Page 162 of Renewal After Dark

“I’ve got nothing to say to you. You can talk to me through my lawyer.”

“Are you leaving?” the officer asked Eric.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Be on the next boat back to the mainland,” the officer said.

Eric got into a silver sedan that McKenzie didn’t recognize and made a cloud of dust as he reversed out of the driveway.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry for the trouble,” Duke told the officer.

“No problem. I’ll make sure he gets on the boat.”

“Thank you.”

“I’d recommend coming in to file a report so there’s a record of what transpired today, just in case there’s any more trouble.”

“We’ll do that.” Duke shook his hand. “Thanks again.”

After the officer left, Duke came up the stairs to where she stood, frozen with shock over the entire incident. He put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. He’s gone, and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay gone.”

“I… I can’t believe he came here, that he tracked my phone. I didn’t know he’d done that. I’m so sorry, Duke.”

“For what? You didn’t do anything.”

“I brought this mess to your home.”

“That’s not all you’ve brought to my home. Please don’t blame yourself for what he did.”

“I… I didn’t know he was tracking me. I don’t even know how that works.”

“I’ll show you, and we’ll make sure he can’t do that anymore.”

“That’d be good. Thankfully, Jax slept through it.”

“Everything’s okay. Take a deep breath.”

She breathed in deeply and then let it out slowly. “Thank you for what you did. I never could’ve handled him as well on my own. I’d have been too shocked to tell him off.”

“You would’ve kicked him in the balls and sent him on his way.”

She huffed out a small laugh. “I would’ve wanted to. It means everything that you stuck up for me. You didn’t even hesitate to go out there and confront him.”

“Don’t you know by now that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and Jax?”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

He put his arms around her and drew her into his embrace. “I’m here. I’ve got your back. You’ve got mine.”

“No one’s ever had my back before. Not like you do.”

“Same. Never had someone who had mine. I love you, MK. I’ll always have your back.”

“I love you, too.”

They were the biggest and yet also the simplest words she’d ever said to anyone, and as she stood in the arms of her love, she had no doubt at all that this leap of faith would turn out to be the one that made her life—and her son’s life—complete.

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