“I lied.”
As Archie tried to take a step forward, U-Jin leaped from the balcony above, landing on his shoulders. They could hear the cracking of bones and tendons as he was crushed to the cold concrete of the street by the force of the other man. Garr kicked the steak knife out of his hand, then rolled him over, zip-tying his hands.
Screaming in pain, he lay on the street, still naked and cold.
“Help me! You’re a doctor. Help me!” he cried.
“No one can help you now, Archie. No one. You’re going to face everyone for the crimes you’ve committed. We have your confessions recorded, and you’re going to either face the death penalty or die in prison.”
Jonas walked toward Khloe with a look that resembled anger. She almost took a step backward, but he gripped her arms, pulling her into his body.
“You scared the fuck out of me,” he whispered in her ear. She let out a long breath and then cried. Holding her, he walked away from Archie and toward their vehicles.
As the sun began to peek over the skyline of the city, Archibald Mansur Jr. was loaded into an ambulance chained to the bed. In the weeks that followed, he would spend agonizing days recovering from his injuries, all while awaiting trial.
It didn’t surprise anyone that he was willing to throw everyone under the bus. His father. His mother. His friends. Even people who barely knew him were listed as possible accomplices. Archie was a weasel, a snitch, and a murderer.
It seemed apropos when they received the news that he was killed in his cell by a fellow inmate.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“Well, here we are again,” smiled Jonas, holding his new wife to his body as they swayed to the music.
“Yes, but this time it’s our wedding, not someone else’s.”
“And I’m not going to run. You look stunning,” he smiled down at her.
“And you are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in uniform,” she smiled. “And I’ve seen a lot of men in uniform.” Jonas laughed, shaking his head.
“You know, if I were an insecure man, I’d be upset by that. But considering the group of men around me, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
“This is everything I ever dreamed, Jonas. You’re everything I dreamed. Our family and friends around us as we celebrate the most wonderful event of our life.”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed having this at my first wedding,” he said, smiling at her.
“I’m sorry. Does this bring sadness to you?”
“Not at all. All the things that happened led me to you, Khloe. Of course, I wish that my wife hadn’t been killed, that the twins would have lived, but they didn’t. I can’t change that. I know that Kaleigh would have wanted me to be happy. I would want the same thing for her.”
“I’m so glad we found one another,” she smiled. They twirled around the floor as their friends did the same. Seeing someone she didn’t know, she asked Jonas about her.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s Captain Jill Morgan. She helped us at the Pentagon with Archie’s father while helping Sgt. Hunt. She’s an attorney and is thinking about joining the team later this summer.”
“She’s lovely. Very tall.”
“She is,” nodded Jonas. “Who is that speaking to her?”
“Oh, that’s Christian Abbott. He’s Milo and Lia’s son. I haven’t seen him in years. He’s really changed. He used to be kind of small and scrawny.”
“He’s definitely not small and scrawny,” laughed Jonas. “Captain Morgan is easily five-ten or eleven. He’s gotta be six-six, maybe even six-seven. Isn’t there someone else named Christian on the property? Won’t that get confusing?”
“Well, like everything else at Belle Fleur, it sort of works itself out. Christian is, or was, a Navy SEAL. His full name is Christian Joseph, so they call him CJ.”
“You’re right,” he laughed, “that fixes all the confusion. Now, so there’s no confusion between us, you promise to never risk your life again. No matter what.”
“No matter what,” she said, kissing him. “I promise.”
