Page 92 of Beautiful Vengeance

“Only eight?” a male voice said behind them. “What, I don’t count?”

They turned around to see Rycroft standing there, raising an eyebrow at them.

“Yeah, you count too,” Trinity said with a grin. “You want in on this hug?”

“I would, but I don’t want Grace to get jealous.”

“What are you even doing here?’ Trinity asked. “I thought you’d be tied up in meetings for days after everything that’s happened.”

He seemed to be fighting a smile as he shook his head. “I should have been. But it seems that after this morning’s mysterious events, I’m no longer needed, and my role in the investigation has been formally terminated.”

“So you canactuallyretire now?” Kiyomi asked.

His silver eyes twinkled as he faced her. “Looks like.” Glancing around at the other Valkyries, he shook his head again, his expression fond. “I don’t know how you did it, and I’m not gonna ask.”

“Did what?” Chloe asked, all innocence and big brown eyes as she stuffed another mouthful of steak between her lips. She’d eaten as much as Heath already and showed no sign of slowing down. Her endless supply of restless energy burned a mountain of calories.

“Uh-huh,” Rycroft said, and now looked around at the men. “Just wanted to come by and wish you guys luck.” He nodded at Kiyomi and the others. “You’ll need it.”

“Dear God, don’t we know it,” Heath said, raising his beer in salute.

“You want some steak? Or maybe prawns?” Trinity asked. “We’ve got lots left.”

“Well, we did, before our human seagull swooped in to steal the leftovers,” Amber said dryly, looking at Chloe.

Chloe’s eyebrows drew together. “What? I’m hungry. I have a high metabolism.”

“Can’t stay,” Rycroft said. “I’m headed down to Heathrow so I can fly home and keep my own women out of trouble.”

“Have a beer with us at least,” Ty said, waving the bartender over.

Marcus brought Rycroft a pint of beer. His limp was more pronounced than ever but he didn’t complain about that or the healing graze in his shoulder as he leaned more heavily on his cane on the way toward them.

Joy flooded Kiyomi with warmth as he wrapped an arm around her waist. She loved that he was comfortable making such a public claim, and she was proud that he wanted her at his side.

As always, being in such a crowded place put her on alert, her protective instincts kicking in. Even with a weapon tucked against the small of her back—totally illegal here, not that she gave a shit—she was still a little on edge.

She was aware of exactly where the tables were positioned, which patrons might pose a possible threat, and where the entry and exit points were. That heightened awareness was a part of her and would take a long time to fade, if it ever did.

Not only did Rycroft stay, he wound up buying a round of beers for everyone. They did a group toast, enjoying mingled conversation and laughter. God, it felt incredible to laugh.

“So, where’s everyone off to next with all the money we earned?” Chloe asked, popping a handful of nuts into her mouth. “I’m going back to meet Heath’s relatives.”

“And then do some rock climbing,” Heath added, pulling her in close.

Eden looked up at Zack. “I want to meet Zack’s dad and stepmom. Then I don’t know what we’ll do.”

“We’ll buy a place with a huge yard for your poison garden,” Zack said, smiling down at her.

That was sweet, and fitting. Kiyomi turned to Trinity. “What about you?”

“Wedding planning. And then…” A smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. “We want to adopt.”

Kiyomi’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing! Oh, you’ll besucha good mom.” What a lucky kid.

“Hope so.” Trinity nodded toward the others down the bar. “Georgia and Bautista will go back to Miami, and Briar and Matt have a daughter waiting for them back home.” She glanced at Amber and Megan. “What about you two?”

“We’ll go to California,” Amber said. “I want to find out exactly how Jane was involved in our parents’ accident, and then we’re going to pay our respects at their graves.”

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