Page 142 of Finding Peace
Lincoln and Lawson both try—and fail—to cover their laughs, meanwhile Joe is fully losing it from her spot on the couch, and Jasper looks like he’s one second away from strangling his older sister.
“It wasdark,”he bites out. “And the three of them ganged up on me. I was, like, seven.”
“I know,” I coo, rising on my toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m sure they were beingsomean.”
His eyes narrow down at me. “I know you’re just placating me”—his hands slide to my waist, tugging me flush against him—“but I’ll let it slide since I missed you.”
“Oh,” I breathe, smiling up at him. “Well…thank. God.”
“You”—he points across the room at Joe—“on the other hand, better sleep with one eye open.”
Luca, Enzo, Dante, and Seb all lift their brows at him in unison.
Jasper exhales dramatically. “Oh, shut up. You know what I mean. No need to beat your chests like a bunch of gorillas.”
Jasper kisses me before letting Linc take his place. “You good?” he asks quietly.
I nod and run my hands along his tie. “I am now.”
“Good girl.” He presses a quick kiss to my lips before stepping back.
One look at the four of them standing together and I immediately notice it.
They’re relaxed.
That invisible cloud that’s been over our heads since the moment I arrivedhere is just… gone.
“Tell me,” I say, looking between all of them. My heart starts to pick up again, but this time it’s not from nerves… but anticipation. “Please tell me whatever you did worked.”
Lincoln steps forward slightly. “It’s done, Sweetheart. He’s in federal custody. With the attention and charges he’s facing, not only will those who stood behind him want nothing to do with him, but neither will the Bratva.”
“How?” I ask, my voice softer now.
Lawson reaches for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. The rough calluses of his palm scrape gently against my skin, and for some reason, the feeling washes over me—settling my racing heart. “We’ve been planning this for weeks, Abigail. That’s where the four of us have been running off to. Collecting statements from people he’s threatened, from other ranchers he’s all but forced off their land, from…” Lawson trails off slightly, like he’s deciding how much he wants to dump on me all at once.
Lincoln steps in smoothly. “From enough people to make it impossible for anyone to ignore.”
Beau nods. “Once we had that, it wasn’t just word of mouth anymore. It became a pattern. A case.”
Lawson squeezes my hand gently. “They helped us put it all together.” He nods toward Joe and her guys. “Once we had what we needed, Seb put a nice bow on it, put it on the right desks, and pointed them in the direction they needed to go. The whole thing escalated pretty quickly once they started looking in the right places.”
“And Victor?” I ask.
A look passes between them again.
Enzo answers this time though, standing from the couch. “Victor was…encouragedto cooperate.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Luca murmurs under his breath.
I glance at him, then back to Enzo. “Encouraged how?”
Dante’s voice is calm when he answers. “He was facing enough time to make him reconsider his loyalties.”
Jas scoffs. “That’s putting it nicely.”
“He flipped?”
“He did,” Lawson confirms.
