Page 83 of Assassin's Game
The central stone matched her eyes to perfection—green and amber and blue. That had been the deciding factor for me. Diamonds were clear, cold, and Abby was warmth personified. The Montana sapphire winking up at her embodied that warmth perfectly, the cushion-cut stone set in silver filigree, the ring engraved with similar markings; a vintage-inspired look that spoke directly to who Abby was, who she longed to be. A solid foundation of home and love—and scarred as I was, jaded by a life that had fucked me over until I returned the favor, I couldn’t think of a greater calling than to give that to her.
I could have spent a million, easy, on the biggest, flashiest ring I could find, but something told me that wasn’t Abby. She deserved more than my money, and I’d be damned if I gave her anything less.
“Levi?”
I pulled the truck into a neighborhood grocery and parked. Steeled myself. Shifted in my seat to face her and met her eyes. Confusion stared back at me. “I love you, Abby.”
She shook her head. “Levi, you can’t—”
“I sure as fuck can,” I growled. “I can and I will, for the rest of our lives.” I found myself gripping her hands, pushing the ring closer to her chest. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned through the last two years, it’s that I don’t give a fuck what else comes. It can be heaven and it can be hell. All I know is that either way, I want to experience it with you.”
She gave me a watery smile. “You just want to warn every other guy off your girl.”
“Off my wife.”
Her laugh hiccuped in her throat. And then her eyes turned serious and the laughter fled. “I don’t want you to regret this, especially after…”
I took the ring from the box, set the box in her lap, then tipped the correct finger of her left hand up. “I will never regret this. You might”—especially the way I seemed to fuck things up—“but I won’t.” I slid the ring onto her finger. “This isn’t ‘marry me so we can have kids.’ This isn’t ‘marry me so you can run the Agozi household better than my shit brothers and me.’ This is,I need you,little bird. I sure as fuck want you. Forever.”
I tried not to think about whether or not thatforevermight end tonight when I walked into X’s compound. I would use every skill I had to come back to her. Abby had deserved this long before I’d moved her into my home and my bed; it had been me dragging my stupid ass that made it take so many months. I wasn’t waiting anymore.
“Say yes, Abby.”
She looked down at the ring, then up at me. “Yes.”
My kiss was a hard invasion, taking what I so desperately wanted. We hadn’t kissed since the baby, since our world had fallen apart, and I did my best to reassure her—I hungered for her, needed her, loved her still. When we finally parted, her face was flushed and her lips were bruised and the smile on her face held a peace I’d feared I wouldn’t see again.
I was going to make sure it stayed.
We arrived at the bunker last, and I took the time to go over the place and the stock with Remi and Titus, get the new supplies situated. I knew when the women discovered the ring—a chorus of happy cries and laughter echoed off the metal walls. I ignored Remi’s questioning frown and finished up.
Then it was time to say goodbye.
My kiss wasn’t quick this time either, and I held Abby hard against me for a long time before I could force myself away. “We’ll be back at first light,” I promised her. She clutched my shirt and nodded and made herself strong—for me, though I didn’t deserve it. I’d never deserve her. I knew it as I walked away, and thanked whatever nebulous force in the universe that had brought us together for giving me a fucking chance to have her in my bed. In my godforsaken life.
Titus and I drove back to the mansion the same way we’d driven out, separately and with much different routes. Back home we got to work with the others, refining our plan even more, laying out supplies. We ate, slept, and dressed as tension rose. The time to face our enemy had come, and every one of us was ready.
“Let’s go, Sullivan,” I said, striding into the living room at the front of the house.
Sullivan stood quietly at the window, looking out into the night. At my words, he turned, and I couldn’t help but notice the stiffness of his body. Our captive didn’t know if he’d live or die tonight.
Welcome to the club.
“I’m ready.” He approached the men from Nix’s team, shook their hands, murmured a few words like the civilized CEO he was purported to be, then made his way reluctantly to me. I’d come seconds away from killing him, so the reluctance didn’t surprise me. Didn’t change anything either. I’d promised not to shoot him in the head on the way to the compound; after that, who knew?
We walked into the foyer, where Eli and Nix waited. The two of them together…I didn’t like it. Too much change, too much I couldn’t control. But when our child had slipped from Abby’s body, I’d realized what everyone around me had been harping on forever, the single fact I finally got down deep in my head: some things you can’t control. I held the power of life and death in my hands on a daily fucking basis—and my child was still dead. Eli and Remi would build the families they wanted, not the ones I approved.
Life would go on, and I had no doubt I’d fight to control it till my very last fucking breath. That didn’t mean I could.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Eli said, clasping my hand between us as he leaned in for a hard hug.
I patted my chest where, beneath my shirt, a tiny beacon was affixed with a skin-colored tag. Undetectable. “I’ll be waiting.”
Eli nodded, his smile tight. He and Nix watched as we walked out into the middle of the night. I’d see them again soon.
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Chapter Thirty-Seven
