Page 85 of Beautiful Vengeance

“What sort?”

“Put me on speaker.”

“Hang on.” He hit the button so Kiyomi could hear. “Go on then.”

“Amber hasn’t slept in two days, she’s been digging up all kinds of incriminating evidence on Jane. She just called to say she’s cracked all the finances. Almost two-hundred million US dollars funneled away into offshore accounts that’s now mostly ours.

“And her bodyguards aren’t nearly as badass or loyal as she’d like to think,” she continued, “because both of the survivors agreed to a plea deal. Rycroft’s got a list of people associated with her latest venture, including people within the CIA and NSA, and a few private citizens who donated money. They’re all going down. Her network’s totally exposed. It’s going to hit the media tomorrow afternoon.”

“So…it’s over?” he said, hope swelling in his chest. He wanted this whole shite situation over and done with so Kiyomi and the others could move on with their lives. Lives of their own choosing, where they no longer had to look over their shoulders everywhere they went. And selfishly, he wanted a future with Kiyomi at his side.

“Not quite. The bitch still won’t talk. They’re transferring her in the morning, just to be on the safe side because there are rumors about random members of her cell still out there with ideas on springing her.”

“What time in the morning?” Kiyomi asked.

“Oh-four-hundred.”

“I’ll be there.”

Marcus had to bite back the argument that sprang onto his tongue. She’d been through enough. Closure or not, Kiyomi confronting Jane made all his protective instincts flare to sudden life. He ended the call with Megan and settled Kiyomi into the curve of his body again. “Well?”

She tilted her head to search his eyes. “I need to look her in the eye and show her we’ve won. It’s the only way I can ever move past this. Will you take me?”

He didn’t want to. The last thing he wanted was to put her anywhere near that bitch again, especially when she was recovering from a bullet wound he still couldn’t stop feeling guilty about. But how could he deny her this after all she’d been through at that woman’s hands?

He sighed. “Aye, all right. I’ll take you there, and as soon as she leaves, we come straight back here.” Where he wanted her to stay with him for the rest of their lives, though he wouldn’t push her any more about it tonight.

The tension in her shoulders eased visibly. “Thank you.”

He kissed her forehead. “I love you.” And that was the only reason he had agreed to this. “Now get some sleep. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“You sure about this?”

Kiyomi gave Marcus a reassuring smile, put a hand on his uninjured shoulder and went up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. Her own arm was killing her, her entire left hand and wrist swollen so much that the skin was shiny over the purple and blue bruising. “Yes. But thank you for being here.”

He didn’t like this, was still in a lot of pain even if he’d never admit it, and yet he’d gotten up long before dawn to drive her here himself so she could face her nemesis. He hated that she wanted him to wait outside for her, but he was doing that too, because she’d asked.

Marcus grunted. “I’ll wait outside in the car.”

She nodded, more in love with him than ever, but she needed to do this before she could ever feel free of the past, and he couldn’t be present—for his own good.

Unbeknownst to him, she’d had a secret phone meeting with the others shortly before leaving Laidlaw Hall. “See you in a bit.”

Rather than let her go, he wrapped his arms around her hips and carefully brought her close. His dark-chocolate eyes were stormy. He was a tightly controlled man, but there was such love and devotion inside him, and both were evident in his gaze as he stared down at her.

“I just want you safe.” His deep voice rolled over her, then he took her chin in his fingers and planted a hard, claiming kiss on her mouth.

Her heart squeezed. She kissed him back, telling him without words that she was his. And when he walked out of the building to let her do what she’d come here to do, the weight in her chest didn’t feel quite so heavy anymore.

Trinity, Amber and Megan were waiting for her outside a secure room. They all looked exhausted, and Trin’s restricted movements told Kiyomi she was in a lot of pain. Hopefully after today, they could all get on with the healing that needed to happen for them to reclaim their stolen lives.

“The others here too?” she asked.

“Waiting in the vehicle. All of us,” Trinity said. “You ready for this?”

“Yes. You’re sure about everything? She’s of no further use to us?”

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