“I’m glad we were all there,” he replied. The squealing of car tires had us spinning around—a slightly disheveled Freya and Sam stumbled from a taxicab just as Bernard was walked out of Adler’s Bookshop in handcuffs, surrounded by police officers. The look on his face as he saw us was cold, righteous fury.
“Oh… my… god,” Freya said.
“Sir?” Sam said, staring.
“Please meet Bernard Allerton,” I said wryly.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Freya wheezed.
Next to me, Sloane entwined our fingers, squeezed tightly. Peter and the guards were next, also in handcuffs. “I’m guessing you called your father?” I asked.
“He got in touch with Interpol when I told him about Julian and Birdie and whatever might be happening here,” Sam said, still staring in wonder. “He knows we think that man is Jim Dahl.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Freya repeated. Delilah hugged her from behind, the two of them watching the scene with wide-eyed wonder.
“Are you going to make the next call?” I asked.
“Do you want to?” Sam asked, taking out his phone.
I shook my head, looped my arm around Sloane, and pulled her hard into my body. “I’m good, actually.”
The five of us watched as former Special Agent Samuel Byrne dialed the Deputy Director. The second the man answered, Sam said, “We got him, sir.”
I couldn’t read the expression on Sam’s face once he hung up. “Well?”
Sam grinned, crookedly. “He said he was extremely pleased at the outcome.”
“Which is basically your father’s version of awarding you a medal of honor,” Freya said. On tiptoe, she grabbed Sam’s face and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek.
“We all have a role to play in ensuring justice is being served,” I said. “It just so happens that Codex is better at that than most.” The answering smiles of my team collided against my chest, melted the remaining ice around my heart.
“And Julian and Birdie were taken into custody with the help of whoever Sam’s dad called,” Freya said. “Once we give our statements, we can name James Patrick and Eudora as well.”
“Word is traveling fast,” Henry murmured. As Bernard stood, hands cuffed, amidst the red-and-blue lights, a large crowd of people were gathering, which was a form of punishment for Bernard in and of itself.
“It’s Society members,” Sloane said. “Someone must have alerted them. And is that—”
But Sloane didn’t finish, too busy striding off toward a sweet-looking older lady wearing a conservative sweater set.
Eudora Green.
Although the look on her face as she took in the tableau in front of her was one for the record books—shock, terror, confusion. The second she saw Sloane, she turned and tried to run.
Sloane caught her immediately, dragging her by the arm to the police officer standing in front of us.
“Eudora, how lovely to see you again,” I said, giving a small bow.
“You?” she snarled.
“It’s important to cultivate true friends in this world,” Sloane told her. “Just don’t make friends with two private detectives sent here to put people like you in prison.” She turned to the police officer. “This woman was protecting and hiding the wanted criminal right over there.”
Eudora shrieked as the officers took her away for further questioning.
Sloane winked at me as she rejoined us. I pressed my lips to her temple. “Daniel and Devon’s final act of rebellion,” I said against her skin.
I clapped my hands together. “We need to go give statements. Call who we need to call. And then I’ll be buying the most expensive bottle of champagne I can buy for the team of detectives that caught Bernard Allerton.”
In the sea of swarming officers and yelling criminals and flashing lights, I watched my team’s final reactions in slow, beautiful motion. Freya turned to Sam, jumped into his arms. He spun her around as she laughed.
Delilah held her palm to Henry’s face; he stared at her with deep, unending devotion, holding her close. Every single one of them had played a role in getting us here—from the day I’d met Henry until now.
Fingers curled against my own. Sloane’s. Her beautiful face was a shimmering mix of peaceful and ecstatic—her smile was sensational, body vibrating with happiness. I dipped my mouth to hers and kissed her. My mind spun, erupted with brightness. I pulled back but kept our lips close.
“Nice work back there,” I said.
“Thanks for trusting me,” she replied. “We did it, together. And while you were on vacation at that.”
My mouth curved into a smile. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way, believe me.” I