The empty bottle of wine captured Isla’s ephemeral splendor. The moonless sky cast darkness onto the estate. All occupants had retired for the night. Jules snuggled into the plush bedding while Isla sat in the armchair staring out into the night.
The women gained another victory by Crosby’s dad signing over his shares. Isla imagined Martin and Mia fuming together in his stuffed animal lodge. It would take time to undo what Ellis had constructed, but she was patient. Too many moves too fast would raise suspicion, especially with the government.
Isla maneuvered through Dade County’s corner’s database. Nothing.
What if Reed was injured and unable to make contact? Isla shook the visual from her thoughts. Still, in her linen kimono top and jeans, she rose from the chair and paced the bedroom. Lights illuminated from beneath the door; she stopped cold. Tension lined her face. Isla sidestepped to her purse laying on the floor. She knelt and drew out her 9mm.
Jules slept while Isla tiptoed near the bed. No one was going to hurt her daughter. Shadows of footsteps halted in front of the bedroom door. Isla switched the safety off the gun and readied herself.
The knob turned.
The door crept open.
Fingers wrapped around from the other side, and a silhouette peered in from the sliver of light.
Isla lowered her gun and blew out a breath.
“Carys, what are you doing?” she asked in a loud whisper.
Carys motioned for her to come out into the hallway. Isla clicked the safety back in place and laid the gun down on the dresser and followed her, shutting the bedroom door behind her. Carys was wiping away tears. Her cheeks and neck were blotched.
“Come with me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Please, just come.”
Isla followed her down the hallway, her heart sinking with each step. Every terrible, tragic scenario played out while she watched Carys’s robe drag along the tile. The words “Reed is dead” played over and over, almost to prep her for the bad news. He shouldn’t have stayed at the house. Isla should’ve demanded he leave, that he stay with his wife. What was he to accomplish remaining in the feud of gunfire?
The hallway seemed endless. Carys said nothing, and Isla was too afraid to ask. They rounded the corner near the staircase and stopped outside the library. The door was opened. The fire flickered through the crease where the hinges fastened to the frame. Carys paused. Wary, Isla stepped to the side and peered into the floor-to-ceiling book-enclosed room.
Near the roaring fire, his back to her, a man in dark clothing tipped back a drink and placed the empty glass on top of the mantle. Was it Reed? Was it real? Was he standing before her? Carys gave her a little nudge.
She inched deeper into the room, closer to him. Almost within arms-length, Isla gasped. Reed spun around. Damp curls hung over his forehead. His lips lifted. Reed came back to me.
“Isla.”
Her heart exploded, and without a second thought, she rushed into his arms. She needed him to take away her pain, to take away her past because he was her future. Reed pressed his lips against hers. She moaned. Pure heaven. Her pulse jerked; heat spread along her prickled skin. His tongue swept against hers. Isla gripped the back of his shirt. She felt his strength as Reed pulled her tighter against him.
Not one to give in so easily, Isla did. She let go and allowed Reed to kiss and nip at her skin. His hands glided over her, and the sensation was one she’d never felt before. Isla loved, somehow she loved, and Reed was hers. The last few years of their dysfunctional marriage vanished between them.
They slowed their pace, savoring every second.
“Where have you been?” Isla asked between breaths.
“I went after Vinny. He’s not responsible. He’s not with Martin.”
“You believe him?”
“I do.”
“Did Carys tell you?”
“I saw the papers.”
Isla leaned back a bit to look into his eyes. “I killed him.”
He didn’t flinch.
He didn’t look at her with disgust.
He simply kissed the corner of her mouth. “I killed Ronan. We did it for our family.”
To justify sin was all Isla knew; she couldn’t feel guilty about it now. Joe and Ronan deserved their violent ends. Not knowing what Carys had told him of their plans, she started to fill him in, but he stopped her. Reed guided her to the leather couch. He lay down and patted the space next to him.
“We can exchange battle stories later. I just want to hold you for a bit. Is that all right?”
She nodded and lay down next to him, her head nestled into the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arm behind her. His harmonic smell of patchouli and cinnamon soaked into her as she closed her eyes.
The fire cracked and popped.
“You said you loved me. Did you mean it?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m a hundred-percent, stupid in love with you.”
His chest vibrated as he laughed. “You’re far from stupid.”
“I feel like I’ve been in a haze the past few years and neglected what was important. Maybe Carys was right. I should’ve dealt with what happened to me, but instead, I allowed it to blind me.”
“You were seventeen, alone, and pregnant. There are no words to ease the ordeal, but you sacrificed for Jules. You’re a fighter, and you love her without bias. I don’t know how many women could do that.”
“I stayed at a shelter not too far from Tampa, and I met this girl. We became fast friends. Her dad molested her from the age of five, and her mom did nothing to stop it. Didn’t even believe her. The girl killed herself in the attic of the house. How does that happen, Reed? How do so many slip through the cracks without help? I mean, the shelter put a roof over our heads, but there wasn’t any counseling or direction.”
“I don’t know.”
“It needs to change.”
“I agree.”
The hours ticked away in silence, but together they would conquer the evils of the world. Isla slid Reed’s wedding band from her finger. He lifted his hand, and Isla guided it back on to its rightful place.