“Ready.”
EPILOGUE
COLE
FOUR YEARS LATER
Irun a hand through my hair as I stare at the contract in front of me.
I fucking hate it when Lana is out of town, but I try to get as much work done as possible when she is, so it frees up more of my time when she’s home.
It was hard at first, being away from each other for days at a time almost every month, but now that we have a system in place, it makes things easier.
Still, I miss the hell out of her and hate being away from her.
What she’s doing is good, though, and I’m so fucking proud of her.
After we graduated, she drifted for a while, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life. I think she had been so convinced that she wouldn’t even make it this far in life that it threw her, and she struggled to come to terms with a future that wasn’t, you know… killing people.
But after a few months back and forth, she finally settled on what she wanted to do.
She used her inheritance to start a non-profit that works to help vulnerable women and children get out of bad situations and into new lives. Her focus is on changing their identities if needed and setting them up with new lives. She’s also opened up her own line of gyms across the country that hold free self-defense lessons for those who need it.
Still, she couldn’t quite let go of her old life and will leave from time to time tophysicallyget people out of bad situations, though that’s not exactly advertised.
Another change for us was mine and Noah’s fathers’ retirements not long after graduation. They both decided to bow out at the same time, leaving Noah and me to take over the company. I’m now the CEO of AstonWhite Corp while Noah is the COO. Gracie was meant to be included in that, too, but she decided she wanted her life to go in a different direction, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
Things seemed to change after that first Thanksgiving when Lana gave my father hell, and my relationship with him only got better after that. Between my relationship with him becoming stronger and Lana’s presence in my life, I was able to slowly drop that mask that I was so used to showing the world and finally be myself. I no longer felt the need to hide behind the front I had adopted for myself and could just… be. And it was all thanks to her. She gives me strength, and I give her a comfort that she’s never felt before.
The words on the page begin to blur together, and I wipe a hand down my face before checking the time. It’s 8 a.m., no wonder I can’t see straight, since I’ve been here since yesterday morning.
I sigh and stand from behind my desk, stretching my limbsand yawning. It’s a Saturday morning, so the place is empty when I head toward the elevator.
I’m just about to press the button when the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I glance around to make sure I really am alone, only I feel something prick into the side of my neck before I can see who’s here.
My vision swims, and my limbs become heavy. The ding of the elevator sounds, and the sideways sight of the doors opening is the last thing I see before the world turns to black.
My head lolling to the side wakes me from my sleep, and I go to rub my eyes before opening them, only my arms won’t move. I blink my eyes open, looking down to find them bound to what looks like…
Am I on a fucking plane right now?
My head snaps up, and I see Harley sitting opposite me, a guilty expression on his face.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, and he sighs.
“I’m sorry, man. But I’ve been waiting four years for her to cash in her favor. I couldn’t say no.”
What the fuck is he…
“Lana put you up to this?”
“Who else?” He snorts and shakes his head. “Your girl is crazy, but that’s why we all love her.”
I growl at him, but he only laughs in response.
“Don’t worry, lover boy. You’ll find out everything you need to know soon enough.”
The rest of the flight is spent in silence. Me, seething at one of my best friends for working with my girlfriend to kidnap me, and him anxiously looking my way every fewminutes as though I’m going to open the cabin door and just jump right out.
