I stared in disbelief as his car was consumed by the water. Could this truly be the end? Was my nightmare finally over?

After a few minutes, Cruz arrived at the scene. “What happened?” he asked.

“He tried to avoid us and crashed into the railings, and now he’s at the bottom of the channel.”

“Do you think there’s a chance that he could’ve gotten away?” Lauren asked, clinging to my arm. “I mean… people survive this kind of thing, don’t they?”

“If he does, he won’t get very far. Our men are already posted along the coastline. He won’t get through them. Not this time.”

“Did you figure out how he got through them last time?” I asked.

“He was bribing them. A lot of people will do anything for money. You think you know a man, and then, they double-cross you.” He shook his head. “They’ll all be terminated by the end of the day.”

I nodded. Everything was slowly coming together.

“Is it over, then?” Lauren breathed.

“Yes.” I turned toward her, cupping her face in my hands. “It’s all over. He’ll never hurt you again. I will never let anyone hurt you ever again.” Slowly, I leaned down and kissed her soft, pink lips. My arms wrapped around her torso, pulling her close. I never wanted to let her go.

She tangled her fingers into my hair, tugging on it as the kiss intensified.

Behind us, Cruz cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll just get going. I’ll expect the company car back in the garage by Monday. I’ll get Ned to order you a new one.”

“Thanks. Oh, and tell Ned that I owe him one. I thought he would turn out to be some dumb intern, but he seems to be pretty useful, even if he doesn’t know how to shoot a gun.”

“I heard you tried to give him orders.”

“I did, but I don’t think he followed them. It was probably for the best. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do this without him.”

“He’s a good kid,” Cruz agreed. “And we’re getting too old for this crap.”

I laughed. “Maybe, maybe.”

“Where’s Frankie?” Lauren asked, stepping forward. “I want to see my son.”

“Oh, right. He’s with Amelia. Why don’t you two hitch a ride back to my place for dinner? I’ll have someone pick up the company car.”

I shrugged. “Sure, why not? I caught the bad guy. I might as well enjoy some of Amelia’s cooking since I’m going to have to suffer through the torture of Lauren’s for the rest of my life.”

“Hey! My cooking isn’t that bad!”

“Gina fed your tuna casserole to the plant…”

“What? She told me she loved my casserole.”

“I can show you when we get home.” I chuckled.

“Was it really that bad?”

“Don’t worry about it, love. I’ll get used to it.” I kissed the top of her head before guiding her into the car. “I’m sure you’ll make a fine cook one day.”

She pouted a bit but nonetheless got in the backseat with me.

As soon as we were on the road, she rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. I held her close, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb.

“Do you think it’s all over?” I asked Cruz.

“You saw the car sink. Do you really think he could’ve gotten out of that alive?”

“No, but I still can’t shake the feeling that he’s going to come back and haunt me. I feel like there’s something more I need to do to ensure my family’s safety.”

“You’re doing all you can. You live a life of danger by working for VanGuard. That’s just the way it is. People will try to take their revenge, and it’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Maybe I should think about retiring… focus on raising Frankie.”

“I can’t let you do that. You’re the best man I’ve got when it comes to security. If you were to resign, everything would go to hell.”

“But you have Ned now. He can take over the bulk of my responsibilities.”

“Don’t be daft. He’s a smart kid, but he’s not a genius – not yet anyway.”

“I’m not a genius,” I protested.

“You’re just modest. We need you, Franklin.”

I bit the inside of my lip, thinking about my options. I knew it was something I needed to mull over.

“What’s for dinner, anyway?” I asked, trying to fill the silence.

“I have no idea.”

“I hope it’s something good… I’m starving.”

“You and me both!”