Yeah, well, the bullet and the fire had come pretty close.
Lora leaned over him. He wanted to touch her, but didn’t want to hurt her. Burns. He remembered her slapping the fire around him. On him. Kenton stared up at her. “I love you, Lora Spade.”
Her gaze held his. He saw her swallow.
“Monica is tying up the last of the loose ends,” Hyde said, “but the Phoenix case will be officially closed in just a few more days.” He pointed at Kenton. “And you’ll tell the city. You’ll be the face on the news they see, letting them know they’re safe again.”
“Another one down,” Kenton murmured.
“And the rest of them had better f**king fear us.” Hyde nodded, then the briefest of smiles lifted his lips.
Hyde’s mission was personal. Kenton knew that, but not why. And he’d never asked. Some secrets just weren’t for sharing.
“Take it easy, Lake. No setbacks. I want you in fighting form again soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hyde glanced at Lora. “Ms. Spade, it’s been a pleasure. You ever get the urge for a career change, you call me.”
Uh, no.
“Thank you, Hyde.” What? Was that some warmth in her voice? For Hyde? No one’s voice warmed for Hyde. The guy was too scary.
But Lora was smiling at him.
And the guy grinned back at her.
Two days—just what had been going on while he’d been out?
Then Hyde was gone, and the door swung shut behind him.
Alone with Lora.
“You scared me so much.” No warmth lightened her voice now. He only heard the echoes of fear. “You were on the ground in front of me, bleeding out, and I–I couldn’t stop it. I was so scared that I’d lose you.”
He shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
“I thought I was gonna break apart out there,” she whispered with eyes down. “You weren’t moving, and I thought you’d left me.”
She leaned forward and brushed her body against his. “I love you, Kent.” Her lips stopped just inches from his. “I didn’t plan on this, but I love you.”
And he would die for her. Or kill for her.
He’d almost done both.
A strong woman could drive a man to the edge and beyond. Now, he knew what waited beyond. Knew what he’d always been looking for—and had finally found.
Her mouth took his. Warm and sweet and soft and real.
No monsters. No death. No evil.
Silken skin. Delicate lips.
Love.
His right arm curled around her. She was the one he’d always wanted.
A woman who’d walked through the fire.
And sent the devil back to hell.
Now… it was their turn to rise from the ashes.
Epilogue
T wo months later…
When the knock sounded at his door, Hyde wanted to ignore it. He’d known this moment was coming. Only a matter of time…
He rolled his shoulders. “Come on in, Lake.”
Kenton popped his head inside. The blinds on the door were down. “How’d you know it was me?”
Because Monica wasn’t the only one good at reading people.
Kenton held a manila file in his hand. Hyde raised his brows. “A new case?” No, he knew it wasn’t.
Kenton’s jaw locked. “Sir.” He shut the door, stepped fully inside, and took a deep breath. “Working with the SSD has been an opportunity I’ll always be grateful for…”
Hyde leaned back in his chair and pointed at the file. “But those are transfer papers, and you’re ready to get the hell out of here.”
Kenton blinked. “Uh, how’d you—”
Come on, did his team think he was blind? “When you woke up in the hospital, her name was the first thing you said.” The guy hadn’t cared about himself. Hadn’t asked about the case, just—
Lora.
Kenton straightened his shoulders and crossed the room. He put the file in the middle of Hyde’s desk. “She was the only thing that mattered.”
Hyde’s gaze drifted to the framed photo on his desk. A woman with pure coffee-cream skin, a wide, sweet smile, and chocolate eyes gazed back at him.
He let his gaze slide back to his agent. “I heard Spade is up for a new job.”
Kenton’s lips curled. “Arson investigator.”
The higher-ups in Charlottesville knew a good move when they saw one, and Hyde was certain that position would be Lora’s. Those folks needed all the good PR they could get, and if they wanted to restore confidence in their department, they’d put their best fire eater on top.
According to every news report he’d seen, Lora Spade was golden. She was the one who’d slain the monster and saved the day.
The woman who walked through fire.
“I’ve got something there, with her.” Kenton’s gaze never wavered. The guy had always been direct. One of the reasons Hyde liked the man. “I have a chance to be happy, and I’m going to take it.”
Kenton knew how dangerous the world was. So many agents knew, and that danger stopped them from really living. Monica had almost stopped. She’d walled herself off for years, then he’d had the good sense to shove Luke into her path.
Monica wouldn’t leave the job. It was too deep in her blood, but she’d needed balance. She’d needed hope.
Luke had given her both.
And it seemed Lora Spade had given Kenton a new start, too.
Hyde leaned forward and flipped open the file. Seeing the transfer request inside wasn’t a surprise. The guy wanted to move to a field office in Virginia.
He glanced up. “You think you’re going to get the picket fence, Agent Lake?”
“I’m damn well going to try.”
Good luck. “You’ve been good in this division, son. You ever want back in, you let me know.”
“Thank you.”
Ah, but Kenton wasn’t getting away that easily. “I’ll give you the transfer”—because he’d known it was coming, and he’d already taken steps to hire a replacement—“but I might need you…”
“Need me?” Kenton’s brows flew up.
Hyde let his own lips curl. “You’ll know when I do. We’ll just call it contract work.”
The agent’s eyes narrowed.
“Not too much,” Hyde allowed, but he wasn’t about to let Kenton go, not completely. Not yet. “Just when special cases arise.”
“Aren’t all of the SSD’s cases ‘special’?”