dome of Hale’s once picture-perfect mansion.
I wrap my arms around Luca, pride swelling, not just for him, but for me too. We not only survived this; we destroyed Hale.
I nuzzle into Luca’s neck, breathing him in, letting his scent ground me.
“We’ve done it. We freed ourselves from the Jackal.”
When I first learned about him, it seemed like an impossible task. And now, just like that, it’s our new reality.
Luca exhales slowly, gripping me tighter.
“We really did… together.”
For a long moment, we don’t move, letting it all sink in.
Justice. Freedom. A future I thought I’d lost.
At last, Luca eases back, his gaze locking with mine.
“Come on,” he says, fitting me under his arm like I’ve always belonged there. “Let’s get out of here.”
And this time, as I step forward beside him, I’m not walking away as a pawn. I’m walking away as a queen.
