Page 113 of Steel Vengeance
She smiled, but her gaze was curious. “What happened to Matthew? Did you get him?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We tracked him to that cabin he used to hide out in.”
“And?”
“There was another guy with him, a finance guy. He’d cleaned out their accounts, brought Matthew a bag of cash. The plan was to split it and head to Mexico.”
“But you stopped them.”
“We got the money guy, but Matthew made a run for it. He took off toward the lake, jumped into a boat he had ready.”
“And?” she asked, eyes wide.
“I caught him. He tried to shoot me, but I kicked the gun out of his hand. He fell into the water, hit his head, and never resurfaced. They pulled his body out of the water a couple of hours later.”
Her gaze softened. “So, it’s over. He’s really gone.”
Stitch wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Yes, he’s gone. You’re safe now.”
She snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest. “You got your revenge.”
There was a pause as he processed her words. “I thought that’s what I was after... but it wasn’t.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “What do you mean?”
He sighed softly. “When I got to the cabin, I realized I wasn’t chasing him for revenge anymore. I wanted him dead because I couldn’t let him hurt you. It wasn’t about the past anymore. It was about protecting you.”
She placed a hand on his cheek. “You did it for me?”
“I didn’t realize it until that moment, but yeah. You’re what mattered most to me. More than vengeance.”
His heart swelled as she gazed up at him. He hadn’t just saved her life, she’d saved his too.
“I love you,” she whispered, pulling him down for a kiss.
He smiled against her lips. “I love you too.”
After a moment, he pulled back and took her hand. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Only if you don’t want me around.”
She scoffed, her hands tracing the muscles in his shoulder. “Like that would ever happen.”
He grinned. “Pat offered me a job with Blackthorn Security. As a private contractor.”
She stared at him. “You’ll be operating again?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you.”
“You don’t need my permission,” she said.
“I know I’ve been given a second chance, and I don’t want to waste it. I don’t want to lose you again, Sloane. I want you by my side. Always.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. It made him want to kiss them away. “I want you to do what’s right for you. If working with Blade and Pat is what you want, I’m okay with it.”
In that moment, he didn’t think he could love anybody more.