he cleared away the dirt with his hands, and when he found a bottom edge, he worked his fingers beneath it.
His heart raced as he worked the rusted metal box free and set it on the grass beside the grave.
No lock, of course. Hector wouldn’t have bothered.
“What do you think is in it?” Hope asked.
“Only one way to find out.” He hesitated a moment or two before he flipped the latch. It was weird, but it somehow felt like an invasion of Hector’s privacy. Then again, his late friend had used his last words to send Wade here, and now that he’d come all this way, he might as well find out why Hector considered it so damn important.
The lid opened with a creak of protest, and the very first thing Wade saw was a white envelope with his name written on it in Hector’s choppy block script. It hit him like a brick between the eyes as Hector’s last words echoed in his mind.
“Go to All Souls and look for Joseph Scuderi. He’ll be able to help my girls. Tell them I love them.”
“He planned for you to find this,” Hope said, her eyes impossible to read behind the dark sunglasses she wore.
Emotion formed a knot in Wade’s throat. He still hadn’t found a way to forgive Hector. Wasn’t sure he ever would. But Hector’s daughters were a whole different matter. Jazmin and Lucia weren’t to blame for the sins of their father. He loved those girls as he loved his own nieces; he’d come to this graveyard for them.
With unsteady hands, Wade tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter inside.
Hello partner,
If you’re reading this, I’m dead. Hopefully nothing too gruesome, but you never know in this line of work.
Please make sure my girls get what’s inside the other envelope. They’re everything to me, and my soul will rest a lot easier knowing they’ll be taken care of when I’m gone.
While I’m at it, keep an eye on Val, will you? We may not be married any longer, but I never stopped loving her. You can tell her that if you want. If not, no big deal. I’m pretty sure she knows.
And yeah, this is the part where I get mushy. You’ve always been a good friend, Wade, even when I didn’t deserve it, which was a lot. One day I hope you’ll forgive me for the things I’ve done, but I understand if you don’t. I probably wouldn’t forgive you if our positions were reversed. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, consider yourself lucky.
I hope you find happiness. God knows you deserve it.
Take care, my friend,
Hector
Wade’s eyes burned, and he blinked a few times to push back the rush of emotions. He felt the light touch of a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced to his right to find Hope watching him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” That was a lie, but it wasn’t as if she could do anything to fix it.
On the heels of a heavy exhale, he tore open the other envelope. Inside were legal documents: a copy of Hector’s will, power of attorney, and a trust agreement that listed five million dollars in assets and his daughters as the beneficiaries.
By all appearances, Hector had never spent a dime of the money he’d received from Roberto Aranza. Instead, he’d placed it all in a trust to benefit his children. In a way, that made Wade feel a bit better, and though he still wasn’t ready to forgive, it nudged him closer.
He handed the papers to Hope, and she quickly skimmed them over.
“Should we bring these to Hector’s family?” she asked.
“No, not yet. Whitey still has them in protective custody.” At this point, it was a precautionary move, to make sure nobody from Aranza’s cartel intended to do them harm. Needless to say, the news of Hector’s death had devastated Val and the girls. Sooner or later, Wade would have to tell Val what happened. Just thinking about it filled him with dread. He’d cross that bridge when he finally reached it, but it wasn’t happening today.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he stuffed everything back into the metal box and filled the hole he’d dug. As he stood, Wade brushed the dirt off his hands, and a mild pain reverberated through the parts of his leg where he’d been shot and stabbed. Luckily, there wasn’t any permanent damage, but that level of trauma was going to take some time to fully repair.
When he held out his hand, Hope laced her fingers through his, and the contact silenced the demons that lurked in the corners of his mind. These days, they were a lot quieter. Every so often, they still raised their ugly heads, but he’d gotten much better at managing them.
As they walked along the winding path leading back to their rental car, he stole a glance at Hope’s profile and marveled at the gift he’d been given. Before, he’d thought his need for revenge was the only thing worth living for. He’d been wrong, of course. He had family, friends, people who cared about him.
And now he had so much more.
He had a lover, friend, partner in crime, someone to laugh with, epic sex, great conversations, honesty, grit, humor, and loyalty, all wrapped in one sexy package. Someday soon, he hoped to add wife to that list. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve her, but he vowed to spend the rest of his life making sure she felt cherished and loved.
At the car, he placed the box in the trunk beside their bags. Then he tilted her chin up so their eyes met, and his heart skipped a beat or two. A pause, because he enjoyed prolonging the moment, and then his lips met hers—demanding, possessive, conveying the depth of his feelings for her because he lacked the words to accurately describe them.
Skin flushed, mouth wet from his kiss, she peered up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “What was that for?”
“Because I love you.” Nowadays, he rolled those three little words off his tongue every chance he got. He loved the way it sparked her eyes, just as much as he loved the sound of her saying those words right back to him.
Heart full, he closed the trunk and retrieved the keys from his jeans pocket. “We better go. Our flight leaves in a few hours.”
They’d booked a direct flight to Roanoke, Virginia, so she could finally see her uncle Evan. Barring any delays at the airport, they’d arrive in time for dinner.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Hope asked as she opened the passenger door. “Uncle Evan can be a bit overprotective. I can see him on my own if you want.”
With a snort, Wade slid behind the wheel and reached for the seat belt. “Bones, I’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten, and bludgeoned. I’m pretty sure I can handle your uncle.” Besides, he wanted to meet the man who’d raised such an incredible woman.
“All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
A teasing grin curved her lips, and he wondered what awaited him in Virginia. He wasn’t worried, though, not one bit. Whatever it was, no matter how bad, they’d deal with it.
Together.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading Beyond the Breaking Point. I hope you enjoyed it! And I hope you’re ready for more from the men and women of Six Points Tactical & Security! If you’d like to stay in touch with me and be the first to learn about new releases, you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking HERE. No spam, I promise!
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Happy Reading,
Lori
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More books by Lori Sjoberg:
Southern Alphas
Driven
Fractured
Devoted
Denied
Six Points Security
Trouble in a Tight Dress
Danger in a Dive Bar
Indecent Obsession
Can’t Hold Back
Beyond the Breaking Point
The Grave Series
Grave Intentions
Grave Destinations
Grave Vengeance
Grave Attraction