Magnolia sweeps out of my apartment with the same dramatic flair as when she came in. As soon as the door shuts behind her, I turn to Kane.

“Do you trust her?”

“As far as I can see her.”

His answer doesn’t fill me with relief.

“So, what do we do now?”

Kane pulls me in front of him and leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. “We go back to the warehouse.”

“We’re going to come up with a plan and go nail Giles’s ass?”

Kane presses another kiss to my head. “You make art. I dig again for anything I can find on Giles that ties him to this. I have a few contacts on the dark web who might know something. He’s been a public figure most of his life, so there are plenty of people who hate him and are willing to sell him out. I just have to find the one with the right information.”

I don’t like the sound of that, but at least he’ll be safe in the bat cave and not out setting up a sniper’s nest to take out Giles. Yet.

“And then?”

“You let me worry about that.”

“Kane . . .” My tone holds a note of warning. “I won’t live in the dark. You have to share with me so I don’t get blindsided again. That was our deal.”

He looks away before he cups my cheek. “I’ll tell you as soon as I figure out what the hell is actually going on. Magnolia could have lied. She always has her own agenda.” He pauses. “Don’t misunderstand me, though. There’s no way in hell you’re going to be part of anything that goes down. And if it happens quick, you might not know until after it’s done.”

I don’t like the sound of that. “But—”

“Sometimes it happens that way, and there’s not shit I can do. But I’ll make you one promise—I’m coming home to you no matter what. I’ve got a reason to live, and nothing will keep me from the life we’re gonna have together. Can you live with that?”

“As long as you come home to me.”

Two hours later, I’ve hammered out some of my tension on scrap metal, and I’ve had flashes of inspiration for several of the dozen pieces Valentina has asked me to create. The one I’m working on now is a much larger version of the piece I made for Harriet. I’m going to have to give her first dibs on it; otherwise, she’s going to be devastated. Hopefully, Valentina understands.

As I put my hammer back in its place, it knocks against metal pushed back to the corner of the workbench, between the wall and the toolbox.

The old army jeep I made for Kane. I pick it up and turn it in my hands.

I made it the day my entire world felt like it was shredding apart at the seams. Now, I can tell myself it was blowing up so I could rebuild it bigger and better.

Before, Kane was still mostly a mystery. Even though I was falling for him, I didn’t realize how much it was possible to love him.

Knowing that he orchestrated this whole plan with my brother, while it gutted me, showed me that there truly isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for me. He’s put himself on the line over and over—for me.

I’ve forgiven him, but I certainly haven’t given him the thanks he deserves. I wrap the jeep in my discarded sweatshirt, tuck it under my arm, and head for the elevator. Once inside, I realize I still have no idea how to get to the second floor.

I hit the Call button, and wouldn’t you know . . . Kane answers.

“You stuck, princess?”

“No. But I think it’s time I see the heart of the bat cave.”

He chuckles on the other end of the speaker. “Okay.”

The elevator starts moving a moment later, and instead of going to the third floor like it normally would, it stops on the second. When the doors open, Kane is there to move the gate and let me out.

I search the space behind him, but it’s a simple, dark gray hallway.

“This is it? I was expecting bats and maybe a waterfall.”

One of the corners of his mouth tugs up at my joke. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

He leads me down the hall and stops at the first door before opening it. “This is the gym.”

He pulls the door open, and I peek inside.

“Holy shit.” My mouth drops open as I survey the massive space filled with equipment. “I was expecting a Bowflex, and you’ve got an LA Fitness.”

Kane laughs, and I soak up the sound.

“Something like that. Come on. That’s not the part of the bat cave you really wanted to see.”

He’s right. I turn to follow him toward another door at the end of a hallway. This one has a fancy-looking keypad and what I hope is a retina scanner. Because that would complete my little mental picture I’ve been forming of his lair.

And I’m right.

Kane puts his fingers on a piece of glass and looks into the scanner before the door opens—and then my mind is blown.

“Holy. Shit. Are you kidding me right now?”

I feel like I just walked into the Pentagon, and not the room for the normal people. This is like the bunker for the joint chiefs and president. Everything looks so fancy, I’m almost scared to touch anything for fear of breaking it.

“Are you staging a nuclear strike from here? Or is that next week?”

Kane laughs again, but I’m not totally joking.

“Not exactly. More like operation Save Ransom’s Ass.”

My humor evaporates, and I’m reminded of why I sought Kane out to begin with.

“I truly can’t thank you enough for doing what you’re doing. It means more to me than you’ll ever know. This isn’t anything fancy, and nowhere near enough, but I made it for you and I want you to have it.” I hold out my sweatshirt to Kane.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Your sweatshirt?”

“Inside.”

When he unfolds the fabric and looks at the pieces of metal I’ve welded together, I wonder if he recognizes what it is. My art isn’t the kind that you can always tell exactly what I’m trying to portray, but I thought I came pretty close here.

“It’s a—”

“Willys jeep,” he says, finishing for me. “The kind they used in the army originally, right?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“You made this for me?”

“Before . . . before everything. I didn’t have time to give it to you then, but I wanted you to have it now. I truly am grateful.”

He holds the jeep in one hand and reaches for me with the other. “I didn’t do this for gratitude. I told you, I would’ve done it even if you hated me. Took me a while to realize that’s what love is supposed to be.”

“Dammit, don’t make me cry again.”

“Shh. It’ll all be over soon, princess. I promise.”

Kane sets the sculpture aside and wraps me in his arms. I breathe in his scent and cling to his strength. We stand there, holding each other for several minutes before I break the silence.

“Is Giles being involved going to make this harder for you?”

I feel Kane’s lips press a kiss to my head.

“I don’t know. It certainly doesn’t uncomplicate it. His connections could go deeper than we realize.”

That’s what I’m afraid of. “So, what then? Does it mean this will never end?”

Kane’s gaze turns flinty. “This will end. I swear it. Even if I have to take out every single person involved myself.”