It’s not the first time I’ve had to move on. Sad, because I quite like Sinclair Rothschild, but I think maybe I’ll go somewhere tropical next. I’m old and don’t really handle the cold winters, as well as I used to.”
“You didn’t answer why I’m here?”
“It all started with a young woman. I like the symmetry of it ending with one, too.” He was so blasé when he spoke of killing me. Like I was nothing more than an insect. The man really was a monster. I pulled on my restraints, almost wildly, because I didn’t want to die. I wanted the fairy tale with Kade. He continued, “You’re the common link to all those who took my life away from me. Killing you will cause the most damage.”
Rage burned through me that this man could paint himself, in any way, the victim, when he was preparing to kill me, when he had killed so many others. Shock was setting in, my body going numb because there was no way out for me. My eyes moved to Kade’s ring. How close we had come. It was in that moment that I knew how Katrina had felt, how Gregory Enzi had felt. To come so close to your dream, to taste it, to know it was there for the taking and to have it yanked away from you. I’d have quit my job, moved to Antigua with Kade. I would have spent every day of my life at his side. And now, he would have to spend every day of his without me. The tears fell freely.
Sinclair stood, he even looked sad. “I’m sorry things had to end this way. I was rather fond of you.” Joshua stepped up to me, and there was nothing going on behind his eyes, a complete void. I didn’t beg, even though I wanted to, I didn’t scream or yell. I just closed my eyes, brought up Kade’s face. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“Drop it.” My eyes flew open; Joshua spun around. I almost knocked the chair over, trying to see the owner of that voice. Sinclair turned, just as Gregory Enzi stepped into the light, and pulled the trigger. My gaze dropped with Joshua’s body. Enzi had shot him right between the eyes. My brain was struggling to catch up. A second ago, I was facing down death, and now, my savior was none other than Katrina Dent’s lover. I couldn’t lie; I was almost giddy. It was shock, but I might just live through this.
Sinclair didn’t even look at his downed henchman, so much for compassion.
“How did you find me?” Sinclair’s voice betrayed him. He was scared.
“Milton called me. All these years, you were right there. I never knew, neither did he, until two homicide detectives came to see him with a story about a young woman’s death and a link to the death of another young woman. And like me, he knew you were involved. Still didn’t know your face because you’ve changed it. And then, he saw you at the masquerade ball. A man your age feasting on sweets, almost compulsively, something you’ve always done. That was when he did a little digging and realized exactly who you were.”
Go Milton.
Gregory moved to me, worked on my restraints, keeping his gun and attention on Sinclair. It was shock, but it was a bit surreal that my rescue was at the hand of a reputed crime boss. It was poetic justice, though, that it was Gregory to bring down Jason Benjamin, because I knew exactly what he’d taken from Gregory, because Kade and I had what he and Katrina once did. He got my one hand free. I worked on my other, as he moved closer to Sinclair.
“You never should have come back here,” Gregory snarled.
“This is my home, too.”
“You didn’t have to kill her.”
“If I hadn’t, he would have sent someone to kill us both. I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice. You didn’t kill my son.” Gregory’s voice turned harsh. “You were my best friend.”
My head snapped up, and my heart ached, seeing the pain cross Gregory’s face. He’d lost his girl at the hand of his best friend?
“You shouldn’t have fallen in love with my assignment.”
I got my wrist free and retrieved Joshua’s gun. I needed a phone to call Kade and backup.
“And you should have chosen your brother over your job.”
“I’ve spent my life trying to make up for that night,” Sinclair said.
“No, you’ve spent your life doing