Page 268 of Fury
“Elsa,” she replied.
She sat next to Elsa, clasped her hand. “Now, we’re family.”
Elsa patted her hand. “You’ve been mine since the moment God brought you to me.”
“Welcome to the fam,” Luciano said but his gaze was focused on the shoreline beyond her.
Slash glanced over her shoulder at the banks of the river. A shock of adrenaline charged through her.
Someone was watching them, their face hidden behind high-powered binoculars.
“Are they watching you or me?” Slash asked Luciano.
“Me,” he replied matter-of-factly. “She’s watching me.”
Nine Months Later, Early July
Slash
Saturday afternoon,Carrera parked at the curb in Old Town, Alexandria, cut the engine. “The house looks great.”
“Different enough that I can let it go,” Elsa said.
Slash exited the SUV, opened the back door for Elsa, and helped her out. Together, they walked toward Elsa’s home, the For Sale sign staked in her front yard.
“Are you two absolutely sure?” Elsa asked. “Because I don’t want to sell this, then find out you don’t want me living?—”
Slash put her arm around Elsa. “Why would you ever move back in here when we’re having so much fun together?”
“You’d lose access to our home office,” Carrera added.
“Who would help me solve my cases?” Slash asked.
Elsa smiled. “Okay, that was the last time I bring it up.” She keyed open the front door, and they stepped inside. The smell of fresh paint filled the air. The gleam from the new hardwood had them removing their shoes.
“The contractor did a great job,” Carrera said.
In silence, they walked through Elsa’s empty home the final time before the open house later that afternoon. It looked phenomenal, but it wasn’t Elsa’s home. Not anymore. Elsa’s home was with her and Carrera.
As they meandered through, it became clear to Elsa now too. After finishing the final walk-through, they locked up, and left.
Next stop, Jericho and Liv’s adoption party for Owen and Layla.
“I forgot my gift,” Elsa said.
“They’re all in the back,” Slash said. “Yours too.”
Slash had bought several toys for all three of Liv and Jericho’s children, and she couldn’t wait to spend the afternoon with everyone. Owen and Layla had adjusted well, but the one who loved having siblings the most had been their biological son, Liam.
Slash loved being around the little ones, but she wasn’t ready to talk babies with Carrera yet. As of late, she’d been training hard for a mission in Turkey, and she was eager to head over there, rescue the group of American hostages, and get the hell out.
“I heard from the D.A. about Karen Woodside’s trial,” Slash said. “I’m meeting with her team next week.”
“When’s the trail start?”
“Not for a while, but they’re ready to start prepping their witnesses,” she replied.
He clasped her hand, kissed her skin. “You’ll do great.”
