source. We knew it was coming from the States but nothing more. I’ve had eyes on you for months—you led us to Randolph. We didn’t have solid evidence to put him away, it’s why we let things carry on. Can’t fucking believe that guy.” He squeezes my hand before looking to Cole. “Sorry about your house, mate. We knew we were getting close and no one was home. It was my decision to let that IED blow.” He looks back at me. “I took this gig to clear your name. But since Sisson and Peterson were in on it and Cole is CIA, we couldn’t risk saying anything. The upper brass at Vauxhall are going to be shaking in their loafers when this hits the news.”
“I hope they rot,” I say. It’s not a lie.
Asa walks up to us as he’s sliding his cell into one of the many pockets on his vest. “Peterson is talking. Not only is he talking, he’s singing like a jaybird. About Wendy, Randolph, the order put on Simmons. And Grady handed Gary off to the county Sheriff—he’s ready to cooperate. With all the evidence, I think your time in Pakistan has come to an end, Bella.”
He’s right. My days living in hiding are over. I’m not going back.
“She wasn’t going back anyway,” Cole expresses my thoughts as if he were in charge of my future.
I glare at him. “No, I’m not, but by my own choice.”
“Hey.” Devon pulls at my hand and I look back down at my big brother. “This will teach them. No one fucks with a Donnelly.”
I brush the hunk of hair away that always falls to his forehead. “No. No one fucks with us. Not anymore.”
Chapter 45
Bloody
Cole
I pull my phone out of my pocket as I walk through the blackened forest. The number is unknown, but the most interesting calls I get on my work phone are. Sometimes the most exciting things begin with an unknown caller.
I’m not officially back at work yet. I’m on administrative leave until the people who police the police finalize their report. I’m good with it because I could use a fucking vacation. They told me things will be different when I return next week.
Different will be good.
It feels like an eternity, but it hasn’t even been a week since Peterson was taken into custody, Bella killed Wendy, and I took down Randolph. From what I’ve heard, Marie Kasey has left the hospital but has a long road ahead of her. Not sure how an investigative reporter moves on from blackmailing a senator.
And Ollie, a man I trusted, has been charged with so many counts of treason and terrorism, I’ve heard they had to put him in solitary. I don’t even want to think about the grave he’s dug himself.
And it’s been almost a week since we had to say goodbye to Red.
Even with all that, the world is lighter on my shoulders, though life couldn’t be more different. Bella’s name has been cleared. She has free roam of the earth, can live as she wishes, and has given the intelligence community her proper middle finger, wishing them a holiday in hell. Now, she can go or do whatever she wishes—but I’m the lucky asshole she chooses to be with.
Not sure how I ended up with the best parents, the smartest child, and the most beautiful and cunning woman, but I’m not questioning that shit. I’m fisting them in my greedy hands and never letting go.
It seems my selfish ways know no bounds because I can’t wait to see what my unknown caller might bring me. I put my phone to my ear as I make my way through the forest and vines on my way back to Whitetail where my family is waiting on me. “Carson.”
“How’s the gunshot wound?”
I pause but I don’t stop walking because the patio light is on at the enormous farmhouse, with a tall, thin silhouette waiting for me.
“Who’s this?” I ask even though I’m pretty sure I know.
He doesn’t elaborate but he does start talking. “You and your girlfriend’s mugs are everywhere, and not just the national news. You’ve made the BBC, Al Jazeera, and you’re even popping all over news outlets in Africa.”
I climb the hill, her light hair coming into view before her blue eyes. “I only have a few minutes. Why are you calling me at this time of night?”
He proves to be as weird as he was the night our paths crossed. “You’re famous and