Nash had said the same thing five minutes ago and they still hadn't landed yet. The wheels were down, and he could see the ground approaching, but they had yet to actually land. Then, as if the pilot knew how impatient he was, he felt the gentle thwump of touching down.

  Luke had his seat belt off and was jumping out of his seat before the wheels were firmly on the ground.

  "You do realize you won't get off any faster just because you're standing up. The plane needs to taxi to a stop and the flight attendant needs to open the door before you can go anywhere."

  Yes, he knew all that and Nash reminding him only further ticked him off. Caden got word when they were thirty minutes out that Tex's team had a visual on the aircraft and was intercepting Monica. He hadn't heard anything since, and it was driving him insane.

  "What's taking so long?"

  "Impatience doesn't suit you." Luke looked over to scowl at his friend, but Caden didn't have the decency to look up from his computer. "You need to calm down."

  He would calm down after he had eyes on Monica. Until then, his friends could deal with his shitty attitude.

  It was another five minutes before they came to a stop and the lone flight attendant approached the door. Luke was right behind her ready to exit the moment he was able.

  He raced down the steps and almost came to a screeching halt when he found Monica sitting on the ground with three large men surrounding her. The last report he received said nothing about her being hurt.

  "What happened?" was all he could manage as he got closer.

  "Nothing," Monica tried to reassure him. "I just need to eat something."

  Someone had already given her a protein bar, so he figured at least part of what Monica said was true.

  Luke looked to the man who seemed to be in charge for further answers.

  "I think it was a combination of hunger and the adrenaline dump that made her pass out. She was only out for a few seconds."

  "See? I'm fine."

  Fine was a stretch but he wasn't about to argue.

  "Thank you . . ."

  "Wolf. This here's Mozart and Dude. It was our pleasure. We're just happy we were in the area when you needed us."

  "From the way Tex made it sound, he had a couple of teams ready to go if needed."

  Wolf laughed. "That's Tex for you. His resources are endless." The man turned back to Monica. "It was nice to meet you, Monica. Next time you're in the area, hit us up. We would love for you to meet our wives. I think you’d like them."

  His girl gave Wolf a hesitant smile, but she thanked him and said that would be lovely. The longer she sat on the ground, the more he was convinced she wasn't fine at all. It made him wonder what had happened after she was abducted.

  Luke waited while thank yous were exchanged again between his friends and the three guys who showed up to help. He barely knew the men, but he would forever be in their debt for how they helped Monica.

  His first reaction, once they were alone, was to scoop Monica up and carry her straight back to the plane. But instead, he sat down next to her while they waited for the authorities to show up to deal with Fletcher and Silverstein.

  "How are you really feeling?"

  Monica pressed her side against him and laid her head down on his shoulder. "Truly, I'm fine. I missed lunch and my head is pounding from whatever that guy put on the rag to knock me out. I'm sure Wolf was right when he mentioned an adrenaline dump. I feel like I've run a marathon and could now sleep for a solid two days."

  He could work with that. Luke shifted until he was kneeling. With one arm under her legs and the other on her back, he scooped her up.

  "Let's get you on the plane so I can feed you and let you rest."

  Monica's head fell to his shoulder as she moaned. "Of course, the ride back needs to be on an airplane."

  That made him pause. "You don't like airplanes?" It never came up in any of their discussions, and as far as he knew, she regularly traveled for work. He just assumed some of those required her to fly, like when she went to Rome.

  "It's not that I don't like it. I just prefer to be mentally prepared. At least a solid day in advance preferably."

  "Would you like to spend a night somewhere?"

  They didn't have a car, and all he knew was they were somewhere in California. It hadn't been pertinent at the time because Tex assured them his team had considered this abandoned airport as one of the few locations Fletcher would use.

  "No, it's fine. I want my bed. Well, your bed," Monica mumbled. "You know what I mean."

  "It's our bed, and yes, I know exactly what you mean."

  He continued his walk back to the plane. Once inside, he asked the flight attendant to get them something to eat. Considering the abrupt need to borrow the private jet, the options were limited, but the flight attendant managed to scrounge up enough to hold Monica over until they landed back in Seattle.

  As soon as she was done eating, she snuggled right up to him and immediately fell asleep.

  "I'm not sure how you met Tex,” Luke said to Caden, “but I'm grateful for it. Without his assistance, this could have been so much worse."

  "Those of us in the cyber world tend to stick together. Especially in this line of work."

  It was the vaguest answer he had ever heard, but it wasn't his right to question his friend. He wasn't his boss. They were all equal partners, and if Caden wanted to keep a secret, then so be it. In the end, it had helped him.

  The rest of the flight home was quiet. He focused on Monica while Caden worked on his laptop. Nash kept to himself in the back of the plane. By the time they landed, he was more than ready to sweep Monica into his arms and take her back to his apartment.

  As soon as they debarked the plane, Amelia rushed over and threw her arms around a barely awake Monica.

  "I'm so, so sorry." Amelia's tears were just as intense now as they had been earlier that day. "I never should've left you."

  "You were taking your lunch. There's no way you could've known." Monica leaned heavily on him as she attempted to soothe her secretary.

  "From now on we eat together."

  "Sounds good." The words were garbled around a huge yawn.

  "Time to go." Luke redirected Monica to where his truck was parked. "Amelia, please let Carmichael know Monica is taking the morning off. Possibly the whole day tomorrow. I suggest you do the same."

  He didn't wait around to see how Amelia responded to his request, and he figured Monica had no argument against it. If she had felt strongly, he would have heard about it. Instead, she curled up in the passenger seat and was sleeping before they left the parking lot.

  Luke would join her just as soon as they were safe in bed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  It wasn't exactly two days of sleep, but it was a solid fifteen hours. Monica had never felt more rested when she woke up.

  "You don't have to go in. Amelia was going to tell Carmichael you were taking the day off."

  Monica was in the bathroom applying mascara as Luke stood in the doorway, pleading with her not to go in today. She agreed that they needed to sit down and discuss what happened, but first, she needed to make sure everything was okay at work.

  "No, you told Amelia I would be taking the morning off and maybe the full day. I never agreed to the full day, even if I appreciate you thinking about me."

  "And here I thought you were too out of it to hear what I said," Luke grumbled under his breath.

  "I might've been exhausted, but I was awake enough to recognize how upset Amelia was. I want to check on her just as much as I want to speak with Carmichael."

  Luke didn't look the least bit happy about her declaration. "Fine, but I'm going in with you."

  She had expected as much. It would probably take some time before he was comfortable with her going to the office alone. Monica fully expected Ryker to be sitting on her couch in her office for the foreseeable future.

  "And that's why I love you."

  The words slipped out of her mouth. Any hope that Luke didn't hear them vanished when he stalked across the small room and wrapped his arms around her.

  Monica met his gaze in the mirror. "You love me, huh?"

  It wasn't how she expected to say it the first time but that didn't make it any less true.

  "Yes, I love you. It's crazy considering we've only known each other for a short time but I think I knew even before everything happened. It was blatantly obvious when all I wanted to do was return to you."

  Luke turned her around to face him. "There's no timeline on love. Anyone who says differently can kiss my ass. I knew I loved you before we left Rome. I couldn't get you off my mind and it killed me that we might never have a chance."

  She ran her hand across the stubble on his jaw. "We always had a chance. I just needed the right push. Thankfully I have friends willing to give it to me." She rolled up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. It wasn't meant to be anything more than a comforting gesture.

  "Are you sure you don't want to stay here? We can find something better to occupy our time."

  "I'm sure," she laughed. "The sooner we get there, the quicker we can come home."

  They did not get there faster because Luke insisted on messing up her hair, makeup, and outfit. Not that she minded, but walking into the office with a fresh-fucked look probably would not have been her smartest decision.

  Not when the first thing Amelia said to her, as soon as she stepped off the elevator, was that Mr. Carmichael was waiting for her in his office. He had supposedly advised both Amelia and his secretary that Monica was to come straight to him the moment she arrived, no matter who he was meeting with.

  "I don't think this bodes well for me," she whispered to Luke as they walked across the office. It felt like she was walking the plank. Each step took her closer and closer to her doom.

  "Say the word and I'll be in the meeting with you."

  Monica shook her head. “That would only make things worse. I got this." She knocked and stepped through Carmichael's office door.

  "Monica." Carmichael actually looked up and acknowledged her presence. A big change from how he normally greeted her. "Please come take a seat."

  She wasn't sure what to think when he motioned for the couch instead of the seat directly across from his desk where she usually sat. For a brief moment, she wondered if this was a case of body snatching. Not in the ten years that she'd worked for the company had she ever seen Carmichael this happy.

  "Is everything okay? Amelia said you wanted to see me right away?"

  "Of course. I wanted to see how you were doing after the kidnapping. I can't believe Samuel was behind this again."

  Now she knew something was definitely off. Carmichael hadn't uttered his former business partner's name since everything happened with Ash.

  "I'm fine. I'll be ready to come back to work tomorrow."

  Carmichael waved her off. "Nonsense. Take a couple of days. After everything that happened with your car, your townhouse, and now the kidnapping, you deserve some time off."

  "Ummm . . . " Monica wasn't sure what to say. Nothing about what was happening was normal. "Are you okay?"

  Carmichael laughed. Actually laughed. She hadn't thought the man knew what that sound was. "I told Ash you would be suspicious. She flew in this morning and read me the riot act. Basically told me that if I didn't get my act together, I would never see my granddaughter again. I'm not sure even she could be that cruel, but it made me realize how important this must be to her if she was willing to make such a grievous threat."

  Monica should've known her best friend was behind this.

  "You don't need to worry. I'm more than willing to come back to work tomorrow and I can talk to Ash. She just worries."

  "As she should. You know how much I love this company, and after Ash's mother died, I threw myself into work. I wasn't the best father. I made plenty of mistakes over the years, but it was always done with this company in mind. I knew you were right for the job even before Ash suggested it. I see the same drive in you that I see in myself. The only difference is you also know how to have a personal life. That's important, and I needed to know, when it was time to retire, that I made the right choice."

  She waited for him to continue but he never did. Monica felt like she was sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how he finished that statement. When it never came, she finally caved.

  "And did you?"

  "Yes, Monica. I've always known I made the right choice. I was just too stubborn to admit it even to myself. My daughter made sure I corrected that. I called you in here because I wanted you to be the first to know. I'm retiring at the end of next month. My granddaughter will hold all of my shares, Ash by proxy until she's twenty-five, but you will be the sole person running the business. I'll be around if you seek advice, but I know you can do this. You've earned it."

  Monica didn't know what to say. Everything was falling into place. All her dreams were coming true.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  They were celebrating that night.

  When Monica first walked out of Carmichael's office, Luke had been worried; she was as white as a ghost. It wasn't until she assured him that nothing bad happened that he calmed down enough not to storm the office and give her partner a piece of his mind.

  It turned out she was white from shock. Carmichael was retiring, just like he promised. Monica would run the company, and she felt confident that she could do that and have a future with him.

  So yes, a celebration was in order.

  "Here's to good news and an amazing future together!" He clinked his plastic cup against Monica's.

  Their celebration consisted of sitting on the floor in his living room, both of them in a pair of his sweatpants, him in a T-shirt while Monica wore one of his sweatshirts. They were drinking a twenty-dollar bottle of champagne out of clear plastic cups and had ordered takeout on the way home.

  It was perfect and the way he wanted to celebrate every occasion with her.

  "It will be interesting, that's for sure." Monica snickered. "You've seen my crazy friends. I'm exactly the same way."

  He imagined she was, but he wouldn't change her. He loved every quirky bit.

  "That's okay. And I believe you mentioned a triple date at some point, so I have that to look forward to."

  He laughed when Monica groaned. "Trista already texted me. We have a date with them in two days. I hope you're ready."

  He would be ready simply because it was for her.

  "There's one other thing I would like to celebrate tonight."

  "Ohh?" Monica looked at him with a confused expression.

  "I would like you to move in with me. And I don't just mean while your townhouse is being renovated. I mean permanently."

  Monica set her glass down and turned toward him so their knees were touching.

  "Is this because of the kidnapping?"

  He knew what she was asking. Monica wanted to be sure he wasn't asking for the wrong reasons, so he figured it was best that he was honest with her.

  "Partly. I know I'm going to struggle with you going back to work. It's going to take some time before I'm not texting you a million times a day to make sure you're safe but that's not the only reason. I like waking up with you. I like getting ready for bed together. I like knowing that when one of us comes home late from work, the other is there waiting. I want to spend every night eating dinner with you. I love you and I don't want to miss out on time together by living separately."

  When Monica crawled into his lap and put her arms around his shoulders, he knew he had done the right thing by being honest.

  "Yes, I'll move in with you."

  "Really?" He leaned his forehead against hers.

  "Really. I want all those things with you as well. There's no point having two places when we will just be spending all our free time together anyway, but I have to ask, are you set on living in this apartment?"

  Luke dropped his head back against the couch cushion and laughed. "Hell, no," he finally answered when he caught his breath. "We can live anywhere you want."

  "Good. Because I'm thinking it's time to find a house and set down some roots."

  Luke scooped her up. "I couldn't agree more. Now let's celebrate all this good news in a proper fashion."

  He raced across the apartment with a laughing Monica in his arms and then spent the rest of the night celebrating in bed. The food and champagne were completely forgotten.

  EPILOGUE 1

  Why did she let Ash talk her into this?

  "Falcon looks like he would rather eat glass than be here right now," Monica hissed in Ash's ear.

  By here she meant the private room in one of Seattle's elite restaurants, Maximilien. The restaurant had an amazing view and it normally took people months to get a reservation but somehow Trista had managed to pull off the impossible. Monica wasn't so sure it was a good thing. They would've been more comfortable at a dingy bar.

  "Oh, don't be silly." Trista swatted her arm. "He's just grumpy I made him change out of his tactical pants. Getting dressed up isn't his idea of a good time."

  "And yet you insist on making me do it, princess," Falcon grumbled.

  Bentley attempted to hide a snicker behind his hand, but it was Luke's rolling laughter that finally allowed her to shake off the nerves.

  "Sorry, man. I know how you feel. When Monica said this would be a casual date, I had assumed jeans at least. Then she tossed dress pants at me."

  "Get used to it," Bentley chimed in. "Nothin' is ever what you think it’ll be when it comes to these three."

  "We should've met at a bar," Falcon added with heat.

  "You hate bars. Aren't you always the one who complains there are too many people at them? I chose this place because it could be just the six of us and you have a view of all the exits. See? I'm always thinking about you, big boy." Trista patted Falcon's arm.

  Whatever Falcon's response to that was made Trista blush and Monica was thankful she hadn't heard it.

 

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