Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
It didn’t take long to track him.
With Griggs in custody and his burner phones confiscated, our FBI contacts were able to trace a recent call to an apartment on the edge of San Antonio—a safe house, off the grid, not listed to anyone. They sent a team that found
Russo inside, packing a go-bag. He didn’t resist when he saw the Rangers and Bureau outside his window. Not when the agents came through the door with weapons raised and authority in their voices.
They found everything: false IDs, encrypted drives, burner phones, a stash of untraceable cash, and detailed notes that connected him to multiple disappearances and all of the things we also knew he was guilty of in Palmerstown and around the state.
They also found notes about Sayla, her schedule, the kids, and a photo of her car parked outside a supermarket. It was stalker level detail, and if I’d been the one to find it all, I’d have had to be held back.
They brought him in under heavy guard, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
By nightfall, the list of arrests had grown.
Seven officers—some from nearby towns, others from Palmerstown—were in custody. The Rangers were already coordinating with internal affairs to keep the cleanup rolling. Everyone named in Griggs’s files or Russo’s drives was being pulled into the investigation, and more charges were being prepared by the minute. We also finally had Russo Lynch and AJ Foster, the two men who’d been at the very head of the operation and who’d been wanted for years.
It was quiet again at the ranch, but this time, the quiet wasn’t tense. It was relief.
I stood on the porch, watching the stars come out, the cool night air washing away a layer of tension that had lived under my skin for days.
Behind me, the kids were curled up on the couch, half-watching a movie with Kaida snuggled into Sayla’s lap.
Sayla caught my eye through the screen door. She smiled, and I knew—we were almost clear and breathing free.
The stars were starting to pierce through the darkening sky, the breeze carrying the scent of Lindee’s apple-something from the kitchen. The chaos had finally quieted, at least for now.
I felt Sayla’s presence before I saw her. She stepped onto the porch beside me, her arms folded lightly across her chest, and the corners of her mouth turned up just a little.
“You ready to go home?” she asked softly.
I let out a quiet chuckle and shook my head. “What home? A van literally drove through mine.”
She smirked, nudging her shoulder into mine. “You know, we do still have my place. And if we’re keeping score, this is technically our second house disaster. Kind of feels like déjà vu, hey?”
I turned to her and wrapped her in my arms, tugging her close until her face pressed into my chest. Her laugh vibrated against me.
“You really want to go back to your place?” I asked.
She tilted her head up, eyes full of mischief and something deeper. “With you and the kids? Yeah, I want us home.”
“Then let’s do this.”
The screen door creaked at that moment, and Kairo came bounding out. Kaida was hot on his heels, her blanket trailing behind her like a cape. They ran straight to us, Kaida clinging to Sayla’s leg while Kairo leaned against my side like he’d never stopped.
I dropped a kiss to the top of Sayla’s head, arms around all of them now. It felt like everything that mattered was right here.
Then, the sound of tires crunching over gravel pulled our attention to the driveway. A familiar black pickup rolled to a stop just past the porch steps, and Mark Montgomery climbed out, his baseball cap pulled low, and his expression relaxed but still sharp.
“Damn,” he drawled, eyeing us with a slow grin. “Good to see all of you in one piece.”
“Good to be in one piece,” I replied, shaking his hand.
Mark pulled me in for a rough, one-armed hug, then turned to Sayla and gave her a nod full of quiet respect. “You good?”
She nodded. “We’re good, getting there.”
“Awesome, because I’ve got your zoo.”
Sayla blinked. “Wait, what?”
Mark grinned. “Your pets. Lynyrd, Skynyrd, and—” he paused, giving me a look “—that cat. They’re at mine and Layla’s. The kids love 'em.”
Kairo cheered. “Yes, I want Dog!”
Mark turned to me, completely deadpan. “But what the fuck is up with your weird-ass cat, man?”
Sayla burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. Even Kaida started giggling, though she probably didn’t know what was funny. I tried not to grin and failed.
Mark shook his head, shuddering. “It stared at me all night from the top of the fridge. He didn’t even blink while he was doing it, like he was judging me.”
“He does judge people,” Sayla added helpfully, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Yeah, well, I’ll drop him off last. I can appreciate weirdness of that level more than most, considering I married a Townsend.”