Page 106 of Barbed Wire Hearts

The cops swarm him, one of them slamming him into the ground despite his injuries and handcuffing him. The entire time, his eyes remain locked on me, but every so often, his gaze flickers to Naomi beside me. When I notice his interest, I step in front of her with a glare.

“Have fun in prison,” I tell him.

He gives no answer. Instead, he simply smiles as he’s jerked up and hauled toward a cop car. The rest of the living goons are gathered and handcuffed, and then it’s just us waiting in a sea of animals as they take in the bodies around us.

John comes up with a sigh. “So, which of you is going to explain what the hell happened?” Dakota steps forward and John shakes his head. “Come on, Steele. I expect I’ll need to take notes.”

We won. Lennox is going to jail. It’s over. Thank God.

William comes trailing out from under the porch carrying Fuzz by the scruff of his neck and I sink to my knees, pulling them into my arms. I hug both of them close, thankful they weren’t hurt.

This is it. No more running. There’s no more need to.

“We’re home, guys,” I tell them. “We’re finally safe.”

ChapterSixty-Four

Kate

TWO MONTHS LATER. . .

Dakota slams his phone down on the table, making us all jump.

“He got out,” he scowls. “They sent him back to New Jersey and the moment he got there, they released him on bail.”

I sigh. “Of course, they did. I’m surprised it took this long. The Crows have their talons in nearly every part of the country nowadays.”

“It was only because of John,” Wiley says. “He was on top of his game while he was here. If there’s one man you can trust to not be corrupt, it’s him.” He goes to grab his hat only to find William had flipped it upside down and nestled inside it. “Hey! I told you not to lay in there, Will! You’re gonna mess it up! I thought we had a deal!” He scoops up William and sets him to the side, much to William’s dismay. He immediately starts mewing at him in protest as Wiley puts his hat back on. “Here, I got something that’ll make you feel better,” he offers, reaching into a bag on the table. He pulls out a tiny cowboy hat and fastens it around William’s head. I gasp in surprise as William sits up proudly, happy with his new accessory.

Fuzz sits on the other side, staring at the hat in curiosity. The opossum is a good size now, and despite letting him go outside and giving him the option to leave at any time, he stays. I think the fuzzy monster likes it here.

“Look how handsome!” I exclaim, coming around the table to kiss Wiley on the lips. “They make hats for cats?”

“Well, animals,” Wiley shrugs. “It took a while to get out here. Shipping ain’t so hot.” He watches Fuzz move closer to check it out. “Maybe we need one for Fuzz, too.”

“It’s perfect,” I tell him, knowing I’ll take a million photos of William later. I turn back to Dakota. “So, do you think we have anything to worry about? You think he’ll come back?”

But before he can answer, Jimmy comes through the front door, a large bouquet in his arms. My eyes widen. Bouquets like that cost a couple hundred dollars at least.

“Who ordered flowers?” Naomi asks as she sets down a plate of biscuits on the table.

“It’s for Kate,” Jimmy declares. “Delivery driver was at the gate.”

Everyone falls silent as we stare at the bouquet Jimmy places on the table.

“Well?” Naomi says. “Aren’t you going to see who they’re from?”

I hesitate, but I eventually reach forward to pluck the card from among the flowers. It’s not just red roses either. Someone spent some time making the bouquet have a rustic feel rather than the exotic feel of some flowers. There’s even a burlap ribbon around the vase.

I flip open the card with my name scrawled on the front. I stare at the words before taking a deep breath and handing the card to Wiley. He’s the one who reads it out loud.

“Your freedom is yours, little rattlesnake. Consider all debts paid. See you soon,” he reads. “It’s signed with a little crow.”

“Like it was my debt to pay in the first place,” I scowl. “The audacity.”

Naomi raises her brows and studies the bouquet. “He has nice taste in flowers at least.”

“Throw them away. If I never have to see that man again it would be too soon.”

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