Page 293 of Unexpected Hero

I never thought I’d see him again.

When we drive away with the tires of the van squealing, all I can think is… please don’t let this be a dream.

If he’s not really here, holding me now, I’ll finally break.

The men inside couldn’t do it. But losing James again would surely break me.

Chapter 56

Never

TOMER

She’s alive.

Not unharmed. But alive.

One thing we can heal, but not the other.

She’s alive.

I recite these thoughts like a mantra, trying to find my center and channel the calmness I’ll need to get through the night.

My team will have questions. Lettie will too. All my secrets are about to be exposed, undoubtedly changing my life in every way imaginable.

It will hurt me beyond measure.

But none of that matters because Lettie is alive.

The worries piling up in my mind weigh heavy, but I can’t sort through them now. I’m unable to formulate my exit strategy. There’s no contingency plan. I have no means to solve this without it blowing up in my face.

I’ve failed her, and so I deserve to suffer. I’ll accept it while doing everything to minimize the pain that I’ve already caused her — even if she doesn’t know it yet.

For now, all I can do is hold her close, constantly reassuring myselfthat she’s here and providing her with solace.

We found her. She’s alive.

As we pull into the parking lot at Redleg HQ, one thought cuts through the clatter in my mind above the rest.

I will kill those men.

Not send them to jail. Not plant viruses on their computer. Not have them arrested for child porn or tax fraud.

I will fucking end them.

They will never hurt another woman the way they’ve hurt mine.

No matter how long it takes. No matter how far I have to travel. No matter what it costs me. I will follow them to the ends of the earth to make them pay for what they’ve done to her.

I’ll be standing over their battered, bloodied, bruised frames as they take their last breaths. I’ll wear a smile on my face when their black hearts stop beating.

After I find the men who’ve hurt her directly, I’ll take down the entire fucking mafia. Even if I have to kill them off one at a time and it takes the rest of my life, I’ll end them.

They will never hurt her again.

Never.