Page 37 of Wolf
“You’re mine, Rose,” he whispers, cutting me off. “And I’m yours. That’s how it’s going to be. Don’t even think for one second that I’ll let someone like you getaway.”
In an instant, his mouth is on mine as his hands cup my face. His kiss takes away all my questions, swallowing them up the same way he steals my breath. I grip the back of his sweater, pressing him to me with my good hand. My heart is so full because of this man. He’s unlocked a part of me I didn’t think existed. I feel the tears fall from my eyes, smearing both our faces. No matter where tomorrow takes us, no matter if we don’t have another minute together after this, he has changed me for the better and I can’t be more grateful than I amnow.
He lifts from me and pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “The south pacific is great this time of year,” he says, and shows me thedocument.
It’s an itinerary for a week fromnow.
Aflight.
And we’re both on it. Well, Lenny and Riley Jamesare.
“Which one of us is Lenny, and who’s Riley?” I ask, trying to smile at our aliases. But my voice hitches. Tears flood my vision again. I swallow hard and blink through mytears.
“Doesn’t matter. I have to take care of a few things but after it’s done, we’re goingaway.”
“Together?”
Henods.
It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. A partner. A lover. An equal. A man who can handle every aspect of the real me, and still comes back formore.
“We are,” he whispers, nodding. “Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.Deal?”
I nod. I couldn’t ask formore.
Within a week of his release from the private clinic, Thorne uses every resource and calls in every favor at his disposal to make a clean break for us. He returned to his safe house in the woods. Not too far from the property, he found the decomposing body of the man who shot us. Thank goodness Thorne’s aim was dead on. That man’s death provides the means for Thorne and me to disappear. Torching the safe house, Thorne left behind enough of his and my DNA along with the attacker’s body to convince his employer that none of us survived the blaze. I asked him how. I wanted details, specifics. Stolen cadavers, organic hospital waste from both our surgeries, and bloody bandages aren’t enough for me. I want all of it, to strip apart every step from A to Z. But he reassures me that he did this stuff for a living. He made a lot of people disappear for his former employer and this one last time, he took every possible precaution, and he did it forus.
Soon, we’ll leave thecountry.
Nothing is foolproof, though. There will always be risks that threaten us. It will take time, but we’ll getthere.
Together.
Epilogue - Rose
Grams always told me I’d find my very own slice of paradise oneday.
She wasright.
I gaze out at the sparkling emerald ocean outside our beach cottage. My heartbeat races, and I’m almost sure I feel our baby kick on one side of my growing belly when I see Thorne’s on his way back to me. It’s been an uneventful pregnancy so far. In three more months, he or she will be here. Thorne and I prefer to find out if it’s a girl or boy on delivery day. We can’t wait to meet him orher.
The small motorboat we use to get around this intricate chain of Pacific islands crests on the horizon again. It’s a dinky little speedboat, with just a wooden plank to sit on while steering the engine at the stern, and another plank halfway to the bow. When we first moved here, a fisherman we hired would transport us around. He was the one who pointed us to this vessel, up for sale by one of his fellow fishermen. I felt it’d give us more freedom to move around while we’re here. When Thorne saw how much I wanted it, he bought it and learned out how to operate it that sameday.
Then he taught me what helearned.
That’s the Thorne I fell in love with. We’re still as competitive as ever, but I’ve found that our loyalty and devotion to each other keeps growing every day we’retogether.
He asked me one day what I thought of marriage. I think he was impressed but slightly disappointed when I answered that I felt the institution was great in theory, perfect and sacred for people with normal lives. But not for us. Not folks like us who live on the fringe and find comfort in the safety of theshadows.
But I took it all back the day he got down on one knee outside our cabin on the white sandy beach, took my left hand, and slid on the most stunning diamond engagement ring I’d everseen.
I saidyes.
One day soon, I’ll be his under God, and by law, and he’ll be mine. Even if we never do, it doesn’t change what I feel about him. In my heart, I’m as much his wife as he is my husband. When the time comes, perhaps we’ll secretly fly Grams and Great Uncle Charles to the island, hire a local minister, and have a quaint little ceremony at the ocean’sshoreline.
I daydream a lot about a fantasy guest list, one where everyone I care about can be here with us. Trish and Luke would be so excited to travel out here. I can quickly relate to how guest lists have a way of expanding, as I picture Jeff and Bex from the Speak-Easy wanting to be here for me too. Maybe Thorne’s friend, Bridges will be able to make it too. I met him very briefly before we left the country, and can see how he and Thorne are such good friends. He takes Thorne’s intensity down a notch, and Thorne keeps Bridges from getting into too muchtrouble.
After the big raid and explosion at Murphy’s mansion, Bridges left the company. Although he still hasn’t been able to gather any solid proof that his late wife, Dawn’s death was no accident, he couldn’t stomach the idea of working for the organization that very likely had a part in covering it up. He’s working in a security job with Arnie Hamilton, a state senator that he and Thorne did a stint with while they were in thearmy.
