Page 79 of Explode
Instead of replying straight away, I stood and crossed over to sit inthe seat next to her, grabbing her hand, and holding it firmly in mine. She tried to pull away, but I wasn’t letting her go.
“Baby, I know what it sounds like, but look at what you’ve achieved.Things youneverwould have considered had you thought I was still alive. You’ve learned how to defend yourself, you’ve learned how to fire a gun, those two things alone make me so fucking proud. But on top of that, you convinced Kimmy, Ernie, and Graham to trust you when they had no reason to. You made the decision to end Colin’s life when your gut told you he was a traitor. You chased after Alex in Club Sin, intent on ending his life because he killed Jacqueline. And you made a deal with the Bianchis, something that has given us the upper hand in this fucking war, something Ineverwould have considered doing, and something Hendrix will never see coming.”
She’d fallen into a stunned silence, so I chanced my luck and pulledher into my lap, and to my surprise, she came willingly.
“Riley, all of that would never have happened if you knew I was alive.You said so yourself, you would have sat back and waited, but instead, you fucking bloomed. Even though your world had fallen apart, you bloomed. You put your own pieces back together, and you came back stronger. You bloomed into someone who isn’t afraid to do what she needs to do for the sake of her city, for the people who live in her city, and I couldn’t be fucking prouder of you.”
She gaped at me, her eyes wide as realization dawned on her.
Realization that she was stronger than she ever gave herself credit.
Realization that she could thrive despite going through her ownpersonal nightmare.
Realization that before we were married, she was my life, but nowshe was more than that.
She was my queen.
Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out.There was no anger in her eyes anymore, just a look of shock and disbelief etched over her pretty features.I cupped her cheek, and she nestled against the palm of my hand, needing my contact as much as I needed hers.
“Baby,” I said, staring deeply into her chocolate orbs which shonewith unshed tears. “You’re a good person, you try to see the best in everyone. But you had to see it from the other side too. You had to know that you could make those difficult decisions when it came down to it. You had to know that you could survive no matter what was thrown at you. And you know what? You haven’t just survived, but you’re fucking thriving. You were willing to go to war for me even though I was just a memory. Even if it meant you wouldn’t survive, like a true fucking warrior.”
When she looked down, I gently took her chin and lifted her face soshe had to look at me. “Star, I always said there could be no Yin without Yang, and that’s us. You’re the Yin to my Yang, we both want the best for the city and the people in it, even if we come at it from different sides of the coin. You make me stop and think that there are other ways to deal with issues rather than with my fists or a knife in my hand, but now you see that sometimes, wars have to be fought with violence. You keep me calm during the darkest storms, but now you know that sometimes, the storm needs to be unleashed. Baby, we balance each other out, and together we’re going to rule so goddamn beautifully over our city.”
Her breath hitched as she held my eye, peering right down into mysoul as only Riley could. “Kai…..I don’t know what to say.”
I kissed her nose, stopping her from speaking. “There isn’t anythingto say, Riley. You’re my wife,my queen, and when we reclaim the city, wewillrule together, and believe me when I tell you, you’re going to make one hell of a queen.”
She chuckled as a fat tear rolled down her cheek, but then a smilespread over her lips, growing bigger by the second.“When Miles finally made me accept that I would rule over HollowsBay, I had all these ideas. I could use some of the profits from the businesses to help people. I don’t know, maybe a shelter for the homeless, or a school for deaf children,” she shrugged, her cheeks blushing. “I didn’t want the city to start with, but when I started thinking about everything I could do that would make people’s lives better, I started liking the idea.”
“And now you can, baby. Once we take our rightful places, you cando all those things. Together, we’ll make Hollows Bay the best fucking city in America.” I kissed her nose again as a warm feeling flooded through me.
Even though I knew she hadn’t quite found forgiveness, she wouldeventually. I had my wife back, and she would be by my side when we reclaimed our city.
We stayed silent for a minute. I knew she had a shit load ofquestions, but I enjoyed the moment of holding her in my arms where she belonged. After a few minutes passed, she shifted, pulling out of my embrace to look at me.
“What happens now?”
That was an easy question to answer.
“Now? We end this fucking war.”
Chapter 23
Kai
Fortherestofthe flight, Riley questioned me about what happened inthe months following the shooting.
I told her everything.
How I demanded Ash join the team so he could personally keep aneye on her. How I could barely move for the first few months because I was too weak. How I was resigned to bed rest and spent hours teaching myself sign language in a bid to stop my brain from torturing myself over how she was coping.
I told her how I kept getting lectures from the doctor about overdoingit when I eventually got out of bed and started training again. She called me a stubborn ass for ignoring the doctor’s advice, but I told her the sooner I got back to full health, the sooner we could kill Thorne and Hendrix and be together again.
She asked why I decided to make an appearance at Club Sin, and Itold her I thought she and Miles would still be at the meeting with the Bianchis. I hadn’t expected her to run into the cellar, but the second I saw her, I couldn’t stop myself from touching her.
That’s when I told her it was me who watched her from the woods thenight she stood on the balcony and saw a figure in the shadows. Tears streaked her face when I told her I snuck into her room later that night, and how I had brushed my finger down her cheek, but managed to resist waking her. But when she was standing in front of me in the cellar, I couldn’t walk away a second time. I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms where she belonged.
By the time the plane landed, I was certain Riley was well on her wayto forgiveness. If only the same could be said about Miles. She was still pretty pissed with him, but being the selfish cunt I was, I figured I’d let him worry about making amends with her, all I cared about was that I hadn’t lost her.
