Page 103 of My Crazy Killers
“We missed seeing you in them,” he says with a smile.
“Feel better?” Elias asks as we approach where they’re sitting around the couches.
“Much. What time is it?”
“Ten minutes until midnight,” Dex answers as I move around to sit between him and Jagger.
“So how does it work?” I ask.
“How does what work?” Dex asks.
“New Year's? Do we count down out loud, then shout Happy New Year, drink champagne, and sing that song?”
“Sort of, but there is an important part you're missing,” Dex answers.
“What’s that?”
“After you say Happy New Year, you’re supposed to kiss. It’s tradition.”
I glance around at the five men watching me. “How is that supposed to work? There are five of you.”
“You’ll just have to make sure you kiss each of us then,” he replies as if it’s that simple, and I guess it is. It doesn’t matter what order I kiss them in, as long as they all get equal attention.
A yawn comes out of nowhere, telling me I’m tired, so I rest my head on Dex’s shoulder as he moves his arm around me, holding me to his side.
“So tomorrow, we’re really going back to the States?” I ask, eager to finally be done with Russia.
“Yep,” Elias says with a nod. “The FBI is sending the jet back for us, and once they confirm the list is legit, we’ll be free to go.”
“Then what?” Nobody answers, so I elaborate. “Where do we go? What do we do?”
“Whatever we want,” Sly finally answers. “Canada, Arizona, New York. We can go anywhere.”
It’s hard to wrap my head around that sort of freedom. I’ve been a prisoner my whole life, and now it’s like the world has suddenly opened up for me. All because of them.
“Thank you,” I whisper, glancing around at each of them.
“For what?” Pete asks.
“For freeing me from my prison. For showing me that there’s more to life than what I was living. For being there for me. For showing me what it’s like to actually live.”
Dex wraps his other arm around me and hugs me tight. “You still don’t see it, do you?” he asks.
“See what?”
“Everything you just said is what you’ve done for us.”
“You gave us light when we had none,” Pete explains. “You freed us from our prison.”
“You showed us what life has to offer besides vengeance,” Sly adds.
“You gave us something to live for,”Jagger signs from my side.
“We’re the lucky ones, Wren,” Elias says. “Because we have you.”
“I love you guys. I missed you so much.”
“We love you, too,” Elias says as the others nod in agreement.
