And he closed his eyes, resting for a moment.
Because he was home.
EPILOGUE
Elijah got the call just as Violet arrived back at the apartment. She’d been out helping the latest batch of women rescued from an underground brothel down in the south, near New Orleans. Another link in Fitzgerald’s filthy chain broken.
Turned out Violet was good with the victims, gaining their trust and helping them adjust to freedom again. But then, as he’d found out in the past month or so, she was good at a lot of different things. Helping take down bad guys was just one of her skills.
She raised a brow at him as Zac Rutherford’s voice spoke down the other end of the line. Only a few, cryptic words.
“We’re going to send someone to get him, Hunt. A contact of mine who’s managed to infiltrate his organization.”
Elijah smiled at her then turned away, so she wouldn’t see the darkness he knew had entered into his eyes. Because he understood exactly who Rutherford was talking about. “I didn’t agree to this,” he said curtly.
“Your agreement was not required. This is a courtesy call only.”
“And if I want to stop you?”
“You’re welcome to try, but I don’t advise it.”
The line abruptly went dead as Rutherford cut the call.
Elijah cursed silently.
So, they were going to move against Jericho. He’d been kind of expecting it for weeks, but he hadn’t been sure when it was going to happen or how they were going to do it. And a large part of him had been debating whether or not he’d actually try to stop them.
Weird that he should want to save the man he’d been so desperate to kill.
But then that’s what love does to a man, isn’t it?
He stared at the blank screen of his phone for a moment. Love. Holy Christ.
“Hey.” Warm arms slid around his waist, soft, feminine heat at his back. “Who was that?”
He turned, his heart beating faster, his cock ready and willing as it always was when Violet was around.
The smile turning her beautiful mouth started to fade, her brow creasing. “Something’s up, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, something’s up.” He couldn’t tell her about the Nine Circles and their plans for her brother, not yet. But he could tell her something else. Something that had been building for the past month that he hadn’t the words for. At least not until now.
He slid his hands into the short strands of her golden hair, holding her there, keeping her still. “There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
She blinked. “What? If you forgot to tell me we’re out of coffee, I may be forced to kill you.”
“No.” He smiled. It still felt strange to do that. “I forgot to tell you I love you.”
Her mouth opened, the color deepening in her cheeks, something glittering in her eyes. A diamond. A tear. And maybe she was going to say something of great importance, but he didn’t let her.
He kissed her instead.
Love. It didn’t destroy. It saved. It had saved them both.
And now it was going to save her brother.