Surrender (Careless Whispers #3)(80)

“Just until the dust settles and Blake finishes up here,” he says, his hand settling possessively on my back.

“Since when are you doing Underground cleanup?” I ask Blake.

“Since it makes damn sure my clients, who I also consider friends, aren’t attached,” he explains.

Kayden’s fingers flex at my back. “Let’s get this done and get out of here.”

I nod and hurry forward, making a beeline for the kitchen, a stunning room of navy, green, and white, pausing at the table where I find three dead men posed.

“Meet Neuville’s second and third, as well as Alessandro. He’s the one with the goatee,” Kayden says.

“Something tells me Neuville’s promise to make your life hell if he died isn’t going to go so well,” I say.

“The only thing the French mob is going to be thinking about right now is saving themselves from Niccolo, and dealing with law enforcement,” he says. “The police will find these three, and Neuville, in a few hours, after receiving reports of gunfire.”

“That works,” is all I say, and that’s all the thought I give them. They’re monsters better removed from this world, and I’m here for a reason. I go to the navy-tiled island and point to the silver, rectangular light fixture running the length of it. “It should be there, on this side.”

“You can’t even reach up there,” Kayden points out.

“That was the idea,” I say. “I had to climb up to put it there.”

He reaches over the top of the light and lo and behold, he produces the necklace. I let out a sigh. “Three hundred million dollars. There it is.”

“There it is.”

He sets it on the counter and opens a drawer underneath, removing a jewelry case. “This is our little special touch to the crime scene, which I put here for safekeeping until we’re ready to leave.” He opens the box to display a second butterfly necklace. “A five-million-dollar perfect replica,” he explains. “Adriel will place it in Alessandro’s pocket. The British government is going to pick it up and put it in their protective care. We’ll keep the real necklace. Our goal was to protect the real necklace when we found it, and we completed that process today. Now, if the fake is stolen, this won’t start all over again.”

“Where will we keep it?”

“We have a private vault under the castle,” he says. “No one but me, and now you, knows about it.” He places the fake necklace back in the drawer. “Adriel will make it all come together.”

Then he picks up the real necklace. “Let’s go back home, Ella.”

“Yes. Home.”

And for the first time in perhaps my entire adult life, and in the face of such horrible events, I feel like I have a home. And that home is Kayden.



We arrive at the airport, parking in a private hangar, and I’ve never wanted time to talk to Kayden and be with him more. I want every detail about this day’s happenings, as he does from me, but even more, I just want him.

“Time to go take whatever blows Chris Merit has for me,” he says, reaching for the car door.

“This is on me, not you. And I fear that Sara now hates me, which guts me, but how can I blame her?”

He kisses me. “She won’t hate you. I promise. Let’s go prove me right.”

We leave the car and cross the pavement, and we’re at the top of the steps to the plane when he says, “Let me deal with Chris first.”

I nod and he enters, with me following, and sure enough, the two men huddle up, voices deep and a bit rough.

Sara steps into the aisle, her dress torn, her hair and makeup a mess, but the minute we make eye contact, I know I haven’t lost her. She tears up and so do I, and then we’re hugging. “I’m so sorry,” I say, cupping her head.

“Just tell me you killed him.”

“I did.” I lean back and look at her. “I shot him in the groin first. Then I killed him.”

She nods. “Good. You’re so badass! I thought you were—”

“I know, and I’ll explain everything later. Just know this: I’m sorry for the lies, but I love you. I know I’m not what I seem, but I love you. I can explain.”

Chris appears above her shoulder with no anger in his face, just relief. “Thank you for risking your life to save her,” he shocks me by saying, his hands settling on her shoulders.

“I just . . . I know I can’t be around Sara and keep her safe, but don’t shut me out completely. There are ways—”

“We’ll figure it out,” Chris says. “Right now, Kayden needs you as much as I need her.”

“Yes.” Sara and I hug again and I move down the aisle to where Kayden waits. “How bad was it?” I ask as we buckle in.

“He’s a good man,” he says. “And he knows Sara loves you, but he’s worried about her safety.”

“Of course he is.”

Kayden’s phone rings. He takes the call and manages some details on the ground, and by the time he’s done we’re taxiing onto the runway. And then we’re in the air, the ride smooth when the day has been anything but that, and a surreal feeling comes over me.

“It’s done,” I say. “It’s really done.”