Page 146 of One Last Stand

“It does. And a king. And a royal family. And it’s one of the wealthiest countries in the world.”

“Glad you’re home,” said Boo, touching London’s shoulder with hers in the back seat. “The team was a little lost without you.”

Silence, and Tillie met London’s gaze in the mirror. “I just feel better knowing that Moose has you for his copilot.”

Sweet. But the sense of all of it swelled up inside her. Home. Belonging. She could go all in on being London Brooks, no problem.

They got on the highway heading northeast, toward Moose’s place.

“Okay, so Dawson called me,” Flynn said. “The fire report came back. They’re not sure it was arson, but the gas line on your stove had been cracked, filling your house with gas.”

“I smelled gas,” Tillie said. “I couldn’t figure out where, so I went outside.”

“Through the garage?”

“Yes.”

“Because that’s where the fire ignited. Their guess is that the gas from the house seeped out and connected with the pilot light of your furnace. And since the gas from inside had escaped, it took some time to engulf the entire structure.”

“It caught fire not long after I crossed the street,” Tillie said. “Sheesh, if I had stayed inside?—”

“But you didn’t,” London said. “You can’t what-if. It’ll take your breath away. You’re here now, and safe, and all you can say is, ‘Thank You, God.’”

Tillie nodded, and London looked out the window.Thank You, God, for showing up, so many times.Prince Luka’s words returned to her. “The journey—not the ending—is the point of the story. It’s how the characters change and grow and become, right?”

Yes. And all the what-ifs thathadn’thappened were part of the twists in the story. And evidence of the hand of God with her, whether she’d been Princess Delaney, Laney Steele, or London Brooks.

“So, do you think it was an accident, or arson?” Boo asked, leaning up.

“The house was empty a long time while I was in Florida. Maybe the hose just got cold and cracked,” Tillie said.

“Or someone broke in?” This from Flynn.

Tillie’s hands whitened on the steering wheel.

“Axel told me what happened at the courthouse, with Harry Benton,” Flynn said.

“Harry Benton? Why do I know that name?” London leaned forward in her seat.

“His daughter, Grace, was the one who died in the blizzard at the Copper Mountain ski resort last spring.”

“Right. I remember now. She was attacked by the Midnight Sun Killer.”

“And left out in the cold to freeze to death,” Boo said. “Poor Oaken still has nightmares sometimes of leaving her behind.”

“The coroner said she might have been dead before they quit the search,” Tillie said. “It’s the reason why the lawsuit was dismissed.”

“But Benton believes differently. And that’s why he threatened Moose,” said Flynn. “At least, according to Axel.”

“Oh, the man—and Grace’s fiancé—definitely threatened him. Told him that someday he’d watch the people he loved die.”

Wow, London had been out of the loop while chasing her shadow. Through the rearview mirror, she saw Tillie’s mouth tighten.

“I’m so tired of unhinged, angry people taking out their pain on others,” Tillie said quietly.

London nodded, along with Boo.

“Yeah. It got me worried,” Flynn continued. “So I did some sleuthing on Benton. He’s a contractor. And Liam Grant works for him, a mechanical engineer. They own a building company.”

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