Page 151 of Exposed

King exhales so deeply, I feel the anxiety seep from him. “I appreciate that.”

“I’ll keep an eye on things and be in touch through Cole,” Ozzy adds. “You have to make this evidence legit, but I have no doubt you can. Now that I’m in their network, we’ll be one step ahead.”

King nods and turns to the men, but he keeps me close. “Goldie and I are supposed to get married at The Pink on Saturday.”

“And you didn’t invite me?” Carson asks.

King glares at him. “A fake wedding from our fake engagement. But here’s the thing. Even with all the evidence I have on Carter, we can’t take them down before Saturday. This is different. We’re not dealing in cocaine—we’re dealing with humans. If we move too soon, they’ll disappear.”

“Which means we have to carry on as if we’re getting married,” I state.

It’s not a question.

It’s a given.

King looks back down at me. “You’re not going back into The Pink. I can handle myself and get out when I need to. I’m not putting you in that situation. I’ll go crazy.”

“One hundred lives,” I remind him. “We have to save them.”

“Theyou and mepart of thatwewon’t be doing anything,” he huffs. “TheDEAwe will take care of it.”

“And me,” Cole amends.

King ignores him and focuses on me. “You’ll be tucked away in a safe place where no one can find you. We’ll work out the details later, but that part is non-negotiable.”

“We’ll see.”

“Lady balls. I love it,” Cole says.

I smile at Cole. I really like these guys. “Thank you both.”

Ozzy smirks. “No problem.”

“Hey,” King calls for me, forcing my eyes back to him. “It doesn’t matter if you have them or not. You’ll never need lady balls again. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” I can’t bite back a smile any longer and let it glow. “I don’t want to do the scary stuff anyway. I’m just so happy that none of this bothers me. The irony is not lost on me that Dex, the person I used to be frightened of, is freaking out right now. The old Goldie wouldn’t be brimming with happiness after she found out someone ordered her death. But look at me—I’m a whole new kind of sunshine.”

King sighs and claims my face to kiss me. And not like I kissed him.

He really kisses me.

“I’m just happy for everyone.” Cole claps his hands once. “Are you two going to hang around and meet the rest of the team?”

King shakes his head. “Another time. And I’ll hold you to that, because this is a team I want to know. But I got a call this morning from Dex’s assistant. There’s a money load—a big one—that’s ready for me to pick up. And now that I know Anderson Marshall is smart enough to run a network that our wires can’t penetrate, I’m not putting Goldie on a plane to have her name filed through the FAA system. We need to hit the road if we want to be home by tomorrow.”

“Another time then.” Cole looks to me. “You’ll love the vineyard.”

“The next time I’m in Virginia, I promise to visit.”

“Wewill visit,” King stresses. The man continues to prove he can make me warm and fuzzy during the darkest of moments. If he can make me feel this way after Dex ordered my murder, I can’t imagine how good a normal life with King Jennings will be.

He might just blow my mind when life is at its best. And I have no doubt I’ll experience it all with him.

“Let’s get this shit done so you lovebirds can get on with it.” The CIA officer actually beams. “Damn, I’m a sucker for love.”

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