Page 85 of Cowboy Elite 2: Mike

"I’m glad to know that. I can hardly wrap my head around everything that’s happened in the past few days. It feels...strange. Like I should still be looking over my shoulder. Like any second someone's going to appear and it'll all start again."

"That'll take time. Healing's not a straight line." Heather's voice carried the weight of experience. "Some days you'll wake up fine. Some days the fear will come back for no reason at all. That's normal."

"How long did it take you? After your ex?"

Heather's ex-husband had stalked her across state lines, had shown up at this very ranch intending to take her back by force. The Watkins family had dealt with that threat the same way they'd dealt with Russo's. With overwhelming force and absolute determination.

"Honestly? I still have days." Heather's smile was rueful. "I hear an engine that sounds like his truck and my heart rate spikes. I see a man with his build in town and I tense up. But those days get fewer. The spaces between get longer. And Lyle..." Her expression softened. "Lyle reminds me every single day that I'm safe. That I'm loved. That I get to stay."

"I don't know how to thank you," Liv said quietly. "Any of you. You could have turned me away, told me my problems were too big, too dangerous."

"That’s not our style," Heather said gently. "You ought to know that by now. Besides, we’re kind of crazy about you."

"I've never had that before." Liv's voice cracked. "My parents, they had expectations and conditions and rules. But this? Just...choosing to love someone? Choosing to stand with them even when it's hard?" She wiped at her eyes. "I didn't know that was real."

"Well, you do now." Heather squeezed her hand. "You're stuck with us, city girl. If you want to be, that is. No take-backs."

They sat in comfortable silence, watching Charlotte chase chickens in the yard, the child's laughter bright and clear in the morning air.

"Mike's in love with you," Heather said carefully. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Liv smiled despite her tears. "I know."

"You love him back?"

"So much it scares me."

"Good." Heather's smile was warm. "That's how you know it's real."

By mid-morning, Joe had everything arranged.

Federal attorney on video call. Court reporter. Secure encrypted connection. All the official machinery of justice grinding into motion.

Liv sat in Joe's office with Mike beside her, his hand wrapped around hers like an anchor. The attorney appeared on screen, a woman in her fifties with kind eyes and the no-nonsense demeanor of someone who'd spent decades putting bad people away.

"Ms. Langford, I'm Assistant US Attorney Rebecca Chen. I'll be prosecuting the case against Damian Russo. I know you’ve been through a lot and that you’ve already given your statement more than once, so thank you for agreeing to this deposition."

"Thank you for..." Liv trailed off. For what? For believing her? For protecting her? For making sure the man who'd haunted her nightmares would never hurt anyone again?

Attorney Chen seemed to understand. "You're very brave. What you witnessed, what you've endured, the courage it took to come forward. That matters."

For the next hour, Liv gave her statement. Again. Factual. Clear. Unflinching. She described the catering event, the VIP room, the moment she'd walked in to refresh the champagne and seen Damian Russo pull a trigger.

Her voice stayed steady, but Mike felt her hand trembling in his. She described the blood—arterial spray on marble, pooling between floor tiles, the way it had looked almost black in the low light. Described the sound the body made when it fell. The smell of gunpowder and expensive cologne.

Details she'd been carrying alone for months.

Mike wanted to stop the recording, pull her into his arms, tell them she'd given enough. But he knew better. This testimony was her weapon. The only way to make sure Russo never walked free.

So he held her hand and silently promised himself that if she’d let him, he would spend the rest of his life making sure she never had to be that alone again.

She described running. The months of fear. The decision to come to Texas. Everything.

Mike's hand never left hers.

When it was done, Attorney Chen leaned forward. "Ms. Langford, are you willing to testify in court if needed?"

"Yes. I absolutely am."