Page 68 of Property of Max
“I love you,” I whisper, voice rough. “I’m so damn sorry I couldn’t protect her.”
She presses her palm lightly against my chest, then smacks me just hard enough to make me look at her. “You saved her,” she says, firm, no room for argument. Her eyes soften. “And I love you too.”
The knot in my chest loosens, just a little.
“I love you, too!” Bree pipes up, louder than I expect. She’s grinning, pudding smeared at the corner of her mouth, more awake than anyone should be after what she’s been through.
Then her smile falters, just for a second. “Oh. Cortez said to tell you…that he wins.” She frowns, her small voice steady. “But he didn’t, did he?Wedid. Because our family’s back together.”
The air leaves my lungs. I drop to my knees at her bedside, cupping her tiny hand in mine. She’s right. Damn it all, she’s right.
We did.
I sink down beside Bree’s bed, still holding her tiny hand in mine. Her fingers are sticky from pudding, but I don’t care. I press a kiss to them like they’re made of gold.
“You’re right, sweetheart,” I say, voice low, thick. “We did win. Because you’re here. Because we’re together. And as soon as we get back to Micah, our family will be complete.”
Her smile is soft, a little wobbly, but it’s still a smile. Lila leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder, and for one rare, fragile moment, the world feels steady. My family. My heart. Lila, Bree, and Micah. This is what I’ve been longing for.
But underneath it…is the rage. It coils in my gut, hot and sharp, no place to go. Cortez touched what was mine. He put a bullet in my daughter. He made her carry his message.
I glance at Lila, at the soft curve of her cheek against me, at Bree blinking heavy but refusing to let sleep win. My chest aches so deeply it almost buckles me. I can’t let them see the storm, but it’s there. Always there.
“I love you all,” I murmur, steadying my voice for them. “More than anything.”
Bree grins, eyes already fluttering closed. “Uncle Micah can be my brother now,” she says. “And Mama can be both of our Mamas, and you can be both of our Daddies. Because that’s how family works.”
She drifts off with those words, and I tuck the blanket higher around her, holding on to the warmth of them like a lifeline.
“I’ll be back, baby,” I tell Lila, kissing her gently. “Don’t leave our little girl. I want you both together until I get back.”
She doesn’t respond with words, but she doesn’t need to. The love in her eyes tells me all I need to know, and it warms my heart.
But as I rise, as I meet Spike’s eyes in the doorway, the warmth turns to iron.
We saved her. We cleared the door. We lived.
Now Cortez is going to learn what happens when you mess with the Iron Shadows. His days are numbered.
“Chris is in custody,” Maverick says as Spike and I step into the waiting room. “Bones took him in himself. Gave the cops everything they needed to lock his ass up. They didn’t even bother asking why it looked like he’d already been beaten.”
“Good,” I growl. “He deserves everything coming to him for what he did.”
“Cortez crossed the border back to Mexicali,” Foster says, his jaw tight, eyes burning. “But I’ve got buddies over there with eyes everywhere. I’ll find him, brothers. I won’t let you down again.”
“Again?” Spike asks.
“You didn’t let us down, man,” I tell him.
“I didn’t even know Cortez was here,” Foster snaps. “Because of that, your daughter got shot. She almost died. You all almost fucking died. Why aren’t you pissed?”
“I am,” I admit quietly. “But not at you. If it wasn’t for you, we never would’ve found her in time.”
“Only because you brought up looking at Muerte’s old spots,” he mutters.
“Listen to me,” I say, locking eyes with him. “I don’t blame you for anything. None of us do.”
It’s all I can offer. Foster has to believe the truth himself. This is a fight he’ll have to wage inside his own head, just like I had to when I thought no one wanted me here because of what I’d done.
