Page 132 of Demanding Mob Boss

"You never, ever, ever will. I am yours and you are mine."

"The vows we made with our bodies."

"Yes. But I want those vows public for everyone to hear and I'm not sexing you up on the conference table. No one gets to see your delicious curves but me. That means a wedding."

"Your mom is going to be over the moon."

"We'll give her three months to plan whatever she wants, but I'm not waiting a day longer to change your name to Doyle."

"What if I want to keep my last name?"

"What if you do?" he asks right back.

And I grin. "Then I would. But I don't. I want to be a Doyle. I think I was born to be part of the Doyle & Byrne mob."

"You were born to be mine. Whatever heart there is within me loves you, Anna Lake, soon to be Doyle."

We spend the rest of the night showing that love with our bodies.

But he whispers the words again in my ear as we finally relax for sleep. And I let them burrow deeply into my heart.

He is my person and I am his and we are never going to let each other go.

Epilogue:Retribution

CIAN

The Colombia mission was a success and so was my plan for Grieves. He and Samuels are under investigation by Internal Affairs with more and more details of their dirty deeds being leaked out. No one is surprised when he disappears.

They think he ran. I know better.

The week after I deal with Grieves, I break into Samuels's apartment and wait for her. She's at dinner with friends who are still supporting her, but won't once all the details of her crimes come to light. She didn't just victimize people she and Grieves arrested or took in for questioning. She sold her fellow cops out for quick cash.

More than one investigation got derailed because of her, but worse, her fellow cops were injured and one died because of the information she sold.

She turns on a lamp in the living room after coming inside and jumps back with a shriek when she realizes I'm there.

Lifting my gun, I point it at her. "Hands where I can see them."

She stops grappling for her off-duty piece in the holster on her ankle and straightens up, her hands to her side, palms out and open. "Mr. Doyle. I know who you are, but I don't know why you are here."

"Your partner left you holding the bag." I know Grieves is dead after days of torture, because I killed him.

No one will ever find his body though. His ashes are dumped in the sewer drains with the rest of the shit, just where he belongs.

"He'll be back." She doesn't believe that. Her eyes tell the truth. Helpless fury at being left to face the consequences of their shared criminality.

And Samuels doesn't even know Grievescan'tcome back. Just like everyone else, she believes he ran. No honor among corrupt cops, I guess.

"It's too bad he won't be here to go to prison for his crimes, but you are. You will."

"I won't go to prison," she scoffs. "They'll fire me, but criminal charges won't be filed. It would leave the city too vulnerable to lawsuits."

"You'll go to prison. You think the assaults on your victims are the only crimes my people handed over to your IA?"

Her face leaches of color. She knows there is plenty to send her to prison for that won't risk a rash of lawsuits for the city. "What's it to you what I did? You're a goddamn mob boss. Don't tell me upholding the law means anything to you."

The law? Not so much. Honor? Yes.

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