EPILOGUE

Hot. Sweaty. Exhausted. Aching.

And elated.

Add in thrilled as the finish line came into view that hot Saturday afternoon in August, and he saw where Elle waved and cheered him on. He was overjoyed as he put one foot in front of the other, ceaselessly running until he nearly collapsed in her arms.

Nearly. But didn’t.

He finished this one the way he wanted to, and even though every muscle screamed, and his throat cried out for water, he was flying high. So high, he lifted her up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him.

“You did it!”

“I did it.”

There was no medal. There was no prize. There was no ranking. There was only this—the satisfaction of a job well done and the love of a good woman.

That was everything, and he wanted to share it with his family the next day. The crew joined him for a celebratory dinner at his house—Brent and Shannon, Ryan and Sophie, Elle and Alex, Michael and his grandparents, as well as Marcus, Rex, and Tyler. The boys seemed to travel in a pack, and Colin was glad that Marcus had such good friends—friends who were also good guys.

Marcus had more than that. He had his new family, too, and he’d been spending more time here at Colin’s house, crashing from time to time at night when he had class the next morning, since his school was nearby. But he hadn’t been himself for the last few weeks. Not since they’d visited their mom in Hawthorne. He’d seemed remote, nervous even, spending more time clutching his phone as if he were waiting for a dreaded call to arrive.

Colin had asked a few times about his mood, and if he wanted to talk. Marcus always shook his head and said no. Colin tried again that evening after everyone left and the two of them were straightening up in the kitchen.

“What’s going on? College harder than you thought?”

“No. It’s fine,” Marcus said as he loaded a plate in the dishwasher.

“Is it work?”

His phone rang. With the speed of a cheetah, Marcus whipped his cell from his back pocket. He glanced at the screen and answered immediately. Colin didn’t even see the name or the number.

“Hey.”

A pause. Colin tried to tune in to the conversation, though he knew he shouldn’t. Still, he was damn curious, especially since the caller sounded a hell of a lot like Detective John Winston.

“Holy shit. That’s fucking amazing,” Marcus said, and the sullenness vanished. It was replaced by something that looked and sounded like jubilation. Marcus ran a hand through his hair and exhaled like he’d been holding ten thousand breaths. “Tonight? You arrested him tonight?”

Colin straightened, set down the dishtowel, and mouthed who? Anticipation barreled through him as he zeroed in on Marcus.

“Yes. I can talk. I’m at Colin’s house.” Marcus covered the phone and said, “Can John come over?”

“Um. Yeah. Obviously,” he said, then made a rolling gesture with his hands. Hurry up and tell me.

When Marcus hung up, Colin parked his hands on his hips. “What’s going on? Who was arrested?”

“Kenny Nelson.”

Colin punched the air. “Yes. Fuck yes!”

“The cops have him in custody now,” Marcus added, and he’d become the very embodiment of relief. Then his expression shifted once more. “But it’s not over. T.J. Nelson is still at large.”

“They’ll find him, too,” Colin said as excitement consumed him. This was huge. This was a big break, and he couldn’t wait to tell his brothers and sister and grandmother…

Wait.

“Why did John call you? Why is he coming over here?” Colin asked, curiosity taking over. Something didn’t add up. Some piece was missing.

The sullen Marcus briefly resurfaced, but he let go of it in seconds, pushing past it. “I’ve been helping the detective for two weeks now. Helping him with the case.”

“How?”

Marcus squeezed his eyes shut then opened them. “My father.”

Colin tensed all over. “What about him?”

“He was involved.”

His jaw dropped. His blood chilled. “How? How was he involved?”

Marcus swallowed then words rained forth. “There are things I know about my dad. He is a piano teacher. But he’s much more. So are the Royal Sinners. They’re a street gang, but they’re powerful. They have friends in high places. And my dad is one of them. He’s so far inside that hardly anyone knows who he really is, or that he’s starting to lose control of some of his men. Like Kenny and T.J.”

“Your dad works with them?”

“My father is the head of the Royal Sinners.”

THE END

Stay tuned for the final novel in the Sinful Nights series—SINFUL LOVE! Michael Sloan’s love story will take your breath away in the stunning conclusion to the Sloan family saga!

Want to be the first to hear about new releases, pre-orders and newsletter only special deals? Then, . It’s fun!