One Month Later -

Krista

“Yes, pass me the bacon-wrapped dates. Ooh, and more wine, please, Sir.”

Amelia passes me the mouthwatering, shared plate from her side of the table, and the waiter refills my wineglass with a deep red wine.

Damien’s thigh touches mine underneath the table, a small gesture but one that doesn’t go unnoticed.

After one of the most stressful months of my life, just a simple dinner is heaven.

Damien’s brown eyes flit toward me as he takes a bite of his filet mignon and washes it down with wine.

“You look so damn sexy tonight,” he whispers, running a hand over the bare shoulder exposed by my red dress. “I can’t wait until we get home tonight so I can—”

“Ahem.” Axel clears his throat loudly. “Yo Dame, when you asked Amelia and I to a date, you specifically said double date. Not come watch me and Krista be lovey dovey. Although I have to admit you two are so adorable.”

Damien winks. “Aww. Well thanks for your approval, Dad. It means a lot to me.”

“Shut up,” Axel waves Damien off. “You know what I mean. You and...what’s-her-face. Jesus, every date you looked like you were in pain. You look so calm and natural now.”

Damien beams with pride. “See what you do to me baby? You make me feel calm and natural.” Damien leans in like he’s going to kiss me, then nibbles my ear a little and whispers. “Just like I’m going to make you feel tonight. Calm and natural while you come…”

I clear my throat. “You two look good too. Although Amelia, I think you’re going to need a few more tattoos if you’re going to match Mr. Tattoo Shop.”

Amelia wiggles her eyebrows. “Who says I don’t have a hidden tattoo already?”

Damien and I lock eyes, then nod in approval.

“Well said,” Damien adds, and raises his glass. “Cheers. To tattoos and scars where know one will ever see them.”

We all clink glasses, and carefully make eye contact with one another before we drink to avoid seven years of bad sex.

It’s been a month since the final showdown with Nick, and both Damien and I are finally starting to heal mentally, from what we went through. This is the first night we’re allowing ourselves to let loose and enjoy some adult libations without fear.

Nick is long gone. Damien’s guy took care of that. He assured me.

The wine and the conversation flow and we have a couple more bottles. Axel is carrying on, telling us about one of his recent clients.

“Craziest tattoo? Oh man, I had a guy come in this week, big, burly lookin’ fella. And he wants a tattoo of the Spice Girls across his back.”

I drop my jaw. “The Spice Girls. The Spice Girls!?”

“I shit you not,” Ax says as he takes down another swig of his wine.

“So what did you do?” Amelia asks.

Axel shrugs. “Not my job to judge! I gave him a fuckin’ tattoo of the Spice Girls! And I made one of them look a little like Taylor Swift, just for kicks.”

We bust out laughing so loudly I’m pretty sure the entire restaurant is looking at us.

I laugh so hard I’m almost crying, and the release feels so great.

“I love you guys,” I say, not sure where the words come from.

“Sentimental Krista in the house!” Amelia jokes.

“No! I know I’m drunk but I’m serious. I really do.”

Amelia and Ax gradually stop laughing, and suddenly we’re all silent.

“I second that,” Axel says.

Damien nods, thoughtfully quiet.

Amelia furrows her brow. “We’re glad everything has kind of...passed over, so to speak. What happened that night at Midnight Ride though? You never told us.”

Damien and I make eye contact, a slight, knowing grin passing between us.

I shrug. “It doesn’t really matter now does it?”

Axel gives both of us the side-eye and shakes his head a little. “I have to admit I am curious. Damien’s told me everything—but he didn’t much go into detail about that night. Hey—I respect that. Everyone’s gotta have at least a few secrets. Even ones they keep hidden from their best bros.”

Damien’s blank expression transforms into a sly grin, and we exchange that knowing glance all couples give each other at some point in their relationship.

You know, the glance that says remember that time we did it in front of your ex-boyfriend as a fucked-up punishment for not letting you go, and it was the hottest thing ever?

Standard couple glances, of course.

“Alright so you’re not saying anything. Just tell me this. Where did Nick end up? I know you told the cops you haven’t seen him since he went after you, Krista. But seriously. He just...disappeared.”

All eyes fall on me, and I defer to Damien. “Honey? Do you want to tell them?”

Damien rubs his face, and the music pauses in the tapas restaurant, in between tracks.

“I shouldn’t tell you. If you’re ever interrogated, that way you won’t have to lie.”

“Holy shit!” Ax exclaims. “Now I’m even more curious about where he ended up!”

A new song comes on the restaurant speakers, a louder Frank Sinatra number.

“Alright here’s the thing. With the bullshit the cops pulled after the first kidknapping, hassling Krista and defending Nick for God-knows-why, I decided I would take matters into my own hands.”

“Vigilante justice,” Ax nods knowingly.

Amelia’s jaw is basically on the floor. “You...you did what exactly?”

Damien glances around, double checking again that no one is within earshot. He squints, and even through the haze of my buzz I can tell he’s about to get serious.

“Well,” the deep timbre of his voice reverberates through the room, and through my heart. “I called up a friend I know, Frankie the Fixer.”

Axel’s eyes widen and he chokes a little on his wine. “You called...Frankie the Fixer?”

“Who’s Frankie the Fixer?” I chime in.

Damien holds up a hand. “He’s an old friend.”

“Yeah, a shady-as-fuck old friend,” Axel adds with a laugh.

“True,” Damien nods. “And we had a shady-as-fuck situation on our hands.” He leans in. “I’m going to tell you this one time and one time only.”

Amelia and Axel hover their heads close to the middle of the table, as do I. I’m also curious what he’s going to say about that night. We swore each other to secrecy, but if there’s any two people we can let in on the deed, it’s our two best friends.

“Nick pulled a gun on me that night. He shot at me—hence my ear injury. I beat him within an inch of his life. I had to use all of my self-control not to kill him. I didn’t, though. Instead, I called Frankie and had him escort Nick out of the country for a few years to Devil’s Island.

“He...shot at you?” Amelia repeats, dumbfounded.

“Devil’s Island? You sent him to Devil’s fucking island?!” Axel runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck. He won’t make it for ten days out there.”

“What’s Devil’s island?” Amelia demands.

Damien scrubs his jaw. “Devil’s island is a tropical island in the gulf that an, ah, associate of ours owns. He keeps enemies there if he doesn’t want to kill them, and he’s not sure if they’ll be useful at some point down the road. I figured Nick would do well to spend some time there.”

I flash a knowing glance at the two of them. This was all information I already knew. Since our horrible—and eventually hottest night ever—Damien and I had been inseparable. He’d been picking me up from work every day, cooking with me, and generally we were enjoying the honeymoon phase of our sexual relationship.

“That’s crazy. So you just shipped Nick out of here…”

“On a cargo boat,” Damien adds. “That’s how Frankie does it, I’m pretty sure. Anyways, he’s not coming back here. Ever. I didn’t want the courts to get involved. Something told me Nick’s drug connections had a hold on the cops. I didn’t want to chance it.”

“You’re sure he won’t like...ever reappear? I mean how can you be so sure?” Ax asks.

“Frankie will see to it,” Damien assures. “One hundred percent.”

Damien leans back and smiles as the server walks by, seeming like he’s eavesdropping. “And that’s the way I lost my virginity!” Damien bellows in a loud, exaggerated voice and we all laugh.

“Will that be all for you? Any dessert tonight?” our waiter asks.

“No desert, just the check,” Damien nods, and the waiter walks off.

“I’ll be right back. Need to use the restroom,” I say.

When I stand up I realize I’m more buzzed than I thought. I walk slowly to the ladies’ room, use the toilet and go to wash my hands.

I stare at myself in the mirror. Do I deserve to be this happy?

Ax’s question suddenly serves up a weird feeling inside me. How do you know Nick won’t reappear?

I shake it off and head out the door, when a figure comes out from the shadows in the hallway.

Oh. My. God.

It can’t be him again.

I let out a shriek and take off running, and two steps later I feel like I’ve met a brick wall.

“Oof,” I mutter, then look up at Damien with terrified eyes.

“He’s...he’s…”

I spin around and point to an elderly man holding out towels and mints.

“I didn’t frighten ya, did I?” he says in an old man voice.

“Um, ah, no…”

“It’s okay Sir,” Damien says, then turns toward me, holding my shoulders square.

“I...thought it was Nick,” I say, my voice trembling. “Shit, you must think I’m a stupid fucking idiot.”

“Fuck no, I don’t think that baby,” he says, his voice a low growl. “I do think that I love you. And while you’re rolling with me, ain’t nobody gonna fuck with you.”

“Thanks.”

“However, someone is definitely going to love you and fuck you.”

He kisses me on the lips, sweet and tender, running his hand along the side of my dress.

“I don’t care how long it takes. Your body is already molded to me. Your mind will take longer. But I can’t wait to love you forever.”