Page 199 of Diamond Kisses

“No, not a sadist, little nightmare. I’m an Ilychist. And you, my incredible wife, are going to take my cock like a good little girl and then I’m going to make youscream.”

Epilogue One

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Ily

Six months later…

PETE AKA ‘THE GOOD GUY’:HAVE you told him yet?

I stopped making the bed in the guest room, swatting away my ponytail that’d fallen over my shoulder. I should really learn not to do two things at once. Trying to fluff the pillows while checking to see if Peter had landed ensured the jobs took twice as long.

Grinning, I typed back.

ILY AKA ‘THE NIGHTMARE’:Not yet. He’s due back any second. He’s been in a meeting with Ben, Stew, and his brother all day.

I snickered at our phone names for each other. It’d started as a joke when Henri managed to track down all of the jewels—thanks to Q keeping record of where they went home—and set up a group onWhat’s appto stay in touch.

Sometimes, we’d share a fear that resurfaced or we’d discuss a trigger that made life miserable. But over the past few months, the group had become a place of healing instead of hardship.

Rachel had had her baby and spammed the group with photos. To start with, the response was strained. Some still saw Victor in the adorable fat-cheeked baby. But as he grew and switched from scrunched up caterpillar into a smiling bright-eyed boy, no one saw Victor anymore, just Rach.

She called him Asher. Apparently, it meant happy one or blessed.

On our weekly video calls, Rachel slowly shed the past and the lines around her eyes smoothed into laughter instead of fear. Her uncle played a huge role in Asher’s life, taking him to work on the small farmlet he had, bouncing him on his hip as he fed the two horses their daily hay. She hadn’t met anyone romantically. She said she didn’t want to. But she was content and safe and happy.

Most of the jewels were.

Henri had even tracked down Faiza (she’d returned home to Abu Dhabi) and May (the cook who’d helped so much) had been reunited with her daughter in England. He’d also found Melanie and Rose—the two doctors who’d patched up our many wounds. We sent them gifts and money, worthless things after what they’d done for us. Melanie had kept me alive and one day, we’d visit as many of the jewels and friends we could to make sure they were as happy as we were.

PETE AKA ‘THE GOOD GUY’:How’s that going by the way? They still catching bad guys?

ILY AKA ‘THE NIGHTMARE’:Good! Ben and Stew finished writing the software two months ago, so the Mercer men can track every trade that flags certain keywords. They’ve already caught so many. I hate that there’s so many. But I’m glad they’re getting what they’re owed.

PETE AKA ‘THE GOOD GUY’:Nice of Victor to tell us how to track them down, huh?

I doubted that was his intention, but Victorhadbeen fundamental in increasing the extermination rate. Thanks to him sharing his business endeavours the night he raped me, we had insider information on how traffickers traded these days. Peter might have saved my life by stepping in front of a bullet, but Ben and Stewart? They’d been the ones to tell everyone to engage when Victor went to cut my throat.

Because of them, we’d all won that night.

Because of them, we were able to put down all the men who thought they could trade and mutilate a human being.

ILY AKA ‘THE NIGHTMARE’:I still have nightmares about those keywords we all brainstormed. Little girl’s dress. Gracie skirt. Ages instead of sizes. All that code.

PETE AKA ‘THE GOOD GUY’:Yeah, but how many has Henri ‘visited’ now? Fifteen? Twenty? Just off tracking online sales? That’s obviously not including the other thirty-four when he went a little crazy. Your fault, by the way. Poor chap thinking you’d died on him.

ILY AKA ‘THE NIGHTMARE’:Ha ha. I think it’s seventeen. And you’re right. It’s a great start to a partnership that I think will do really well. Anywho…are you in France yet? Tell me you are. I can’t wait to see you!

PETE AKA ‘THE GOOD GUY’:Jeez, calm down. You saw me last month. Having contacts with billionaires has made me accustomed to the high-roller lifestyle.I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fly coach after this private plane nonsense.

I laughed and threw the final beaded cushion onto the bed. Paavak despised throw cushions. The first thing he did when he stayed with us was shove them all on the floor and forbid me from ever putting them back.

Of course, it only made me cover the bed with so many there was literally no room for him at all.

It’s the little things.

Standing by the window, I sighed and drank in the green meadows and late summer sunshine. My fingers fluttered to my stomach and the surprise tucked deep inside.

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