Page 34 of His Forever

Murphy scratched his chin, still eyeing the screen. “So what’s the plan if she figures out this is bullshit?”

I met his gaze, steady and calm. “She won’t.”

Sig nodded in agreement. “The technology is flawless. She’ll have no reason to suspect a thing. Once we have her convinced Guy’s still in control, we set things in motion. I doubt it will take much for her to spill all the beans on who she’s got working for her. Once we get that, we tell her to head to Wyndemere to take out the Banachis to show she can be trusted, and then we take her out before she knows what hit her.”

“And then it’s over,” Leo added quietly, his eyes meeting mine.

No more Candace. No more threats. And for Leo, no more distance between us.

But we had to wait.

Candace was desperate. She had come running faster than expected, and that made her dangerous. One wrong move, one misstep, and this could all go sideways. I couldn’t afford to let my feelings for Leo distract me now. There would be time for that later.

But as I looked at him, the hunger in his eyes matching my own, I knew that once this was over, nothing would stop us. Not this time.

For now, though, Candace was still out there, thinking she was talking to Guy, but he had really been dead for two years. And she was walking right into our trap.

“Let’s finish this,” I said, my voice steady, eyes locked on Leo.

We were so close. Just one more move, and then we could finally have what we both wanted.

Leo nodded, his jaw tight with determination. “Agreed. Time to end this.”

I looked around the room at my men who had helped me keep this empire together—who had trusted me when it mattered most. They had all thought it was a bad idea to bring Leo into this, but it was what I wanted.

For so many years, I had done whatever someone else wanted from me.

That wasn’t going to happen anymore.

I had the power of Guy Maranga, and I was finally going to use it how I wanted.

And then I could focus on my future. With Leo.

Chapter Fourteen

Leo

Everyone had cleared out of my office, leaving just me and Apollo. I leaned back in my chair, watching him settle into one of the large seats in front of my desk. He had that look on his face—the one where I could tell his mind was working overtime. He wasn’t the kind of guy who hesitated often, but something about this whole thing with Candace had him on edge.

“You really think this is going to work?” Apollo finally asked, his gaze fixed on me.

I shrugged, leaning back a little further. “We’re closer to her than we’ve ever been since we figured out Candace was the one behind all of this.”

Apollo nodded slowly. “Not wrong about that.”

I studied his expression. He was usually all-in, with no hesitation when it came to making moves, but something had him holding back. “What’s got you hesitating?” I asked.

Apollo shrugged, his hands clasped together in front of him. “It’s all just happening pretty fucking fast. I never thought in a million years Brynn would be at the center of us taking Candace down. Hell, I didn’t even think we’d see her again, let alone have her staying here at Wyndemere.”

“Yeah, but you know as well as I do that sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you just have to swing.”

I never thought any of this would happen, either. Brynn had been a ghost from my past, a part of my life I never expected to cross paths with again. But here she was, right in the thick of things.

“A week ago,” I continued, “I was resigned to the fact that Brynn had her life in South Carolina, and I was never going to be a part of it again. Ever.”

Apollo raised a brow. “And now?”

I shook my head. “I was wrong.”

---