Page 96 of Bulletproof Love

We load up plates of Italian food and spend the whole night talking, sharing stories and laughing at memories from the past few months. The kittens eventually finish up their witching hour zoomies and curl up in their tower, purring contentedly.

“Promise us you’ll call every day,” I tell Leon. “Even if you haven’t found anything yet.”

He nods, his brows drawing in. “Of course I will. And the second I have a lead on Bailey…”

“We’ll be there,” Jasper finishes.

“Just don’t do anything stupid until we get there,” Damon says. “That’s our job.”

Leon scoffs, and takes a sip of his drink. He looks at Blake and me, smiling. “You two better make sure they stay out of trouble. I’m trusting you.”

I squeeze Jasper’s thigh, and he chuckles, saying, “You know they will.”

Leon holds up his glass, his eyes glazed with a far away look. “I’ve got one more toast.” Jasper adds another splash to our cups and we hold them up again. “To Bailey.” He swallows hard. “We’re coming for you.”

We take our drinks quietly, each of us in our own heads, until Blake clears her throat. “Who wants dessert?”

Later, after Damon and Blake head to bed, and Leon disappears to finish packing, Jasper pulls me against his chest. His body is tense against mine, and I know he’s thinking about Bailey, about London, about all the time that’s passed. I can tell when he goes to that place in his mind. “You okay?”

“Just want to be there already.” I smell the whiskey on his breath, hear the emotion in his words. “Every day we wait…”

“Hey.” I stand on my tiptoes to look him in the eyes. “We’ll be there soon. Leon will do whatever he can, I know it, and if he finds her sooner, we’re on the first flight over.”

He nods, pressing his forehead to mine. “I know. I just miss her so much. I want to call my parents, tell them we’ve done the impossible. They’re so torn up, at this point they’ve lost hope. I don’t want to give them anything yet, not until we have her.”

“We’ll get her back. Youwillmake that call.” I pour every ounce of conviction I have into those words because I feel them in my gut.

“Thank you,” he whispers against my lips as he brushes his hand across my hair. I pull back, raising a brow in question. He goes on. “For loving me through all this craziness, for being there, for making our room feel like home even when my head’s a mess.”

He’s right, I’m loving our room now that we’ve combined our stuff and moved into the bigger space. His guitar next to my desk. Our clothes mixed in the closet. His comforter on the bed, and my pillows. Our life together growing piece by piece.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I say. “That’s what you do for the people you love.”

We get comfortable in bed, pulling the blankets over us, as Havoc and May claim their spot above our heads.

“Love you too, Trouble.”

Our life is far from normal. Police investigations linger unanswered, their questions a constant shadow. Bailey’s still out there somewhere, waiting. Ivan’s empire still needs dismantling, piece by corrupt piece. But tonight, I’m exactly where I need to be. With my family. With my man. Ready to face whatever comes next, as chaotic and unhinged as it may be.

I’ve finally found my place in the world—not just a place, but my people. And I’ll fight like hell to keep them.

With a switchblade, of course.

* * *

---