Page 64 of To Claim A King
He and Weston shared a loaded look—the kind only couples who have been together for years can communicate with—and when he turned his attention back to me, a beaming grin showed off every one of his beautifully straight teeth.
“Yes, yes, one thousand times yes!” he exclaimed dramatically, leaping off his chair to wrap me in a bear hug. “This is just—I mean, I didn’t expect this and—Jesus, this is a crazy day.”
He pulled back from the hug and rubbed his hands over his face, smiling sheepishly through them. “Sorry. I can’t imagine how crazy this must feel for you. The Philippines? What in the world are you going to do in the Philippines?”
“Hopefully, a whole lot of nothing.” I shrugged nonchalantly, as if leaving my entire life behind for a tropical island on the other side of the world was the mostpractical solution there was. “You can’t buy an island there, but you can lease one for 75 years, and I’ll be long dead by the time that number comes up. I’m ready for a simpler life.”
Simpler. And safer. Antonio was still out there—his kingdom was in ruins and he’d gone off the grid entirely—but until he was dead, I wasn’t risking the safety of anyone else around me. We had eyes and ears everywhere across several countries. It was only a matter of time before we found him. But I had learned the hard way time was too precious to waste.
I would miss Winter more than life, but her words had really struck a nerve, like an uncomfortable cleaning with a poorly trained dental hygienist. I’d built my empire, and I was proud of everything I had accomplished, but none of it had ever been driven by whatIwanted. She was looking forward to visiting my new tropical paradise, claiming my new home would become her permanent Christmas vacation destination. I’d build an entire wing onto our new home just for them.
“I hope the simple life is ready foryou.” Marty’s teasing smirk lit up his eyes, and it brought a pang of sadness to my heart. I’d spent so much time with him, late nights brokering mergers, early morning meetings to build better and brighter futures for our people… I was going to miss him dearly.
Like the incredible assistant he was, he sensed my mood, and immediately wrapped his arms back around me. This time, the hug was a soothing consolation rather than exuberant excitement, and he stroked a palm down my spine in a calming motion.
“Thank you for trusting me, Laney,” he whispered with a squeeze. “I’m excited for you to live your new life.”
I gently shrugged free of his hold and stood, truly ready to leave this entire part of my life behind. “I’m excited too. Take good care of her for me.”
Weston stood, dropping all the folders on the mess of a desk in front of him to stick out his hand. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Lane.” I returned his grip, my gratitude for his role in our escape placing him on the Lane loyalty list for life.
“You’re one hell of a lawyer, Weston. If I ever need one again, I’ll be calling you. But I’m really hoping my life gets quite boring from here on out.”
His chuckle vibrated through my arm before he let go. I offered one last smirk then turned on my heel. Donning my purse and sunglasses, I hobbled out of the building I’d once called a second home.
Walking out of my office for the very last time on my own two feet—something the doctors hadn’t believed likely—I felt the summer sun on my face and welcomed the warmth licking against my skin, the simplicity of the feeling settling the unease of the new life ahead of me.
“Oy, Lass. Need a lift?” Lucky called to me from the roadside, his window down and his obnoxious Chad sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose like a frat boy, matching the suggestive wiggling of his eyebrows perfectly.
I giggled at my boyish man and slowly ambled toward his brand-new bright orange Mustang GT. “In honor of my favorite Skittle,” he’d said when he brought it home off the lot. He’d received his payment from The Six once Camden received the forged version of my stolen painting, and insisted he was shipping it to the Philippines, even if it was the most impractical vehicle for a tropical island, ever. Now officially retired, he was leaving his entire life behind to join me on our next adventure.
Aaron’s parents had gone into hiding, and I’d been positive he would pursue them before he’d be willing to leave them behind, but I was wrong.“I trust that Karma will take care of them,Mi Reina. Or perhaps I will in another life. I too am ready to move on from this life.”
Kellan had already declared his intentions in the hospital room before we were released, and he’d stayed true to his word. It was now the four of us against the world, on a private island, figuring out who we all were when we didn’t have outside expectations dictating our next moves.
Lucky patiently waited at the curb until I finally opened the door and settled into the buttery leather seat. When I’d gotten the go-ahead to walk on my own two feet, I very clearly threatened every one of their lives if they tried to baby me, and it only took a few light stabbings for them to get the message. When I was safely buckled, he placed a lingering and longing kiss on my lips, the soft, pillowy skin promising me more for later.
“Come on, Blondie. Let’s get you home.”
Three months later
The cool Colombian mountain air grazed my heated skin as I stalked the trail up to a tiny cabin, in search of the prey that had long eluded me.
Despite the “clean life” we now all lived, thanks to Lauchlan’s ability to hack into camera footage worldwide, and Aaron’s connections through the dark web, I’d finally found the man who’d tainted every part of my soul, and it was time for his reckoning.
My Killer had insisted on coming with me, and I’d staunchly refused, not that it mattered. As much as my newfamily all wanted their piece of flesh from Antonio, I’d wanted—needed—to do this alone. Apparently however, being a part of a unit of equal power meant we all got a say, even when it wasn’ttheirfather. I’d been overruled, three to one. No longer being the leader had some perks, but I was not a fan of our new voting arrangement.
Aaron had his own agenda, wanting to search for his parents, rumored to have landed back on Colombian soil, and he couldn’t be swayed to take my side, no matter how many bribes I’d offered him.
As a compromise, I wasallowedto take the reins on the planning. I’d chartered a private plane to make the trip from our new home to Antonio’s old stomping grounds in the Eastern Andes.
On our second day, Aaron had tracked down his parents to an old relative’s compound, and together we’d placed several bullets in their brains after uncovering their newest venture: child trafficking. His revenge on Veronica and Vicente was swift and violent, and I was reminded once again he was a formidable ally, lover, partner, and friend, but as an enemy he was fucking terrifying. I’d witnessed the very definition of depravity many times in my life as an agent and with the cartel, but when Aaron unleashed his darkness…
He was behind me now, protecting my back as we hiked up the uneven rocky path to the small one-bedroom hut on the hillside. After six days lying low, Lauchlan had determined my dear father would be staying at this cabin tonight thanks to—well, however it was that man knew things. Ten months of getting to know him and he was still an enigma, but an enigma who had my back and brought light to my dark. He and Hillary were coming up another path toward the rear of the building, armed to the teeth with enough firepower to erase it from the landscape entirely.
I wasn’t taking any chances. I wanted the man to die a miserable death, but I didn’t need vengeance enough to risk the people I loved. Not again.
We’d set up camp a few miles from Antonio’s location, just in case we needed a backup site. There was no telling how long this mission would take us, but I had hope we’d be back in our Alaskan king on the other side of the planet by midnight tomorrow.
