Page 132 of Make Them Cry
“He’syouralpha idiot,” Lark says with a smirk.
The silence that follows is warm. Comforting. I lean into it and rest my head on Juno’s shoulder.
And then the door opens.
We all bolt upright.
It’s Rae.
She looks exhausted. Her headset is still on, and there’s a coffee stain on the corner of her sleeve.
“It’s over,” she says. “Helena’s in custody.”
I gasp.
“Gage?”
“He’s fine. Dean’s team moved fast. She confessed on body cam when she realized we had her cornered. There’s enough evidence to put her away for life.”
Tears spring to my eyes again—but this time, they’re grateful ones.
Juno lets out a deep breath and smiles. “Told you. Dean always delivers.”
“Where is he?” I ask, already rising to my feet.
“Lobby,” Rae says, stepping aside.
I don’t wait.
I fly down the corridor, past the glass conference room and sleek steel walls that feel way too polished for a company that traffics in danger. I spot the double glass doors at the end of the hallway and push through them?—
And there he is.
Gage.
Standing just inside the entryway, his hoodie unzipped, hair tousled, cheeks wind-flushed. He’salive.
“River,” he breathes when he sees me.
I crash into his arms.
He catches me like he’s been waiting his whole life to hold me again.
“I was so scared,” I murmur into his neck.
“Me too, baby.” His voice is thick with emotion. “But I kept thinking of you. I had to get back to you.”
His hands cup my face, and he presses a kiss to my lips that is both soft and urgent, like he’s memorizing the taste of relief.
I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest, inhaling his scent—sandalwood, cedar, and home.
“You’re okay,” I whisper.
“I’m okay.”
“And it’s really over?”
“It’s over.”
