Page 71 of Smoldering Nights
“Yeah.A dangerous one, but a bluff.Still enough to charge him with a threat of terrorism, stalking, criminal trespass, and about five other things.”
Izzy stared down at her tea.“And Delilah?”
Mitch leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees.“This is where it gets deeper.Noah didn’t want to take the full blame.He gave up details on Delilah in exchange for leniency.Said she offered him cash and favors to help him intimidate you.Deliver fake orders.Leave notes.She knew how fixated he was, and she used it.”
“She manipulated him,” Izzy whispered, her stomach twisting.“Just like she manipulates everyone.”
“She did more than that,” Mitch said.“He admitted he helped her move product, too.Said she promised to cut him in on profits if she expanded.But when he got sloppy, started stalking you instead of keeping deliveries quiet, she cut him off.That’s when he decided to go rogue.”
Izzy swallowed hard.“And now?”
“Now, Delilah’s been arrested.Her salon’s shut down and is still an active crime scene as they go through every bit and part of it to find all they can find.They pulled evidence from her computer and the office safe.Bank transfers, burner phones, even a few small bags of product she hadn’t moved yet.But they're being thorough.She’s going down.”
Izzy set the tea on the side table and stood, pacing slowly.“So it’s really over?”
“Almost,” Mitch said, standing as well.“We have to wait for formal charges.There’s going to be a lot of legal red tape.But Noah won’t see daylight anytime soon, and Delilah’s not far behind.”
She stopped in front of the window and stared at the bright morning outside.“I don’t know what I expected.Some big...moment.Confetti falling from the ceiling.A banner saying ‘You Survived.’But instead, it just feels quiet.”
“That’s because your adrenaline’s been running full tilt for weeks,” Mitch said gently.“Now that the danger’s passed, your system’s crashing.”
She turned to face him.“I still feel like he’s out there.That any second he’s going to come through that door.”
“He won’t,” Mitch said firmly.“Not again.”
"What about Travis?Is Sadie safe?"
Mitch smiled, and she stared at his handsome face."Travis has been arrested, and Sadie is safe.Jayson just went out to the safe house to let her know.She'd likely love to speak to you."
"I want to speak to her too."
Tears welled in her eyes.She blinked them back, but one escaped anyway.He came to stand beside her and pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured into her hair.“And you’ve got this.I’ve never seen someone fight harder for what they love.”
“I want to go back,” she whispered.“Not today.But tomorrow.I want to go back to my shop and finish what I started.Rebuild everything they tried to tear down.”
Her heart felt lighter just thinking about it.She could go back to her shop and let the town know she was still in business.
He leaned back just enough to look into her eyes.“We’ll do it together.”
Her lips curved in a small, trembling smile.Her heart fluttered, and butterflies took flight in her belly.“You really want to help me?”
Mitch’s eyes darkened with resolve.“Yes, I think it’s a new beginning for Petal Pushers.Before you were catching up from the loss of your parents and keeping the shop going, and learning everything you needed to learn.Now you have a whole new beginning.”
They stood together in the quiet, the weight of the past slowly falling away.Outside, the town would wake up to the news.The whispers would start, and stories would be told.But Izzy didn’t care.For the first time in weeks, she felt free.
And she knew exactly where to go from here.
"Thank you, Mitch."She took in a deep breath."Now the big question.When do I go home?And when I say that, it scares the shit out of me to think of being there all alone at night.But it's the only home I have."
He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tightly to him.She could feel the thud of his heart and hear the shakiness of his breathing.
"What if we looked for something together, just out of town, where you can have that big garden you want?"
Her eyes flew open, and she pulled back to look into his eyes.They stared back at her with steady reassurance."Really?"
His lips curved up into the most gorgeous smile she'd seen from him."Really.I've fallen in love with you, Izzy Payton.It took me a long time to find a woman who completely and utterly intrigues me, but I found you."
