“In other words, Kevin’s got shit,” I said. “Nothing on you, and nothing to hang over my dad. And since you and my dad are doing this task force thing together, if Kevin tries to make a stink, it’ll just come off making him look bad.”

He grinned. “It’s easy to see you’re a politician’s daughter.”

“But—but this is incredible.” So much so that I had to lean against the hood of his rental car. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for getting my father out of this mess.”

“You’re welcome, but my motive was a selfish one, too. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either,” I said. “I miss you so damn much.”

“But you need to go in with eyes wide open. Because Kevin is going to be pissed and he just might be vindictive. I’m getting out—I already told you that. I’m cleaning up my various businesses, and if I can’t clean them up, I’m dumping them. Ending them altogether or selling my share to Tyler and Cole. I’ve been cleaning up for a while now, ever since my mom died, and I don’t think there’s a stitch of evidence for him to latch onto. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve done things. Things he can jump all over. He might not be able to make it stick, but he can still make life miserable for us.”

He took my hand and raised my fingertips to his lips. “In other words, as long as Kevin’s determined to poke around, I’m still not a safe bet.”

I looked at him, thinking of the way he made me feel. Of my uncle’s regret. Of my mother.

Most of all, I thought about what I wanted.

And what I wanted was this man.

“I love you, Evan. I want to go home. And I’m willing to accept whatever risk.” I drew in a breath. “I don’t want to ever be without you.”

“And you never will be,” he said, then pulled me into a long, deep kiss punctuated by that extra special Evan kick that I loved so much. “Do you want to go back to Chicago right away?” he asked.

I frowned, not sure what he was driving at. “Why? Do you want to stay in California for a while?”

“I was thinking we could take a short detour on the way back,” he said. “A weekend in Italy? Or we could just go wild and spend a full week there. What do you say?”

I laughed, delighted with the man, with the world, with the whole entire universe.

“I say that sounds absolutely amazing.”

epilogue

Luckily for me, Esther hadn’t yet filled the director position at the foundation, and so I was able to slide seamlessly into my new job. It was a lot of work between that and my classes, but I loved it. I especially loved coming home at night to Evan.

The day that the job was official, my parents sent me flowers and Evan took me to high tea at The Drake to celebrate.

Afterward, Evan and I walked to the beach, and even though I was wearing heels and a cocktail dress and Evan was wearing dress slacks, we kicked off our shoes and walked barefoot in the sand to the water’s edge.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, looking not at me but at the lake that lay spread out in front of us.

His tone captured my attention, making me suddenly and unreasonably afraid. I stopped drawing designs in the sand with my toes and looked at him. “All right,” I said, telling myself that no matter what, it would be okay. This was Evan, after all. This was the man I loved. “Tell me.”

“I asked the guys to do some poking around in California. Talk to our connections in the various police departments. Ask a few questions of some of the gang leaders. We got some good intel. And when I was out there, I followed up on it.”

I tensed. “Gracie,” I whispered.

His fingers were still twined with mine, and now he raised our joined hand to his lips. “Jahn found them,” he said. “I don’t know how, but he found the three sons of bitches who killed your sister.”

“Oh.” My legs suddenly felt like noodles, and I held tight to Evan’s hand, determined to stand. “How? When?”

“Five years ago. He never said a word, just went out to vindicate his niece. As for how, I’m not certain. But he managed it. He found them, and he killed two. The third he put in the hospital. He survived and then bragged about it to his buddies. That’s how we were able to get our intel.”

“I—” I drew in a breath and realized that at least a little of the burden I’d carried for close to eight years had been lifted. “Did they arrest him?”

“No,” Evan said, his jaw tight.

I licked my lips. “Did you kill him?”

He faced me, his gray eyes as flat as I’d ever seen them. “No,” he said. “Some gangbanger got to him six months ago.” He drew in a breath. “I have never killed a man, but I went out there intending to do just that. To find that son of a bitch and to end him. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

I nodded, feeling numb.

“I’ve walked away from a lot of my past. For you. For Ivy. For myself. But I have a code, and if someone comes after me or mine, I will strike back. And if it comes down to it, I will kill to protect the people I love.”

“Do you think it scares me?” I asked. “You should know me better by now. You’re not a killer, Evan. You’re a protector. And I’ve never felt more safe than when I’m with you.”

“Good,” he said, looking both relieved and nervous. “I needed to make sure you understood that before—”

I cocked my head, confused by the way he suddenly broke off his words. “Before what?”

“Before I ask you to marry me,” he said.

“Evan!”

For a moment I thought he was joking. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He held it out to me even as he sank to one knee in the sand. “I love you, Angelina Raine. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

I looked from the ring to the man holding it and realized that both were blurry, probably because I’d started crying.

I sniffled, then laughed, then slid the ring on my finger before dropping down into the sand myself and knocking him backward. I kissed him, hard and fast, this man of mine. And as we lay in the sand under the bright summer sun, I said the only thing there was left to say.

I said yes.