Page 76 of Redemption
Neither Keira nor I sleep all night. In the past, we would’ve spent these hours with our bodies locked together in passion, but not this night. We whisper in the dark, stroking our daughter’s hair, talking about what life will be like when I return.
My heart breaks and reforms a dozen times over until the light of the dawn streaks in through the tall arched windows.
“I love you,” Keira whispers for the thousandth time since the sun went down.
“I love you more than I knew it was possible to love,” I tell her.
We both know what’s coming next.
“I have to go.”
She nods ever so slightly. “I know.”
“You’re safe here. No matter what, they will keep you both safe.”
“I know that too.”
“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“I know,” she whispers once more.
I take a deep breath and release it, staring into the eyes of the woman I love as our child rests her head on the pillow between us.
“Take care of our daughter.”
“With my life.”
I lean down to press a kiss to Aurora’s forehead.
“I love you, baby girl. Daddy will be home soon.”
A light tap comes on the door. “The boat is ready.”
A tear slips down Keira’s cheek. “Go be the boogeyman and then let him die. Leave it all behind and come back to us.”
“I will.”
After one final kiss to my wife’s lips, I rise from the bed, still fully clothed from last night.
“One more thing.”
“What?” she asks with a tear tipping over her lower lid.
“I need your ring.”
Like the warrior queen she is, Keira doesn’t question. She slips it off her finger and hands it to me. “End this, for all of us.”
“I will,” I reply, closing my hand around the metal and stone. At least this way, I’m taking a piece of her with me—a piece that will help set us free. “Sleep well, my love. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you.”
And with that, I grab the bag I packed yesterday and head for the door.
It’s time for Lachlan Mount to die.
Chapter Forty
Lachlan
“Are you ready?” Marco asks as I slip out of the bedroom and close the door quietly behind me.
