Page 112 of Her Guardian
“By Boyd?” she asks apprehensively.
Yes. Big Mafia Boyd kicked the doors in at Fletcher’s for the second time. Found the guy who was drugging and kidnapping tourists. It was a serial killer, just like Cadence and I suspected, but he’ll never get credit for his crimes. They’ll never even find his body.
“Boyd’s just a businessman, remember?” I say. “It was handled. You don’t really want to know more than that, do you?”
“No,” she admits, turning and picking up a chair.
That’s what I do now. I’ve got my own little office at Salvalagio, walls covered with pictures, and I’m always adding more. If there’s an active case in Las Vegas, I’m following it, gathering intel for the Morandi family, and bringing them in when there’s something that needs their attention. It feels a lot more rewarding than podcasting, and I’ve got a lot more resources at my disposal.
I’m not sure how much interest there would be in my podcast, anyway. The Mafia Prince Killer is old news. Arthur Dykstra is dead. His decoy—nobody is really sure what happened to him. He disappeared from solitary confinement. We’re pretty sure he was eliminated by Solitude, to cover their tracks. That’s about all they were able to do, before Cadence leaked everything she didn’t delete from their servers, including the identities of most of their members. Those that haven’t been hunted down are in hiding now, so they’re no longer a danger to anyone.
“Alright, I think we’re ready,” my mom says.
“Yep,” I confirm, looking around. “Now we just wait for Boyd and all our guests to arrive.”
An hour later,everyoneis seated at the dinner table, so tight that I’m worried they’re going to elbow each other before we finish our meal. Nobody declined the invitation. Rowan even showed up, and while he was invited, he didn’t seem enthused about it. I scrunch myself into a spot between Boyd and my mom.
“Sarah, this is delicious!” Uncle Belen praises. “When you asked me for some authentic Greek recipes, I almost offered to cook them for you myself. Glad I didn’t. You’re a natural.”
“Thank you,” I say, looking down.
“I’m going to stop declining the dinner invitations,” Leo chuckles. “Didn’t realize I would get to eat this good.”
“I’m going to have to buy a bigger table,” Boyd rumbles.
“Or a house,” Massimo suggests. “You really planning on living in this condo forever?”
“One thing at a time,” Boyd growls, shooting a glare at his boss.
We enjoy our meal, along with some of the wine Massimo’s family named after Lea. My mom can’t say enough good things about it, so Massimo promises to ship her a few bottles to Pine Grove. It’s nice to have everyone here. I wasn’t expecting much when I suggested hosting my first dinner party, but it’s going much better than I expected.
Once we finish eating, my mom, Lea, Cadence, and Uncle Belen’s college-girl-of-the-week help with the dishes. I’ve already forgotten her name, but if she’s like the others, she won’t stick around long enough for me to bother.
“Mind if I borrow the love of my life for a moment?” Boyd asks, leaning against the kitchen door. “Actually, if all of you could join us.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, wiping my hands and turning to him.
Boyd takes my hand and leads me back to the living room. Everyone is looking at me, so I feel a twinge of concern. I glance back at my mom, and she’s all smiles. So are Lea and Cadence. When I turn my head toward Boyd, he’s got the biggest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen.
Then he lowers himself to one knee with a grunt and pulls out a small box.
“Sarah, I love you. You’ve made my life mean something again, and I want to spend the rest of it with you,” Boyd says, opening the box and revealing a gorgeous diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”
My heart clenches in my chest. When I dove for Lea’s bouquet, I was just doing it because she was my best friend. I never imagined myself actually getting married. But things are different now. Mylifeis different. And there’s only one man I want to spend it with.
“Yes!” I say excitedly, hugging him. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
Now I know why Boyd insisted on inviting so many people. Why he didn’t want us to host a dinner party, unless my mom could make it. Judging by the look on her face, and everyone else, I’m the last to know about the ring Boyd slips on my finger.
Lea pours more wine, and we get congratulated by everyone. I make it through a few hugs before I start crying when I hug my mom.
“Congratulations, Sarah,” she says, squeezing me tight. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I whimper.
I hug everyone. Even Leo, who seems a little taken aback by it at first.
“I’ve already got the wedding sermon ready,” he chuckles as he lets go of me.
