Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,68

the documents, and it took him a minute to realize what he was even looking at. When he did, his jaw dropped open.

“You’re giving us part of your land?”

“Not just any land.” Olivia smiled. “The forty acres on the back half. Where the river cuts through it.”

Mike knew exactly which piece of land she was referring to. Minus the mountains, it had a view that was pretty damn close to the spot on Lopez’s land that Juliet had loved so much.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing to say, brother.” Jake squeezed one of Mike’s shoulders. “You seemed ready to finally put down some roots.” In a not-so-subtle move, his gaze slid from Mike’s, to Juliet’s, and back to Mike’s. “We figured what better place for you to do it than close to family?”

“There’s plenty of space for a house and whatever else you to might need. Plus, you’ll be able to see your adorable baby niece anytime you want,” Olivia added as a bonus.

Mike thought of the little girl currently sleeping in the bedroom down the hall. Then he thought of another little girl. The one he’d imagined the last time he was here.

The little girl with the black hair and striking blue eyes...just like Juliet’s.

Though it wasn’t that long ago, it seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. It was amazing how much could change in just a few weeks’ time.

He’d reconnected with Juliet, and then he damn near lost her. Fuller was dead and Lopez had been arrested and had plead guilty to being an accessory in Schreiber’s death and conspiracy to commit murder.

The Federal prosecutor was able to keep Mikhail’s original testimony as admissible, and Juliet’s dad went back to prison where he belonged...without her having to testify against him. Three days after Alexandar Volkov returned to prison, Ivan Volkov was found dead in the shower by one of the prison guards.

As so often occurred with such things, no one heard anything, and no was saw anything. As far as Mike and Juliet were concerned, justice had been served.

The best part of the whole damn mess was that, in the end, Juliet still loved him The real him. They’d been living together in a rented apartment in the city ever since, and with the help of the other R.I.S.C. women, she was already making contacts to start up her own interior design business.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Mike could honestly say that life was good.

He thought the woman by his side and the deed in his hand, and a sudden burning sensation spread over his eyes. Mike blinked his unshed tears away, knowing if he started crying in front of the guys, he’d probably never live it down.

“Wow.” Juliet sounded amazed. “What an incredible gesture.”

“I missed out on a lot of time with my brother,” Olivia told her. “I’d love to have him close by. We want you both to be close by.”

Their time together—both before everything happened with Fuller and after—had been such a whirlwind, they hadn’t really talked about the future all that much. They’d just relished in the fact that they were together. But now that Jake and Liv had brought it up...

“What do ya say?” Mike turned to Juliet. “Wanna build a house together and live out here in the wide, open spaces?”

“Come on, Jules,” Olivia pleaded with her. “You and I could have girls’ nights whenever we wanted. Oh! You could even bring Lydia over so Lillian could play with her.”

“Lydia did seem to love it here.” Juliet smiled.

“But?” Mike held his breath and waited.

“Not really a but, per se. More like a condition.”

“Name it, it’s yours.”

Juliet raised a brow. “Will this house in the country come with a nursery?”

Mike’s heart stopped beating. “You’re pregnant?”

“No.” She chuckled. “I was just thinking...you know...someday.”

Pulling her to him once more, Mike leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. With his eyes staring down into the future he’d thought was an impossible dream, he said, “I think someday is a damn good place to start.”

****

“A guilty verdict has been handed down today in the Federal case against former CIA agent, Benjamin Lopez, and several other arrests have been made in connection with the crimes for which Mr. Lopez has been convicted. We’ll have more on this story as it unfolds.”

“Hey, Riley! You’re up.”

Riley York’s long, dark ponytail flung over her shoulder as she turned away from the T.V. above the bar and walked over to where her partner was standing.

Her