Page 37 of New Year with the Cartel

I stood in the nursery, adjusting the mobile of stars and moons above the dark wooden crib for what must have been the hundredth time. The room was perfect—or almost perfect. Something still felt off about the placement of the stuffed animals on the shelf. Maybe if I moved the gray wolf to the left...

"You've been in here for three hours," Fendwyr's voice came from the doorway. Despite dismantling most of the cartel, he still moved like a predator, silent and watchful.

"The room needs to be perfect and someone else might get it wrong," I muttered, reaching for the wolf. Our son would be here in less than two months, and nothing was ready enough. "Jake said the security system for this window needs upgrading, and the paint color—"

"Is exactly what we chose last week." He crossed the room, his hand settling on my shoulder. "You're nesting, little omega. More than usual."

And I knew he was right, even though I didn't want to admit it out loud.

I leaned back against him, taking in the room. Soft blues and grays dominated the space, with touches of silver in the fixtures and furniture. The government's protection money—earned through Fendwyr's extensive information about other criminal organizations—had allowed us to create something beautiful. It was only going to get better from here on out.

"Any word from our contacts?" I asked, knowing he'd been obsessing over his own project: finding a peaceful way to deal with Rodriguez. That was almost as hard as my obsession.

"Nothing new." His hand moved to my swollen belly, where our son kicked in greeting. "The legitimate business transition is going well, though. The shipping company will be fully operational next month."

I smiled, remembering how Jake and the others had adapted surprisingly well to legitimate work. Turns out their skills in moving illegal goods translated perfectly to legal logistics.

"And the protection detail?"

"Still in place. David's team is—"

A knock interrupted us. David himself entered, holding a thick cream envelope. "This just arrived. Hand-delivered to our front gate."

Fendwyr took the envelope, his body tensing as he read. I knew that look. "Rodriguez?"

"He wants to meet. Both of us." Fendwyr's jaw clenched. "Claims he has information about our past lives, about why the necklace chose us."

"When and where?"

"Tomorrow night. The old cathedral downtown." He crumpled the letter. "But you're not going."

Here we go again."Yes, I am."

"You're eight months pregnant—"

"And your mate," I cut him off. "Your equal partner, remember? We agreed on that."

"This is different." He paced the nursery, passing the antique rocking chair we'd spent weeks searching for. "If anything happened to you or the baby..."

"Then we deal with it," I insisted. "Rodriguez specifically asked for both of us. Splitting up, not trusting each other fully—that's exactly what he wants."

David cleared his throat. "The cathedral's been abandoned for years. Easy to secure, multiple exit points. If we position our men correctly..."

"No," Fendwyr growled. "I won't risk it. The necklace isn't worth—"

"It's not just about the necklace," I moved to the window, looking out at the garden we'd planted together after leaving the compound. "It's about our past and this connection we have. Don't you want to know why we found each other? Why we keep finding each other across lifetimes?"

"Not at the cost of our family, and you're an important part of it." He gestured at the nursery, at all we'd built. "We're creating something real here, something legitimate. Our son will have opportunities we never had."

"And he'll have both his parents," I turned back to him, "because we'll face this together. As equals. The way the necklace's power is meant to work."

Fendwyr stared at me for a long moment. I could see the conflict in his eyes—the need to protect warring with the trust we'd built.

"Boss," David interjected, "we could have thirty men in position. Full coverage, no blind spots."

"Forty," Fendwyr countered, not looking away from me. "And you wear a vest."

"It won't fit unless you order a special one for me," I patted my belly with a small smile. "But I'll stay behind you, and I'lllisten if you tell me to run. Just... let me be there. Let me help end this."

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