Page 118 of No Greater Love
"One crisis at a time," Sophia said gently. "We protect our own. And you and Nate and Paige? You're family now. All of you."
"The baby too," she added quietly. "That little one you're carrying is going to grow up knowing their sister, in the house where they belong. I truly believe that."
Tears were streaming down my face now, but for the first time in days, they weren't entirely tears of despair. "Thank you," I whispered. "Both of you."
"Don't thank us yet," Jack said, and I could hear movement in the background. "Wait until we see what tomorrow brings. But Tasha? Get some rest. Whatever happens, you're going to need your strength."
The line went quiet, and I stood there on the deck, staring at my phone in the darkness. It wasn't a guarantee. Jack had been careful not to promise anything. But for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt like we weren't completely alone.
Maybe that would be enough.
Maybe it would have to be.
epilogue: sophia
After I hungup with Tasha, I found Jack already at his laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard with the kind of focused intensity I recognized from his paramedic work. But this was different. This was Jack McKenzie, son of a New Zealand business dynasty, not Jack the charming Kiwi who made incredible coffee and left his socks on my bedroom floor.
"You're calling Charlotte," I said. It wasn't a question.
"Among others," he said, checking his watch. "It's 3 PM Wednesday in Auckland. Charlotte will be wrapping up her afternoon meetings."
I settled into the chair beside him, watching him navigate what looked like an encrypted messaging system I'd never seen before. "Jack, are you sure about this? I mean, what if you can't?—"
"Sophia." His voice was gentle but firm. "What did you tell me about Troy? About how you felt when he was threatening Madison?"
The memory made my chest tight. "That I'd do anything to protect her."
"Right. And what did I do?"
I thought about Troy's sudden departure from the state, the way his harassment had stopped so abruptly it was like he'd simply vanished. Jack had never told me exactly what had happened, just that "the situation was handled."
"You made him go away," I said quietly.
"I had himmadeto go away," Jack corrected. "There's a difference. And Sophia, what Tasha just described? This Sarah woman systematically trying to destroy a good man and steal his daughter? That's not just cruel. That's evil."
The laptop chimed with an incoming video call. Jack accepted it, and suddenly the screen filled with the face of Charlotte McKenzie—Jack's older sister, and the real power behind the McKenzie empire.
"Jackie," she said without preamble, her accent thicker than Jack's, her expression sharp with intelligence. "This better be important. I'm supposed to be reviewing the quarterly reports."
"It's important, Char. Family emergency. Sort of."
Charlotte's eyebrows rose. "Sort of?"
"Sophia's colleague. Good bloke, single father, being fucked over by his ex and her expensive lawyers here. They're trying to steal his kid using some very underhanded tactics. Hearing's at 9 AM local time tomorrow—that's about midnight our time tonight."
Jack quickly outlined the situation—Sarah's abandonment, the custody grab, the lawyer conflicts, the systematic sabotage of Nate's legal options.
"Bradford Kensington," Charlotte repeated when Jack mentioned the attorney's name, making notes. "And you need an American lawyer who can handle family court. On about eight hours' notice."
"I know it's asking a lot?—"
"Jackie, you remember Alex Hayes? The Sydney barrister Dad helped out of that mess with her ex?"
"The one whose husband was embezzling from her firm's trust accounts?"
"That's the one. Well, her daughter lives in Washington D.C. now. Brilliant family lawyer, handles high-stakes custody cases for politicians and diplomats. Alex calls her 'the American version of herself.'"
Charlotte's fingers were already moving over her keyboard. "Let me see... yes, here we go. Eleanor Hayes. Just made partner at Hayes, Winters & Associates last year. She owes her mother everything, and her mother owes Dad everything."
