Page 85 of It Destroys Me

I looked down at her, dead asleep like she was in my bed beside me every night, almost peaceful. Whatever happened had obviously scarred her, but I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

I didn’t have to kill him, because she already had.

We got on the plane.

I’d only lost a handful of guys, and Octavio and the others made sure their bodies were loaded on to the plane. They deserved an honorable resting place, not to be left behind in a different country.

Bolton’s body was kept separate from the rest of them.

Astrid was still asleep. I laid her on one of the couches and tucked her in with a blanket. Even when the plane took off, she didn’t wake up, didn’t notice the way her body lurched forward and rolled back.

I kept her in place.

Axel called Scarlett. “It’s over, baby. I’m on my way home.”

I’d seen Bolton’s dead body with my own eyes, but I still couldn’t believe it was over. I never got my brother’s remains, but a feeling of peace came over me anyway. I’d never been able to save Killian, but I’d been able to save Astrid—and I did.

Axel listened to Scarlett over the phone. “Yeah, he’s dead. Yes, I’m sure.” He listened to her again. “A hundred percent. Astrid shot him in the face.” He listened again. “She seems okay. She’s been unconscious this whole time. We think she shot Bolton then passed out when she realized what she’d done.”

I knew that was exactly what had happened. Because Bolton wasn’t the kind of man to go down without a fight. He’d probably had a plan up his sleeve, but Astrid had stopped that plan from coming to fruition.

“I love you too,” he said. “I’ll see you when I get home.” He hung up and released the heaviest sigh I’d ever heard. He tucked his phone in his pocket then relaxed in the chair across from me.

“You alright?”

“So glad this shit is over. I can go back to fucking my wife and raising my kids in peace.”

Guilt returned in fresh waves. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Axel.”

“I know,” he said. “And I would do it again.”

“I sincerely hope that never happens.”

He looked out the window for a while. “It might happen again…if you stay in the game.” His eyes shifted back to me. “The Skull King has at least five targets on his back at all times. You know Astrid will never be safe.”

I held his gaze, but I wanted to look away. I’d accomplished what I set out to do, and now that it was over, I had to think about other shit I didn’t want to think about. I had to make decisions, decisions that would change the rest of my life.

“Something you should think about.”

“This is my life. I don’t know how to live it any differently.”

“It’s been different ever since Astrid came into the picture. And it’ll continue to be different as long as she stays. My advice? Embrace the change…one day at a time.”

The plane arrived in Florence two hours later, and it was a rough landing. The bounce of the wheels on the tarmac was felt throughout the entire cabin. It was enough to make Astrid wake up.

I was on the same couch, her feet in my lap, my arm draped over her legs in case there was unexpected turbulence.

She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling of the cabin for a couple of seconds, slowly blinking as she processed her surroundings as if she was in a dream. She looked down at her feet then her gaze made its way up my body until our eyes met.

The plane had slowed down as it made its way to the hangar, but the engines were still loud and the guys were gathering their things. When Axel realized she was awake, he left his seat and moved elsewhere.

She continued to stare at me. She blinked every few seconds. Then her breaths increased as reality set in, that she hadn’t left one dream and stepped into another like she paced an endless hallway.

She dropped her legs to the floor and sat up, the blanket sliding off. She continued to look at me with a guarded expression, like seeing my eyes in the light of day still wasn’t enough confirmation.

But something seemed to click in her head because she suddenly moved into me, hooked her arms around me, and crawled into my lap. She gave a quiet gasp as she held on to me.

I pulled her close and squeezed her, my lips against her hairline, feeling her breathe hard against me, feeling her cry.