Page 84 of Dangerous Obsession

“Shayna, why don’t you ride up front with me?” Cole tilted his head to the side.

“Shotgun!” she called out and climbed into the front seat.

“Let’s go home.” Viking set Marigold on the back seat, climbed in beside her, and lifted her onto his lap.

“Home. I like the sound of that.” Marigold’s breath was warm against his neck, and she relaxed against him.

Viking closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and slowly released it. She was safe and in his arms, exactly where she belonged.

EPILOGUE

VikingstrolleduptoMarigold, handed her a paper cup filled with punch, and took the seat next to her. The two of them had the honor of being chosen as Carter’s godparents, and they, along with all of the O’Hallerans, their significant others, and their children were gathered to celebrate Carter’s baptism.

The past few months had been a whirlwind of activity and change for both of them.

First thing he did was move into the townhouse with Marigold and Nicky. Fortunately, the owner of the pet store saw her in the parking lot and kept her until Viking and Marigold could retrieve the kitten. The little fluffball was a fighter and seemed to take the entire episode in stride.

Initially, Marigold had been worried that Viking would get tired of the forty-minute commute to the training facility, but he assured her it was worth it to be able to hold her in his arms every night.

They’d also sat through Barnum’s four-day trial. The judge that presided over his first one seemed gleeful to be presiding over his second one. Viking was so damn proud of Marigold and Shayna. They both sat there and faced that asshole unflinchingly, telling the judge everything that happened to them. The judge happily handed down a life sentence with possibility of parole in no less than twenty-five years.

Barnum still had to face a trial for the attempted murder of Brian Navarro, the protection agent he shot twice. One bullet struck the agent’s Kevlar vest; the other hit just below the vest and tore through his right side. Fortunately, no major organs were hit, and he was already back at work protecting the Houldcrofts.

Suffice to say, the possibility her ex would be paroled was extremely slim. Especially since Sebastian Houldcroft and Jeffrey Burke vowed he would never live as a free man again.

Viking had also taken her to meet his grandmother. They’d hit it off immediately, and he suspected she might like Marigold a little more than him. And he was totally fine with that.

Most recently, the team had gone to southwest Texas, to the US and Mexico border, for a quick op that lasted about a week. They’d tracked down and captured a member of the Triano cartel known for trafficking unaccompanied children across the fast-moving Rio Grande River.

Within the previous eight weeks, that one man had been responsible for the drowning deaths of six children under the age of ten, as well as one Border Patrol agent who jumped in to try to save a toddler from drowning. DHS, Department of Homeland Security, took custody of him and gave him a choice—tell them what he knew about the organization and get a life sentence in an American prison, or they would spread the rumor that hedidtalk to the feds, then send him back to the Trianos to face their own bloody, brutal brand of justice.

“Quite a day, huh?” Viking lifted her left hand and kissed her knuckles. Her engagement ring sparkled beneath the fluorescent lights.

Oh, yeah … they’d also gotten engaged.

The first night back from his grandmother’s, they’d made dinner together and opened a fancy bottle of wine. Afterward, when the kitchen was clean and the dishwasher running, they lounged on the couch with the lights off and watched the flames in the fireplace dance and crackle. He’d reached down to grab the ring box he’d stashed beneath the sofa earlier and asked her to marry him.

She’d said yes, and he couldn’t wait to make her his wife and give her his name.

“Amazing day, and I’m so glad to be sharing it with you.” She leaned in, gave him a long, deep kiss, and slowly ended it.

“You keep kissing me like that and we’ll have to leave early,” he murmured for her ears only.

Marigold raised her cup to her lips and gave him a coy smile over the brim. Yeah, she knew exactly how she affected him.

Across the room, Cole looked at him and cocked his head to the side in acome herefashion. He was near the back of the church reception hall with all five of the male O’Halleran siblings, Andi O’Halleran, and Viking’s team gathered around him.

That can’t be good.

“Quite the impressive bunch.” Marigold finished her juice. “Why don’t you go see what’s up.” She accepted his hand, and they stood. “I want to go chat with Dulce anyway.”

She was incredibly understanding about his work and how he could get called away at a moment’s notice.

“Thanks, honey.” He gave her a kiss and walked over to join the group. “What’s up?”

“Remember Lucas, the guy who loaned your team the helo during our op in Colombia?” said Beck O’Halleran, the oldest sibling and founder of OSI.

“The guy with the ugly shirt and smelly cigar, right?” Calliope and Lucas had done a bit of verbal sparring while they were loading gear into the helo.

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