Point of No Return

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I heard gunshots and the man holding me suddenly let go. I fell to the floor, my arms instinctively coming up to cover my head. I couldn’t make sense of the forms swirling around me—they were moving too fast and my vision was still too blurred by the tear gas. I prayed while I made myself as small as possible on the floor, then realized that Lazaroff was lying next to me . . . and that he was dead.

It was all over in a few minutes and I lay amid the carnage of dead men. Someone’s hands landed on me and I cringed in terror.

“It’s me, baby,” Kade said. “It’s okay.”

I threw my arms around his neck and clung to him. His hands settled on my waist as he lifted me to my feet.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked. “Blane and Branna, are they hurt?”

“We’re fine, Kat,” Blane said from behind me. Kade released me and Blane pulled me close, his lips brushing my forehead. “Jesus, Kat,” he said. “I think I lost a few years off my life when you kneed him like that.”

“She gave us the opportunity we needed,” Branna defended me.

I blinked blearily, wishing I could see properly to make out their faces. As it was, everything was a blur.

Kade pulled me back from Blane, an arm resting protectively behind my back.

“Let’s get out of here before more of them come,” Kade said.

I wasn’t sure how they knew the way out, but they did, finding a stairwell behind a door that dumped us into a dark alley. I half walked and was half carried by Kade.

“Follow me,” Blane said. “I’m not staying in some fleabag dive tonight, and neither is Kat.”

Kade didn’t argue. He had me buckled inside his Mercedes in a flash and we were driving down the street.

I closed my burning eyes, settling back against the leather seat with a deep sigh. Kade found my hand resting between us and laced our fingers together.

We pulled up to a hotel whose sign I couldn’t quite make out, but I could tell the place was expensive. The lobby seemed deserted at this hour and I was glad for that, since I for one looked a mess.

The four of us had adjoining rooms, and the first thing Kade did once the heavy door swung shut behind him and me was take me into the bathroom and sit me down on the closed toilet. He then doused a washcloth and patted gently at my eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’ll be okay,” I said. The water felt heavenly.

After a few minutes, I felt well enough to wash my eyes out in the sink. Ten minutes after that, I could actually see again, but then I wished I couldn’t.

The skin around my eyes looked like I’d been burned. My eyes were bloodshot worse than the most awful hangover I’d ever had. My face was blotchy and I had an angry red welt on one cheek from Lazaroff.

I came out of the bathroom, toweling my face dry, then stopped short in shock.

Kade had been beat up, with blood from his nose and his mouth now dried on his face. The skin across the bridge of his nose had been sliced, more blood oozing from it, and there was a long cut by his eye.

He’d broken open the minibar and was drinking whiskey straight from the bottle.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, hurrying to him. “They did this to you?”

He caught my hand in his as I reached to touch his face. “It’s okay, princess. I just didn’t take too well to Lazaroff hitting you. Neither did Blane.”

I knew then that he and Blane must’ve gone for broke to get us out of that mess, and that it had been a near thing.

Going back into the bathroom, I got a fresh washcloth and wet it. Making Kade sit on the bed, I knelt next to him and tried as carefully as I could to clean him up. There was a lot of blood, more than the last time I’d cleaned him up so long ago at The Drop.

“Did we get what we needed?” I asked. Was what we’d gone through worth it?

Kade nodded. “Yeah, we did.”

I gave a sigh of relief. “Let me rinse this out,” I said. “You’ve got a lot of blood on you.” I moved to get up, but Kade grabbed me, his mouth settling on mine in a fierce kiss.

I dropped the washcloth as Kade’s hand cradled the back of my head. His tongue stroked mine, the slight tang of blood reminding me of how close a call we’d had, and suddenly I was kissing him back just as hard.

My fingers tore at his shirt, his jacket already discarded, and in moments I had it off him. He pushed the top of my dress down to my stomach, freeing my breasts. I climbed onto his lap, pushing him down onto his back. In seconds, I had his belt and pants undone, and his hard cock in my hand.

He groaned, tugging the bottom of my dress up until it was around my waist. I shoved my panties down and settled atop him, his erection pushing inside me in one smooth thrust.

I bit my lip at the sensation, my eyes sliding shut. His hands settled on my hips and instinct took over as well as a little madness. We both could’ve been killed tonight, and somehow that fact made it more urgent, more desperate.

I couldn’t live without him.

Kade’s hips rose in counterpoint to mine, our bodies slamming together, making my breasts bounce, not that I cared. If the things Kade was saying were any indication, he seemed to enjoy the view, and as some of his words penetrated the haze engulfing my mind, my cheeks flamed. Yet I grew even wetter until, if I’d been in my right mind, I would have been embarrassed at the wet noises his cock made sliding in and out of me.

Pressing his hands on my back, Kade forced me down, his palm cradling my head again as we kissed, our tongues and teeth clashing with little finesse. His other arm curved over my lower back, stilling my movements as he jackknifed hard into me. He held me immobile, his tongue and cock fucking me, and I whimpered, allowing him to claim me even as it seemed I was in the dominant position. Heat exploded between my legs as I came, Kade swallowing my cries. Then he was pulsing inside me, holding me so tightly to him that the jerking of his cock made another orgasm crash over me.

I collapsed against his chest, the pounding of Kade’s heart loud in my ear. I knew I’d never tire of hearing that sound, not after the many times he could’ve been taken from me.

I was exhausted and could have just rolled over and slept, but Kade ran a bath and soon had both of us in the steaming water, my back to his front as I sat between his spread legs. It was a really nice hotel, with the kind of bathtub I’d never even realized they put in hotels.

He had one of those big natural sponges, squeezing warm water over my shoulders and chest as we relaxed.

“Your eyes look better,” he said.

“Yeah, they feel better. Not an experience I’d like to repeat, though.” That tear gas had hurt. “Was Branna okay?” I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Had she gotten beat up, too? I knew she could fight, but she was so little . . .

“Yeah,” Kade replied. “She’s fast. It’s hard to lay a hand on her.”

I debated saying something more, took a breath and then let it out.

Kade stilled. “What?” he asked.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing. None of my business.”

“Tell me,” Kade said in my ear, “or I’ll be forced to use dire measures.” His fingers trailed a path down my side and I giggled, arching away.

“It’s nothing, really, I guess . . .” I decided to just say it. “Branna and Blane had sex.”

Kade said nothing for a moment, then resumed trickling water on me. “How do you know?”

“Branna told me.”

He sighed. “So how do you feel about this unexpected development, Kathleen?” His voice held a trace of mockery. I turned to look up at him and he shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t pretend I’m glad that you’re concerned about who Blane sleeps with.”

I frowned. “It has nothing to do with you,” I said. “It’s just . . . he barely knows her. What he does know of her is that she hates me.”

“There’s more to Branna than her hating you,” Kade said. “Do you think I’d have stuck with her if she wasn’t someone worth caring about?”

Now I felt guilty and embarrassed. I didn’t answer.

“Hey,” Kade said, lightly grasping my chin and making me turn to face him, “I understand. I do. But you’ve got to let it go.” He paused. “Unless you’re regretting the choice you made?”

“No,” I said immediately. “I love you. It’s just harder than I thought . . . letting go.”

Kade’s brows were drawn together as he studied me, and he gave a short nod. “Time. Space. That’s what we need,” he said.

I agreed. I lay against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. He trickled water on my back and we sat in silence for a while as the water cooled. Finally, I said, “Is it weird?”

“Is what weird?” Kade asked. He’d stopped trickling water and now his fingers drew wet patterns on my back.

“You and Blane. Me and Branna. Both of you have slept with the same two women. Isn’t that . . . weird?” I said “weird,” though other adjectives came to mind.

Kade laughed, taking me by surprise. I sat back, looking up at him in confusion. I certainly hadn’t been thinking “funny.”

“Princess, look at me,” Kade said, his lips twisting in a half smile. “I’ve got gunshot scars, knife scars, and scars I don’t even want to remember how I got from a life I didn’t give a shit about living until I met you. The last thing I’m going to worry about or dwell on is your past lovers, even if I share a bloodline with one of them.”

What could I possibly say to that? He loved me, didn’t care about my past, and wanted to be with me. He was right. I needed to let it go. Blane and Branna didn’t concern me anymore. Kade and our unborn child were my world now.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him the best I knew how. He held me close and it seemed the past finally slid off my shoulders.

I eyed my reflection, nerves making me bit my lip. I was dressed in a somber black-and-white dress that hit just below the knees. A thin belt circled my waist and I wore sensible black heels.

“I feel like we’re going to a funeral,” I said to Kade, glancing over my shoulder to see he was tying his tie. He was also dressed formally, in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. I moved in front of him and brushed his hands aside as they fiddled with the tie.

“Now I know why you never wear a tie,” I teased, undoing the uneven knot and starting over.

“We are going to a funeral,” Kade replied, allowing me to fix the silk. “Figuratively, anyway. Time to put a nail in the coffin of Uncle Robert.”

“Is Blane going to be able to do that?” I asked. I knew how much Robert meant to Blane, and I’d yet to ask him how he really felt since he’d realized all his great-uncle had done to control him—to the point of putting Kade and me in mortal danger.

“He has to,” Kade said grimly. “If he doesn’t, I will—only my solution will be much more permanent.” His smile was thin and cold.

“I thought we couldn’t just kill him,” I said.

“Blane can’t,” Kade replied. “But I can.”

I grabbed his arm. “No, you can’t,” I said. “I need you. The baby needs you. You can’t throw yourself in harm’s way anymore. Not even for Blane.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed.

“Promise me,” I said, taking his face in my palms. “Don’t do something that could leave me to raise this baby alone.”

His piercing blue eyes searched mine. “I promise,” he said finally.

We met Blane and Branna in the lobby, where Blane was checking all of us out of the hotel. Branna was the only one not dressed up, instead wearing jeans and a shirt. She gave us a nod as we approached her, taking a sip of coffee from the paper cup she held.

I sucked in a breath when Blane joined us, the marks on his face mirroring Kade’s. He glanced at me, then slid his sunglasses on.

“Your eyes look better,” he remarked. “No other ill effects from the tear gas, I hope?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

We headed outside and that’s when I realized we were within walking distance of the Capitol building, which is precisely where we headed. Except for Branna. She branched off toward where we’d parked last night.

“Isn’t she coming with us?” I asked.

“Thought we might need a quick exit,” Blane explained, “so she’s going to be nearby with the car.”

“So why am I coming along? I’m not exactly family.” And it wasn’t like I trusted myself to be in the same room with Senator Keaston without trying to hurt him.

“Aren’t you?” Blane asked. I glanced up at him. A soft smile played at the edges of his lips.

Reaching down, he took my hand, and that was how we walked up the Capitol steps and into the building—Kade on one side of me, my hand firmly clasped in his, and Blane on the other. I hoped I was able to give something to them in the same way they both gave strength and courage to me.

We went through security, Blane showing them a special ID he took from his wallet, then we were allowed to pass.

There were throngs of people everywhere, but Blane seemed to know where he was going. Before long we stood in front of a large wooden door with a bronze placard, emblazoned with Senator Robert W. Keaston, on the wall next to it. Underneath his name was MASSACHUSETTS. Blane rapped twice on the door, then walked in.

An older woman sat behind a large desk made from cherry wood. Two flags stood in a corner of the room, one an American flag, the other the state flag of Massachusetts, I assumed. The woman glanced up.

“Mr. Kirk,” she said with a smile. “It’s been a while since you’ve been up to see the senator.”

“Hi, Jackie. Been a while since I’ve been to Washington,” Blane replied, his easy smile making the dimple appear in his cheek. “Is he in?”

“He’s in a meeting at the moment,” Jackie said, “but you’re welcome to wait in his office.”

“Thank you,” Blane replied. He held open another door, allowing me and Kade to step inside the senator’s office. Jackie eyed me curiously but didn’t ask any questions. Blane softly closed the door behind him.

The office wasn’t terribly large, but then again, I thought space was probably at a premium in this building. There was a gray marble fireplace situated between two windows. Another cherry wood desk took up a good amount of space along one wall and a thick oriental-style rug covered the floor. A large portrait painting of John Adams hung behind the desk.

Two leather armchairs flanked an antique table along the wall opposite the desk and that’s where Kade sat. He slid his sunglasses into the inside pocket of his suit coat and crossed an ankle over the other knee. Taking a small device from another pocket, he flicked a tiny switch.

“That should take care of any listening devices within a twenty-foot radius,” he said, sliding it back into his pocket.

Blane nodded. He seemed restless, moving around the room, stopping to gaze out the window. My heart hurt for him. The look on his face was stark, grim. I went up to him, resting my hand on his arm. He glanced down at me and it seemed I didn’t have to say anything. He read my face, then lifted a hand to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing gently across my skin. Sliding his hand underneath my hair to the back of my neck, he drew me closer, brushing a kiss to my forehead.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly.

The door opened and the man I hated walked in.

Senator Keaston looked like any other powerful politician, and his expression said that while he wasn’t surprised to see us, he wasn’t happy about it, either.

“Did I miss the memo on a family meeting?” The senator’s words were chiding, but his gaze was calculating as he took in Kade, me, and Blane. He settled into the chair behind the desk.

“I prefer not to claim you,” Kade said, his lips twisting into a chilly smirk.

The senator glared at him. “Likewise, boy,” he said, his voice rife with contempt. He turned and gazed my way. “And I see you’ve brought the trash in with you.”

Blane stiffened and Kade’s eyes narrowed dangerously. I tightened my grip on Blane’s arm, but he didn’t make a move toward Keaston. Instead, he turned to me, solicitously taking my hand and drawing me across the room to sit in the chair next to Kade. My knees were shaking, so sitting down seemed like a great idea. After I sank into the seat, Blane’s hand brushed my hair back before he turned again to face Keaston.

“I think it’s time you and I had a talk, Uncle,” Blane said, approaching the desk. He leaned one shoulder against the fireplace and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve lied to me, manipulated me, tried to hurt the people I love. Why?”

“It sounds like you’ve been listening a bit too much to Kade,” Keaston replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Matt Summers confessed,” Blane said. “He said you were behind Kathleen being taken. You know, by the sex traffickers who would have sold her to the highest bidder for a life of misery, for however long she lasted?” His voice was hard. “And before you start saying he was lying, Matt had a gun to his head, so I think he was pretty intent on telling me the truth.”

Now I knew that Blane hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger on Matt and that Matt had actually confessed to me and Lucy, though I’d been too drugged to remember it. But I wasn’t about to contradict Blane’s story.

Unbelievably, Keaston smiled. “Well, it all worked out, didn’t it? She’s sitting right there, healthy as can be. Now, when can I expect the wedding bells?”

“Kathleen and I aren’t getting married, Robert,” Blane said. “You helped see to that. And I’m through with politics. The games you’ve been playing with my life have . . . Well, let’s just say it’s all left a bad taste in my mouth.

“You’ve had your fingers in some pretty nasty pies, Robert,” Blane continued. “All the way back to the TecSol case, only you weren’t the one rigging the election, but the one helping to sell access to China—and using a teenager and her captive parents to do it.”

My eyes widened. I’d had no idea Keaston had had anything to do with imprisoning CJ’s parents or her subsequent blackmailing.

“You worked with Matt Summers to try and intimidate me into losing the Waters case, threatening Kathleen, hurting her. You sent someone to try and kill Kade, my brother, then lied to me about my fiancée!” Blane’s voice had risen, fury filling each syllable, until he stood in a towering rage that made me shrink back in my chair.

None of this seemed to have the least effect on Keaston. “Are you through having a temper tantrum?” he barked. “You’re a soldier. You know that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do in order to achieve an end result. The end justifies the means, and I am not going to explain myself to you.”

Blane shoved a hand through his hair, turning away to press both hands on the mantel, leaning on the fireplace as though for the support and strength to be calm.

“How far back does it go, Robert?” he asked, not looking at him. “Did my dad decide Kade couldn’t come live with us, or did you decide for him?”

“Your brother’s been a liability since the day he was born,” Keaston scoffed. “I never should have helped you find him when William died. That was a mistake. He should’ve disappeared when his mother died.”

I jumped when Blane suddenly swept an arm across the top of the fireplace, sending everything on it—picture frames, figurines, candlesticks—smashing into the wall and onto the floor in a cacophony of breaking glass. I was reminded of when I’d told him I was pregnant and he had destroyed the den. Blane’s rage was terrifying. I’d never seen him so angry before. I started shaking and Kade took my hand, folding it reassuringly into his.

That was the moment I saw a visible reaction from Keaston. His eyes widened slightly and his throat moved as he swallowed, but in seconds he’d regained his composure.

Blane faced him. “Do you have any idea the hell Kade would have been spared if he’d been allowed to come live with us?” he rasped, the words edged in bitterness and guilt.

“Kade was not my concern,” Keaston said. “You were. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done to help pave the path for you, your career.”

“Bullshit,” Blane spat. “Everything you’ve done has been for you, not me.”

Keaston rubbed a hand across his forehead and sighed. “We could argue semantics all day, Blane, but frankly I don’t have the time. You’re here, Kade’s here. Why? What do you want? Or are we done?”

“We’re not done,” Kade replied, “but you are.”

“Haven’t we already had this conversation about threats, Kade?” Keaston retorted. “I was very clear, was I not?”

“You were very clear that, should I not make Kathleen go back to Blane, you would kill her, yes,” Kade said matter-of-factly.

I gulped. To hear it spelled out so plainly, my life or death dependent entirely on my relationship with Blane, was sobering. I’d known Keaston was crazy—he had to be to have done some of the things he had—but the reality of it was still sad and unnerving.

“Is that what you told Kade?” Blane asked.

“She’s carrying your child,” Keaston said in a reasonable tone. “Don’t you think you ought to marry her? You go on and on about Kade and his childhood. Are you going to let your child grow up fatherless as well?”

Kade stood, approaching Keaston until he mirrored Blane, flanking the other side of the senator’s desk. “Kathleen is pregnant with my baby, Uncle Robert, not Blane’s.” His lips twisted. “Bet you didn’t see that one coming.”

“Is that what she told you?” Keaston asked, his eyes swiveling to meet mine. He leaned forward, his arms crossed and flat on the desk. “She slept with both of you and you believe her? She’s a white-trash whore, gentlemen.”

I didn’t flinch from his gaze. I’d been called worse.

“She’ll tell you whatever she thinks will get her the best deal,” he continued. “I should know. I’ve dealt with women like her before.” He glanced at Kade and I sucked in a breath, realizing he meant Kade’s mother.

“That’s rich, accusing her of lying,” Kade said. “Coming from you.”

“We know about Lazaroff,” Blane said, “and the money he was funneling to you.”

Keaston went still at those words.

“I hear it’s real hard to get a fracking permit through the Department of Energy,” Kade said. “What with all the environmental groups so opposed to it. Those groups do seem so well funded, don’t they? Getting the word out, staging protests, making movies about how dangerous it is.”

“Of course the primary export of Russia is natural gas,” Blane said. “They stand to lose a lot of revenue if the US started expanding our own production, reducing the need to buy foreign natural gas. If I were them, I’d be doing everything I could to scare people away from fracking, right, Robert?”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?” Kade asked. “Except, we know you do, because we have every record of every transaction Lazaroff made to you.”

“Your career is over,” Blane said. “Ties to Russia and China? Not even your buddies in the media can whitewash that for you.”

Keaston sat back in his chair. Tense silence reigned. I held my breath, wondering if even this would be enough to take him down. Then he smiled.

“Well, you two think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you,” he said, looking from Blane to Kade and back.

Kade shrugged. “I think we’ve got all the bases covered, yeah.”

“Resign,” Blane said. “Say it’s your health, say it’s Vivian’s health—I don’t care. I’ll let you ‘retire’ with dignity.”

“And if I don’t?”

“If you don’t, then you leave us no choice,” Blane replied. “We’ll release it all and you’ll lose everything.”

“I would think Lazaroff would have something to say about your plans to out our arrangement to the public.”

“Lazaroff’s dead,” Kade retorted. His smile was cold. “I saw to it myself.”

Keaston calmly opened the drawer in his desk . . . and pulled out a gun.

My breath caught on a gasp, my fingers digging into the arms of the chair where I sat. I knew neither Blane nor Kade were armed. They wouldn’t have gotten through security if they’d brought their guns with them.

It seemed the same thoughts went through Blane and Kade’s heads, because they both stiffened.

“I always knew it was a careful balance,” Keaston said, “having two men such as yourselves close to me. Blane, you may not believe me, but I have only ever wanted the best for you, for your career, and have worked tirelessly to achieve those ends.” He turned to Kade, pointing the gun in his direction. “You, however, have been nothing but a grave disappointment.”

“I’m all broken up about that,” Kade sneered, but his hands were clenched in fists at his sides.

Keaston ignored him, straightening to face me instead. “But you,” he said, leveling the gun at me. “You’ve been a pain in my side since you screwed up the TecSol project. Then you wrapped those legs around Blane, got inside his head, and he hasn’t been the same since. In actuality, I can blame all of this”—he gestured to encompass all four of us—“on you.”

“What are you doing?” Blane asked, his tone calm and reasonable. “You can’t fire a gun in here, kill Kathleen. Security would be on you in minutes. You want to go to prison for killing a pregnant woman? They’ll call you a monster.”

“You say I have to retire or you’ll destroy my reputation anyway, probably sending me to prison as well,” Keaston said. “Why not hurt both of you with one shot and have my revenge? It appears I have nothing to lose anymore.”

Blane took a step to his left, trying to block me, I thought, and Kade mirrored him, moving to his right, but Keaston stopped them.

“Make another move, either of you, and she’s dead,” he threatened.

I couldn’t breathe as I stared down the barrel of the gun. He was going to shoot me. I could see it in his eyes. After everything, all I’d been through, I was going to die right there in Keaston’s office, by his own hand.

Well, I guess I had said he’d have to kill me himself if he wanted me dead. I just hadn’t expected that to come true. How ironic.

And I was suddenly incredibly furious.

I stood, my body no longer trembling, and took a step toward the senator.

“The only thing that I can be blamed for? Is wasting even one thought for the things you’ve said to me,” I bit out. “There was a time when I wanted your approval, wanted you to be happy for what Blane and I had. I didn’t see until too late how warped you are. Your love for Blane is twisted and perverted. You’ve done all this to help him? You’ve hurt him more than anyone else.” I was seething now, moving closer to the desk, my entire focus on Keaston.

“Kat—” Blane said, a note of warning in his voice, but I ignored him. This was between me and Keaston.

“Blane and Kade have more honor, integrity, and love for each other than you can possibly comprehend,” I continued. “You could’ve been a part of that. Instead, your own greed and ambition has poisoned you, turning you into someone to be despised.”

Keaston’s face was flushed with rage as he stared at me. I was almost at the desk now. I could sense the tension in Kade’s and Blane’s bodies as they watched me, but I knew neither of them dared move.

“You presume to take me to task?” Keaston hissed. “You know nothing.”

“I know that you are a lying hypocrite,” I spat. “You’ve lied to everyone, including Blane, and destroyed the family you’d been given. You think Blane or Kade will let you live if you kill me? I’m a part of their family now, not you.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “You pull that trigger and the only question will be which one gets to you first.”

“You make the mistake of thinking you’re not replaceable,” Keaston said. “I assure you, you are.”

“No, she’s not,” Blane interrupted. “Not to us.”

Blane’s words seemed to be a catalyst, because Blane lunged toward Keaston just as I was suddenly shoved to the ground, Kade’s body covering mine. The scream in my throat was cut off, the air was pushed from my lungs by Kade’s weight. A gunshot shattered the silence, then there was nothing.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. Oh God, Blane . . .

I shoved at Kade, trying to get up, to suck in a lungful of air.

“Blane,” I gasped, terrified Keaston had shot him. “Blane!”

“I’m okay,” Blane said, crouching down in front of me. Kade rolled off me and I threw myself at Blane, our arms wrapping tightly around each other. “I’m okay, Kat.”

I started crying, the terror I’d felt now ebbing as relief that he was okay flooded over me. I was practically strangling him with the tight grip I had around his neck, but I couldn’t make my arms let him go.

“Shhh, I’m fine,” Blane soothed me.

The door flew open, startling me, and Jackie stood there. Her eyes lit on the senator and she screamed, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

“Call 911!” Blane barked.

Jackie didn’t move.

“Go!” Blane said even more loudly.

Jackie spun around and ran to her desk, the door swinging closed behind her.

Blane stood, taking me with him, and I turned . . . then stared in openmouthed shock at what remained of Keaston. His eyes were still open, but the back of his head was splattered against the wall in a gory mixture of blood, tissue, and brain matter.

“I don’t . . . what . . . Oh my God.” My knees gave out and I would have fallen if Blane hadn’t had hold of me. I had no idea what had happened. Blane couldn’t have killed Keaston. He’d told me flat out that he wouldn’t kill him, his only blood relative other than Kade.

“You were right, Kat. It was either him, or you,” Blane said, turning my chin so I again faced him. “And I chose you.”

I stared at him in stunned disbelief, knowing I should feel guilty for being part of what had brought Blane and Keaston to this point, but I couldn’t. Keaston had been a horrible, evil man who’d hurt us all. Blane had made a decision that spoke unequivocally about what I meant to him.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I never meant—”

“Shhh, stop,” Blane said. “This is not your fault. None of it was. I swear to you.”

I couldn’t look away from Blane, his face blurring slightly in my vision, and I saw in his eyes the things he could no longer say aloud. He tenderly brushed my wet cheeks before again tucking me tightly against him.

“Security will be here in seconds,” he said, speaking over my head to Kade. “Let me do the talking.”

The next few hours were a blur. Police came and men with military uniforms, with rifles and guns and so many questions. I saw the paramedics remove the senator’s body and then watched as the police took photos and we were ushered out of the office. I was separated from Kade and Blane and asked question after question about what had happened, but I’d heard Blane’s voice above the hubbub and repeated his story.

The senator had quarreled with Blane over Blane’s decision to leave the governor’s race. He’d become agitated and had pulled a gun. Blane had tried to talk to him, take the gun away, but the senator had committed suicide before we’d even had a chance to call for help.

I was a friend of Blane’s, his ex-fiancée, and had come along to support him. Kade was a friend as well. Yes, Blane had mentioned his concern to me about his uncle’s mental state, given his age, but I hadn’t realized it was so bad and neither had Blane. No, there was no warning that the senator would become violent. No, there was nothing we could’ve done to stop him.

Over and over and over, I was asked the same questions a dozen different ways, but I stuck to the story and didn’t deviate. Eventually, I was able to plead shock and exhaustion and the paramedics intervened. I wasn’t faking. My hands shook and I felt too close to passing out, my emotions swinging crazily between despair for what had just happened, to relief that the senator was finally out of our lives, to guilt for feeling relieved.

Evening was closing in by the time we were allowed to leave the Capitol and I leaned heavily on Kade as the three of us walked out a back entrance, away from the press swarming the front. When we were far enough away from the building to not garner any attention, we paused underneath a tree and Kade called Branna to come pick us up.

Blane heaved a sigh. He looked exhausted but resolute, and I worried that the coming days would take a toll on him. He’d have to speak to Vivian, arrange the funeral, and handle a thousand other things as his uncle’s relative and heir.

I reached out and grasped his hand. First glancing at me in surprise, he hesitated, then tugged me close for a hug. I inhaled the scent of him, my arms wrapped tight around his waist. After several long moments, he released me and I stepped back. Kade took my hand.

“Well, I can’t say I’m not glad he’s gone,” Kade said. “But that leaves us with another problem.”

“What’s that?” Blane asked.

Kade sighed. “He told me he had a ‘Kade Dennon insurance policy.’ If something happened to him, there’s a contract on Kathleen.”

Nice. I inched closer to Kade.

Blane seemed to take that information in stride, giving a curt nod and glancing away. His eyes squinted against the rays of the sunset.

“I’ll dig through his stuff, see what I can find,” Blane said. “If it was Lazaroff, we might already be covered. If it was someone else he hired, I’ll find out.” He looked at Kade. “Go. Take her. Keep her safe.”

Kade gave a curt nod, his expression grim.

And it suddenly struck me that . . . this was it. Kade and I were leaving, who knew for how long? For however long it took Blane to clear whatever machinations had been set in motion by Keaston’s death, I supposed. It might be a very long time indeed until I saw Blane again. And I started to cry.

“So this is goodbye?” I managed to ask through my tears.

Blane muttered a curse and reached for me. Kade let me go and I was again in Blane’s arms.

“Just for now,” he said, cradling me to his chest. His chin rested on top of my head. “It’s for the best. You know that.” And I knew he didn’t just mean because of any danger I might be in, but also for everything else between us.

I nodded, my throat too full for me to speak. I knew he was right, but it was so hard to leave him.

“Everything will be okay,” Blane said, and his voice was thick. “You and Kade will be safe. I promise. The baby, too.” His hand gently stroked my hair.

“What about you?” I asked, tears pouring down my cheeks.

Blane pulled back slightly and I looked up at him. “I’ll be fine,” he said, smiling softly. Tears shone brightly in his eyes. “I have many regrets, but loving you isn’t one of them.” He leaned down, kissing me lightly on the lips. “You showed me what love can truly be, Kat,” he whispered. “I’ll always thank you for that.”

Then he kissed me again, a long, tender kiss that was achingly bittersweet in that I knew it was goodbye.

When he released me, he handed me carefully over to Kade as though I were made of the finest porcelain.

“You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe,” Blane said. “Take care of her. Take care of you.” He swallowed heavily. “I love you both.”

Kade’s eyes were shining, their blue depths bright. His expression was stark as he looked at Blane. “Ditto, brother,” he said, his voice a low rasp. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect her.”

Blane nodded, blinking rapidly as he glanced away from us. “Then go on,” he said roughly. “Get out of here. Branna can take me where I need to go.” He seemed close to losing his composure, and I think Kade sensed it as well, because he said nothing more, just tightened his grip on my hand and led me away.

My last glimpse of Blane was his back as he stood on the grass, the Capitol building framed to his left and his body silhouetted against the setting sun.