And then he was out. Down for the count. But I still had no time to waste. I grabbed the gun and my phone called Aaron. “Get over here to Theo’s,” I said when he picked up on the second ring. “I got what you wanted, and he’s knocked out, but you need to hurry.”

  “I know,” Aaron said. “We got it all recorded, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to get there. Have you got him covered?”

  I pointed the gun at Theo’s limp body. “Yeah. I’ve got it. Just hurry.”

  I ran to the closet and grabbed a tie, using it to bind his hands behind his back. Then I quickly pulled on my pants, my T-shirt, and Gio’s hat. I left the boots off.

  After about a minute, Theo started to stir, and I sat down on the bed with the gun pointed at him.

  He groaned. “What the fuck?” His words were garbled from the damage I had done to his face. He struggled, suddenly realizing he was bound, and then his eyes met mine. His gaze dropped to the gun.

  “Little Santori, what are you doing?”

  “You can call me sir,” I said, feeling the power of the situation coursing through me. I had the upper hand. This was all about to be over.

  “This is because of that boy, isn’t it? He’s gotten to you. Made you not trust me.”

  “I already didn’t trust you.”

  “He’s worthless, Kage. He doesn’t love you like you think he does. He was in your opponent’s corner, for God’s sake.”

  “Shut up, you bastard. You don’t even know what love is.”

  There was something in his eyes that could have been emotional pain, if he was truly capable of being hurt. “You’re more like your uncle than I thought,” he said. “Both of you so idealistic, both of you believing in some magical love that would overcome everything.” He spat blood onto the floor. “Pathetic.”

  “You never loved anyone but yourself. If you had, you would know that love is real.”

  “I loved Pete,” he said. “His voice taking on a wistful quality. “I loved him with all my heart, and he gave himself to that old man. Did you know that he never had sex again after that piece of shit died? Condemned himself to a life of celibacy for a fucking dead man.”

  “That was his choice,” I said. “Not yours.”

  “But Gio never loved him. You talk about me not being capable of love? That man was as cold as they come.” He glanced up at Gio’s hat on my head and flinched. “Yeah, he put on a good show for Pete, but do you have any idea what he made me do? I killed for him. I was eighteen fucking years old when I made my first kill. He ruined me. And he stole Pete from me. He didn’t even love him. If he had lived, I guarantee you he would have cheated on him. He couldn’t help himself. He was a dirty old man, and he would have broken Pete’s heart.”

  The gun wavered in my hand as his words sank in. “Would have cheated on him? I thought he did.”

  Theo looked confused for a moment, and then he seemed to find himself. “Yeah. He did cheat on him. With that kid. The one Pete wasted.”

  But it was too late to take back the words now. He’d already given himself away.

  “You orchestrated that whole thing, didn’t you? Gio never cheated on my uncle. You planned that whole confession just to get Peter to hate Gio. He was mourning too long, and you took matters into your own hands. Only it backfired on you, didn’t it? Because Peter never hated Gio. He killed that innocent boy, and then he was broken. And you let him go to his grave believing that the man he loved had been unfaithful to him.”

  I moved closer and put the gun to the center of Theo’s forehead.

  He started to cry, sucking in mouthfuls of air through great, gasping sobs. “I had to. I’d tried everything else, and nothing worked. I tried not to love him. I tried so fucking hard. Even the boys didn’t help. All those boys. I made them hurt. I took them, and I made them bleed.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked with a sick feeling in my gut.

  His eyes were wild now, and he didn’t answer my question. “Don’t blame your uncle for that boy he killed. Pete was never a killer. He was a good boy. And it didn’t matter, anyway. If Pete hadn’t put a bullet in his head, I would have taken him myself. I chose him, same as I chose the others.” He looked away as if remembering something from long ago. “There was still some good left in him after Pete was done, you know. He was still innocent. Still warm.”

  I threw up all over the carpet. There was no warning. One minute I was trying to make sense of Theo’s babbling, and the next I was standing over a puddle of breakfast.

  “Fuck,” I gasped, swiping bile and saliva from my mouth with the back of my hand.

  Serial killer, my brain whispered.

  My mind served up flashes of a new report I never saw, and Gio’s voice, which I never heard. Your friend has a little problem.

  It was true, and facing that truth was more traumatic than I’d ever imagined. Looking into the killer’s eyes and hearing him confess. Imagining what he must have done.

  “You’re going to prison,” I said. “The cops are on the way.”

  I hurled again. I couldn’t help it.

  “What’s the matter?” Theo asked, his bravado returning. “You getting squeamish on me? Feeling all high and mighty? Don’t even try to pretend you’re not the same as me.” He smiled at the gun, revealing a mouthful of bloody teeth. “You want to kill me now, don’t you? You’re imagining what it would feel like. The sweet relief you’ll feel when you get those demons out.”

  “I’m nothing like you,” I gasped, the gun wavering in my hand as I pointed it at his head.

  “Why don’t you do it?” he coaxed. “You can’t imagine the rush.”

  “No,” I grated. “You’re going to prison.”

  “I thought you wanted to be my protégé. Put one of those bullets through my skull, you little chickenshit. Although I do hope you won’t let my corpse go to waste. It would be a shame to miss out on that.” When I didn’t respond to his obvious goading, he screamed, “Do it, you pussy! Kill me!”

  I tossed the gun away and faced him again. “As much as I’d like to avenge my uncle and Gio, I won’t give you the satisfaction. It will bring me more peace to know you’re rotting away in prison for the rest of your life.”

  Just then, Aaron burst through the door dressed head to toe in black tactical gear, and he brought an entire S.W.A.T. team with him.

  “It’s about fucking time,” I gasped, staggering away from Theo.

  Aaron eyed the puke and the discarded gun on the floor. “What the hell happened here?”

  “Don’t ask,” I barked, using my shirt to clean up any residue from my face. “Fuck, just get me out of here.”

  I needed to take a long, hot shower, then find Jamie and begin the rest of our forever together. A very tame forever with lots of sex and absolutely no guns. Or serial killers.

  EPILOGUE

  JAMIE

  It only took Kage a couple of months to shake off the trauma of what he’d been through with Theo. I think he’d seen so much death and horror he was just sick of it and ready to move on.

  I’d never known him to be so strong or self-possessed, and just seeing him that way made put me over the moon.

  Theo was in jail awaiting trial for gun trafficking, treason, and murder, though they were still working to get evidence for the last. He hadn’t actually admitted to anything, but Aaron seemed to think they had enough to put him in prison for life. If they could pin the murders on him, he was going to sleep for a very long time.

  “What are you doing, babe?” Kage asked, breezing into the room naked and glistening from his shower.

  I sighed and closed my laptop. “Just doing some more research on wedding destinations. I still don’t understand why we can’t get married here or in Georgia.”

  “Because I want it to be special, babe. We’ve been over this a hundred times.” He kissed me on the cheek and started to get dressed.

  I took a moment to appreciate his tanned perfection as he slipped into one piece after another of his dark gray suit. I already had my suit pants on, but my shirt and coat were still hanging in the closet.

  “But it would be so nice to have family and friends there,” I argued. I wanted to please him, but I couldn’t figure out why he was so hell-bent on going to some island.

  “That’s what tonight is all about,” he said. “It’s a wedding reception, just a little early. Now get dressed, or we’re going to be late. Your mother already called to say they’re on their way to the restaurant.”

  “Oh, crap.” I jumped up and hurried to the closet to grab my shirt. “I didn’t realize how late it was. This wedding stuff is just stressful, and I can’t make up my mind. All of those islands seem the same to me.”

  “We could always do a Disney cruise,” Kage said with a smirk.

  “Very funny. We’d be kicked off the boat in the middle of the ocean after the first night.”

  Kage stood in front of the mirror, working to get the knot of his tie just right. “Well, if you weren’t so damn loud in bed, they’d never know there were a couple of perverts in their midst.”

  I moved up beside Kage and fought for space to work on my own tie. “Why does everybody always say that? I’m not that loud.”

  Kage pinched my ass hard, making me yelp. “See? You can’t help yourself.”

  I nudged him out of the way with my elbow. “You like it. Don’t even pretend you don’t.”

  “I would never suggest such a thing.” He moved in behind me, wrapped his arms around me, and straightened my crooked tie. Then he nuzzled in under my jaw and kissed the side of my throat. “I love your sounds. Especially when I’m pounding into you good and hard, and you’ve got your legs up around your ears.” He bumped his groin against my ass to drive his point home.

  I gave him a deadpan look in the mirror. “Keep it in your pants, killer. We’re about to go have dinner with my family.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “Nothing says we can’t slip off to the restroom when everyone is busy eating.”

  I turn to face him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “After we get home, I’ll scream all you want. Right now, my parents are waiting. So let’s get this over with.”

  “You’ve been whining about wanting to include your friends and family in our wedding plans, and now all of a sudden it’s let’s get this over with?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  By the time we made it to the restaurant, everyone was there but Dr. Key. He came rushing up behind us, his tie still hanging loose around his neck. His hair looked like a rat’s nest, and his glasses were slightly crooked on his face.

  “Are you ever not a mess?” Kage asked him good-naturedly.

  “I’m working on it,” Dr. Key said. “At least I haven’t lost another shoe.”

  Kage laughed. “Then my goal tonight is to get you drunk enough to lose both of your shoes. I’ve got an open tab in here, and I’ve heard they have a huge martini selection. Every flavor you could imagine.”

  “Don’t encourage him,” I said. Then, to Dr. Key, I said, “Do not get that drunk in front of my family.”

  Everyone else was already seated when we reached the private dining room. They had four long tables pushed together, and nearly every seat was filled.

  “Late to your own wedding,” my mom called from near the head of the table. “I thought I taught you better than that.”

  I rolled my eyes and pulled out a chair to sit. “It’s not my wedding, Mom. It’s just the reception.”

  Just as my butt hit the seat, Mom said, “Get over here and give me a hug, Jamie, before I have to tan your hide.”

  “Jesus, Mom.” I trudged over to her chair and leaned down to hug her. Then I kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too. Now kiss your father.”

  Dad and I shot matching grimaces in her direction.

  “Well, at least give him a hug,” she amended.

  Dad and I hugged, though our hug was much less committed than the one Mom and I had shared. “Glad you came, Dad. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to take off from work.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this night for the world,” he said, and inexplicably, tears glistened in his eyes.

  “Well, it’s just a dinner, really. We could do that anytime, but I’m glad you could make it just the same. It wasn’t easy getting it scheduled so that most everyone could make it.”

  I looked around the table at all of the people that made up our inner circle these days. Mom, Dad, Paul, Jennifer, Chase, Steve, Vanessa, Jason, Braden, Trey, Layla, Cameron, Marco, Enzo, and Dr. Key. Aaron had called and said he was going to be late, so we should proceed without him.

  As if we wouldn’t have anyway. I was still angry with him for involving Kage in such dangerous business and trying to force him to break up with me. But he had come through for us in the end, and now Kage and I were free of all of the illegal shitstorm Santori had left us in.

  “Are we gonna get to meet some other fighters while we’re out here?” Braden called across the table to Kage.

  “Yeah,” Paul chimed in. “Can we see a fight or get some autographs?”

  “Jason is a fighter,” Kage said, pointing a few seats down to where Jason and Vanessa sat flirting with each other.

  Jason raised his hand. “That’s me.”

  “He just a contract with the UFC,” Kage added, and a chorus of congratulations rang out around the table.

  I couldn’t help but notice Steve did not join in. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow Steve had ended up seated straight across from Jason, and I was pretty sure he was going to have a crick in his neck from trying to keep his gaze averted all night.

  I’d been trying to make peace with Anthony Rodriguez ever since the fight and had invited him to join us, but he was still angry at Kage. I couldn’t blame him, really. Thanks to my boyfriend, he now had a scar on his face. It wasn’t disfiguring or anything, but for a guy whose fighter name was Pretty Boy, that had to be a tough pill to swallow.

  After a dinner of the most heavenly seafood and steak I’d ever put in my mouth, we all sat sipping martinis and chatting, and I couldn’t help sending a silent thank you up to the powers that be. Kage and I had been through a lot, and many of those things would be with us for the rest of our lives. But we were happy. Truly happy.

  I called for the waitress to order another Appletini, but Kage put a hand on my knee and leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Hold off on that, babe. The night is just getting started, and I want to take everyone to a club.”

  “I don’t know if that will be my parents’ scene,” I said.

  Kage glanced down the table toward my parents and caught my dad’s eye. The old man raised his glass in salute, a huge smile on his face. “I think your dad will go anywhere we take him at this point.”

  I laughed, then sobered. “But what about Paul? There isn’t a club in town that will let him in.”

  “Shit. I hadn’t considered that.” Kage thought for a moment. “There’s a place down the block he can get in. It’s kind of a touristy place, but I think everyone will enjoy it.”

  “Ugh. Touristy,” I said. Because I was a local now, and all that shit was just beneath me. “We could just go back to the Alcazar. I know the owner. He’d probably let Paul sit in the casino while the rest of us drink.”

  Kage shot me a glare. “That’s illegal, Jamie.”

  “Fine,” I huffed.

  Just then, Aaron finally showed. He walked straight up to Kage and whispered in his ear. Then Kage leaned over to me and said, “Aaron needs to talk to me about something. We’re just going to step outside.” He glanced at his phone. “We have to leave in five minutes, though.”

  “Oh, hell no,” I said, pushing back from the table. “No more espionage for you two. Complete transparency, remember? I’m coming with you.”

  Aaron shrugged. “I got no problem with it.”

  Kage wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, smiling down at me. “You know I would tell you everything anyway. It’s probably about the case. I just thought you’d want to stay here with your family.”

  “Nope,” I said, holding my ground. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “Suit yourself, babe.” He chuckled and followed Aaron out of the dining room, his arm still slung around my shoulders.

  Once we got to the restaurant foyer, Aaron turned to Kage. “I wanted to do this in private, but then I knew I had to do to do it tonight, so forgive me for the timing.”

  Kage frowned. “Spit it out. We’re on a tight schedule, and I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”

  “It’s not bullshit, Kage. It’s important.” Aaron opened the door to the restaurant and motioned for someone to come in.

  When the man stepped through the door, I nearly fainted from shock.

  Santori?

  It was him, only older and more haggard, and sort of frail. A beard covered the lower part of his face, which had always been clean-shaven before, and he wore an ill-fitting suit.

  Had he survived the fall and been living in protective custody all this time? Hiding out somewhere until all of the mess with Theo had passed? Was he going to testify against Theo?

  And then it occurred to me that I had been the one to flip Santori over the railing, and I took a fearful step back.

  But Kage stumbled forward and threw his arms around the man’s frame, crushing him to his body so hard I thought bones would snap. A horrible sound came out of Kage’s throat. A violent, hitching cry that instantly brought tears to my own eyes.

  “Daddy,” he said. “Daddy.”

  “Found this guy messing around outside your hotel,” Aaron said as if trying to lighten the mood. “I thought he was one of Theo’s guys spying on you, but then when I got a good look at him. Well, you can see the resemblance. I put two and two together and figured out who he was.”

  “You were the man who was watching me,” Kage said through tears. “The one in the hood.”

 

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