“I don’t doubt for a second that if you have the chance to kill him you will do anything it takes to make that happen, Love.” He smiled. “And I will happily clean the mess up.”
“Time to get moving.” Shawn stood in the hall, arms crossed with a deep frown on his face. Heidi was at his side, a matching frown on her face as she eyed Mona.
Her gaze turned to Peirce. “I will literally murder you if she gets hurt.”
“I’ll allow it.” Pierce moved right past them, Mona tucked tight into his side.
They went out the front where a single SUV sat idling.
“It’s red.” Mona’s eyes skimmed down the side of the vehicle as he led her to the passenger’s side. “Really red.”
“There are times to hide and there are times to be seen.” He opened the door and waited while she slid into place. “You wish to be seen, correct?”
“Seems like.” Mona grabbed the belt.
Pierce caught her hand. “If you put that on, I need you to be prepared to immediately take it off, understand?”
Her gaze went to the buckle in her hand. Mona straightened a little in her seat, giving him a small nod as she pulled it across her body and clicked it into place.
The ways this day could go wrong were too many to count.
But the chance that it could go right outweighed them all.
He’d been living his life for someone else for so long.
Made every decision based on what it could provide another person.
And Amelia’s safety was worth all of it.
But now that the chance to finally live for himself was within reach, the minutes couldn’t pass fast enough.
Pierce climbed into the driver’s seat and immediately backed out of the space.
“Aren’t you going to buckle up?”
“If the need arises I will have other things to deal with, Love. When every second counts, none of them can be wasted releasing a seat belt.”
“But what if we wreck?” Mona shifted a little in her seat. “What if your head hits the windshield?”
Pierce stopped the car at the gate and turned to face her. “Do you want me to turn around? We don’t have to do this.”
Now that he’d finally warmed to the idea it felt like the only option they had, but he would abandon it for her in a heartbeat.
Mona glared at him. “No, I don’t want you to turn around.” The indignation in her voice was fantastic. She turned to face out the front. “Let’s go.” Her eyes barely slid his way. “But if that face of yours gets messed up because you’re not wearing your seatbelt—“
“You can remind me of it every day until I die.” Pierce reached out the open window to punch in the code to open the gate. “Which I intend to be many, many days away.”
He pulled through the gate and onto the road leading to headquarters. Alaskan Security sat at the back of a commercial section of Fairbanks, meaning the unlined roads around it were usually quiet and traffic-free.
Mona scanned their surroundings as he drove.
“I’m sorry you haven’t been able to see much of my home.” He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “I promise to take you anywhere you wish to go when this is over.”
“Even if that’s tomorrow?” She dipped her head as she took in the buildings lining her side of the street.
“Absolutely.” He would love nothing more than for this to all be over tomorrow.
His life finally free of the cloud that muffled out the sun for so long.
Pierce lifted their joined hands to his mouth, brushing a kiss over Mona’s skin. “Where would you like to go first?”
“Hawaii.” Her answer was immediate.
“Have you been to Hawaii?”
“No.” She pulled her eyes from the window and finally looked his way. “Have you?”
“I have not.” He rested their hands on his thigh as downtown Fairbanks came into view. “It will be one of many firsts we experience together.”
Her gaze was wary as it lingered on the side of his face. “Where are we going now?”
“That is a surprise.” He’d known immediately where he would take her. It was an easy decision, one that served their purpose of wanting to be seen, as well as offering him the chance to replace some of what she sacrificed to come here.
“As long as it’s heated.” Mona’s face scrunched up as she eyed the thermostat display. “Does that say negative twelve?”
“Hawaii does sound nice about now, doesn’t it?” He’d gotten used to