"I'm sure that's not true."

  "Let's get out of here," Max said, offering her a hand. "I'm sure Kara would like to see some daylight."

  "I really would." She got to her feet, but before they could move, one of the SWAT members came back into the room with an odd expression on his face.

  "What's wrong?" Alina asked sharply.

  "We've been clearing the buildings in the area," he said. "We found two men next door. One was deceased, the other was half naked and unconscious behind a dumpster at the helipad. He said he was supposed to fly Qadir out of the area, but someone knocked him out and apparently stole his clothes."

  "What?" she said in shock. "The helicopter pilot was knocked unconscious?" She turned to Max. "Who the hell is flying Qadir's helicopter?"

  He stared at her for a long minute. Then his gaze swept the room. "Where's Tyler?"

  "He went to the bridge," Alina said.

  A moment later, Max's earpiece came to life, Tyler's calm voice coming across the radio. "I just landed a helicopter at Morris Field in Westchester. Ali Qadir is deceased. Repeat, Ali Qadir is dead."

  She sucked in a breath as she met Max's gaze.

  Then Max said, "Copy that."

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was after five p.m. when they returned to the Castleton Hotel. They'd planned to pick up their things and go back to her place, but once she sat down on the soft couch in the living room, Kara didn't think she could get up again any time soon. "Maybe we can spend one more night here," she said. "It's so much nicer than my apartment."

  "I could do that," Max said, sitting down next to her and grabbing her hand.

  He'd been holding her hand for most of the day. After they'd left the warehouse, they'd gone back to her office, where they'd met up with the rest of her team for a lengthy debrief.

  Qadir's men, who had not been killed at the warehouse, were already talking, giving names and contact information for those who had escaped after setting up the bomb on the bridge.

  There would be a long investigation into everything else that had happened, including Hartford's original revenge plot, including the café bomb, and the explosion that had killed James Cooper as well as Dominic's shady deal with Qadir. There was a lot to be sorted out over the next several weeks, and her team would be on it.

  Kara had also been relieved to hear that the safe house leak had been tied to a low-level analyst at 26 Fed, who happened to be David Hartford's cousin, and who owned Hartford a great deal of money for canceling his gambling debts. That analyst had been Hartford's eyes inside the investigation. Thankfully, most of the investigation had been done by her team, but the analyst had been able to access the safe house location, which was used by the New York field office. Kara was thrilled that no one on her team had been responsible.

  The most important update had come from Tyler, who had escorted Qadir's body back to New York City for confirmation of his death. Then he'd told them what had happened. Once he'd learned Qadir's escape plan, he'd slipped out of the warehouse, taken out the guard at the helipad, knocked out the pilot, and put on his clothes and flight gear. He'd been waiting in the helicopter when Jason had escorted Qadir to the helipad. He'd wondered if Jason had recognized him.

  Jason said he had, and he was on board with the idea and with Tyler's initiative to think that quickly. He was also impressed that Tyler knew how to fly a helicopter.

  Kara had been impressed by that, too. Apparently, Tyler had a lot of talents, and she was happy that he was not only someone she could trust but someone she could count on to be extremely good at his job.

  After Qadir sent the codes, Tyler said he'd landed the helicopter in the field instead of the small airport where Qadir had wanted to go. Qadir attacked him with a knife that he'd hidden in his shoe, and he shot him in self-defense.

  She wondered about that part of the story, but no one had seemed interested in discussing the details of Tyler's actions since he'd killed one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

  "Kara?"

  She suddenly realized how long she'd been lost in thought. "Sorry, what did you say?"

  "Just wondering what you're thinking about?"

  "Everything," she said with a helpless shrug. "There's a lot to process."

  "You don't have to do that tonight."

  "I know." She paused. "What did you think about Tyler's actions?"

  "I thought he was brilliant," Max admitted. "And I was impressed Jason let him do it. There was a lot at stake."

  "We had more control with Tyler in the pilot's seat. If Qadir hadn't sent the codes, if the bombs hadn't been disarmed, he was going to kill him."

  "He was always going to kill him," Max said, meeting her gaze. "Maybe that won't be the official story, but I think it's the truth."

  "So do I. Are you sorry you didn't get to be the one to do that?"

  "Absolutely not. I was where I wanted to be—with you."

  "You should have left. You are too brave and too protective for your own good." She paused, gazing into his eyes. "Thank you."

  He squeezed her hand. "I didn't want to live without you."

  "Not even to hunt down Qadir if he got away?"

  "I wasn't thinking about him. But I'm very glad he's dead, and that the Azrani brothers are also deceased. Qadir's organization will splinter now. They'll be far less lethal."

  "But more will come in his place."

  "Let's not think about that now." He paused. "Do you want to call your mom or your brother? I couldn't help noticing your phone has been lighting up all day."

  "Whenever my family hears bad news in the city, they text me. I told them I was fine. I didn't tell them what happened. They don't need to know. But they still keep texting."

  "I don't blame them. They love you. And they should, because you are an incredible woman."

  She felt touched and flattered by the admiration and respect in his gaze. "I just survived. You and Tyler and Jason did the hard work."

  "Are you kidding? None of us were trapped in a suicide vest. I can't imagine how that felt."

  "You don't want to imagine it, and I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm actually feeling hungry."

  "Room service," he said with a smile. "I say we order everything on the menu."

  "Including dessert. And then I want to try out that Jacuzzi tub. I'm hoping you'll join me."

  "Well, considering I can't seem to let go of your hand, I'd say that's going to happen," he said dryly.

  "It's funny. I didn't think you would be a hand-holder."

  "I never have been."

  "I haven't either. But this feels right." She licked her lips. "We said a lot of things to each other in the heat of the moment, Max. It's going to be okay if you want to back off on any of them."

  "Do you want to back off?" he challenged.

  "No, but I'm pragmatic enough to know that people say things when they're scared, and then when they're not⁠—"

  "I didn't say anything that wasn't true or that I didn't mean," he said with certainty in his voice. "But we can go as fast or as slow as you want. I just want to be with you, figure things out together."

  "I like the sound of that. And there will be things to figure out for you, like whether you ever work for Dominic again. I wonder what's going to happen to him."

  "Probably not much," he said. "I doubt there's any evidence linking him to some deal with Qadir that involved me. And bribes in that part of the world are so common, it would be stranger if Dominic hadn't paid people for protection. But we'll see what happens. I'd like to make sure that every part of his organization is investigated."

  She laughed at his wicked smile. "Put him through hell."

  "It's only right, don't you think?"

  "I absolutely do think it's right."

  "Even if you don't believe in revenge?" he challenged.

  "I don't believe in revenge that includes killing people. Making their life miserable…I'm okay with that."

  "We'll see how it plays out. Revenge is no longer a priority for me. I don't want to wake up every day filled with anger."

  "How do you want to wake up?"

  "I want to wake up with you, Kara."

  She leaned her head against his good shoulder as he put his arm around her. "That sounds wonderful. I never thought I'd meet someone I could really count on to be there for me. But you blew that thought out of the water."

  "And I never thought I'd want to commit to anyone, but I can't imagine not seeing you every day of my life."

  "What if our life becomes ordinary after the adrenaline wears off?"

  "Ordinary sounds amazing to me. And I want to get to know your family for real. I don't want to be your fake boyfriend. I want to go to your uncle's poker games, let your mother feed me too much food, and ask when we're going to get married."

  "She will ask—a lot."

  He laughed. "I can handle your mother."

  "We'll see. I'd like to meet your dad, too, Max."

  "We have time for everything now."

  "Time," she murmured. "What a beautiful thing." She lifted her head from his shoulder and gave him a kiss that drove all thoughts of dinner and Jacuzzi tubs out of her head. "Maybe we'll eat later," she said.

  "Much later," he agreed as he pulled her into his arms.

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later…

  The softball game had been Hayden's idea. "Family bonding," he'd called it, though Kara suspected it was really an excuse for her brother to determine whether her new boyfriend had the goods to compete on his men's softball team starting next month.

  Softball had always been a tradition in their family. Every spring they gathered for a game in the park to kick off baseball season. Kara was a pretty good player, but rarely had time to play on a team, so her skills were rusty. Not that she cared much about this game at all; she was more interested in seeing how Max fit in with her large, extended family. Until now, she'd been introducing him to people in smaller groups. But this was everyone and their friends. And Max seemed to be loving it.

  He waved to her from second base, where he'd landed after hitting a double. He looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. Three weeks of sleeping through the night without nightmares of Qadir and waking up next to someone who loved him despite knowing all his secrets, had taken a lot of weight off him.

  She felt lighter herself, no longer feeling the need to prove anything to anyone. She realized now how the incident at the NYPD, the breakup with her boyfriend, and the blacklisting by former friends had taken a serious toll on her. She'd buried herself in work, so she didn't have to think about friendship or love. She'd thought proving she was an excellent agent would make everyone realize they were wrong about her, but now she knew she hadn't really been trying to prove that to others, but to herself. She didn't have to do that anymore. She knew who she was, and she was good with herself.

  "Strike three!" Uncle Danny called from behind home plate, grinning as Hayden walked back to the bench after striking out spectacularly. "Medical school didn't teach you how to hit a curveball!"

  "That wasn't a curveball!" Hayden protested. "That was barely a strike!"

  "I'm the umpire. My rules."

  "Max is fitting in well," her mother said, settling down beside her on the blanket Kara had spread on the grass when she'd decided to sit out so that the two teams would have even numbers. "Look at him, he's having the time of his life," her mom added as Max ran home on her cousin Laurel's long fly ball.

  "He likes our big, chaotic family."

  "We like him. So, when are you going to make this official?"

  "Mom!"

  "What? I'm just saying, you're not getting any younger, Kara. And he clearly adores you."

  "We've known each other for a month."

  "That doesn't matter. I've never seen you look so happy. I want that to continue."

  "It will," she said. "Stop pushing. I've got this."

  "I'm glad," her mother said. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

  "No, I'll wait for Max."

  Her mother stood up, then paused. "Your father would have liked him, Kara?"

  "Really?"

  "Yes. Not because he's strong and brave and handsome, but because he loves you, and he wants to protect you."

  "I don't need him to protect me."

  Her mother smiled. "I know that, but there is always a time in life when you need someone to have your back."

  "Well, I know that Max will always have my back," she said, remembering how he'd bravely stood by her side as they both faced death. But her mother was never going to hear that story.

  "That's what I think, too," her mom said with a satisfied smile. Then she went to join her sister-in-law at the dessert table.

  A moment later, the game ended, and Max came over to join her.

  "I think we won," he said, flopping down on the blanket beside her. "But I'm not entirely sure. The game seems to be starting again with new teams, so who knows?"

  "That's how these games go," she said with a laugh. "They never end, and my uncle makes up rules so everyone will feel like they've won. By the way, my family loves you."

  "I love them too."

  "So, you said you had some news," she reminded him. "Can you share it?"

  "I'm not sure this is the right time."

  "We're alone. And I want to hear it."

  "Okay. I've decided to make my fake security firm real," he said. "My friend Reza is leaving the agency; he's going to join me. So will Kai, who was helping me with Dominic's business. She's willing to commit to full-time as long as I don't make her travel. Reza has another friend who's leaving the ATF. He'll come on board as well, and we'll see where we go from there. It looks like I'm going to need an actual office."

  "Are you focusing on overseas work?"

  "No. I'm happy to focus on the city. I'm starting to like it almost as much as you do."

  "It is an amazing city." Her gaze drifted to the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance. "I still sometimes wonder how we didn't lose that bridge. But I'm so glad it's still there." She looked back at him. "I've been thinking about a few things, too."

  "Like…"

  "Maybe we should get an apartment together. We're together most nights, and going back and forth is getting to be a pain. I think we should find a place to share."

  "I already started looking," he said, surprising her again.

  "Really?"

  "Yes. But before we move in together, I want to make things more official."

  She gave him a warning look. "Stop right there, Max Malone. You are not going to propose to me at a family softball game with everyone watching."

  He laughed. "That would be perfect, wouldn't it?"

  "No. I don't enjoy being the center of that kind of attention."

  "I know you don't." He gave her a look that suggested he knew her as well as she knew herself. "I'm not proposing here, but soon. I want you to know that I'm committed to you and me. This is going to be a long-term deal."

  "I thought you didn't like long-term."

  "Well, you changed my mind. And when I ask you to marry me, it will be a surprise."

  "As long as it's just you and me, I don't care where it is or when it happens. Because I love you, and I'm all in. In fact, I could just ask you right now," she said.

  "No way. You don't want a family proposal, and I don't want you to ask me."

  "So, we make a deal that I propose when your family is not around."

  "It's a deal," she said with a grin. "We negotiate pretty well."

  "We do a lot of things pretty well." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "By the way, I heard that the investigations into Dominic's global empire are revealing quite a few skeletons in the closet. He's going to be facing charges for all kinds of things."

  "Good," she said with satisfaction. "I can't stand that he used you to make a deal with Qadir. I know he's acting like he wasn't going to honor it, and that it only had to do with getting you to Tajikistan, but I don't buy it, and I don't trust him."

  "Samantha doesn't trust him, either," he said. "I stopped at the hospital this morning on my way here."

  "Really? How is she doing?" She knew that Samantha had been recovering from her near-death experience but still had a long road back to recovery.

  "She's now aware of everything that happened, and her newfound appreciation for life has apparently given her a conscience. She said she's asked the DA to reopen investigations into the fire and all the people who were involved."

  "Too little, too late for David Hartford and his family, not that he deserves any compassion, but the victims of that fire do. By the way, did Samantha ever tell you why she sent you that text asking you to meet her at the café?"

  "It was what we thought. She was concerned about Dominic. Actually, it wasn't just concern; she'd overheard him talking to someone, and it had sounded like he was paying for protection. She didn't like that idea. She was concerned that Dominic's ambition would lead him and possibly her into a dangerous situation, as she was planning to attend the groundbreaking with him."

  "She is a smart woman."

  "Smart enough to end things with him as soon as she realized how deeply he'd gotten involved with Qadir."

  "Well, I'm glad she's recovering."

  "She told me she's hoping to be back to work within the next two months."

  "She's a workaholic—kind of like us."

  He smiled. "We're talking too much about work, aren't we?"

  "Maybe. I'm excited about your new company, Max, and I really enjoy working with my team, but I hope we can find some balance going forward. I want more in my life than just work. I want a real relationship, and I want to make that relationship a priority, too. I know it won't be easy for either of us. When there are lives on the line, we'll go all in. But maybe when there aren't lives on the line, we don't obsess over work."

  "I like the sound of that. I've spent too many days and years chasing Qadir, looking for revenge, justice, whatever you want to call it. I don't want to do that anymore."

  "It's all really pointless, isn't it? No one can change the past. All any of us can do is just move on. The best revenge is being happy, right?"