“Noted.”

I rose from my seat, deciding this meeting was over. Matt and I were leaving D.C. tonight, and I still had to say my good-byes.

“When will you have it up on the site?” I asked.

He grinned. “It’s not enough to put them into the ground, you have to see it, too?”

“Something like that.”

“Let me get on the phone with my attorney, sort some stuff out. I’ll rush it. It’ll be up in time for the crowd to get home from work and log on to their computers.”

“Good.”

His gaze ran over me, his expression curious. “So what’s next for you? You can’t plan on sticking around after setting this city on fire.”

“I don’t. I’m out of the game after this one.”

“Smart play.”

Only play.

He hesitated and then he stood, extending his hand to me. Surprise filled me. I reached out and shook his hand as a weird sort of understanding passed between us.

I’d always thought that Capital Confessions was a nuisance, occasionally a means to an end, but more than anything a giant pain in my ass and a threat to those I loved. But now I saw that we were all just part of the same machine, fighting our way through this town. It was more than broken engagements, gossip, and sex tapes. It was a rein on power, a source outside of the system of checks and balances that fought for a justice of sorts. It wasn’t perfect, and I certainly didn’t think Sean Dell was altruistic, but there was something to the work he did, shades of gray in a city that thrived there.

He released my hand. “Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

“And tell your boyfriend I said thank you for his service. And his sacrifice.” He gave me a proud smile. “My son’s a Marine.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, the words so unexpected, the emotion catching me off guard. I nodded and gave him a small smile, and then I turned, walking out of the Capital Confessions offices already feeling lighter. I hadn’t just dumped the files and years of dirt, it felt like I’d passed the baton on to someone else, and I knew without a doubt that Sean Dell wouldn’t let me down.

I walked down the street, the need to take in my surroundings and look for potential threats now as familiar as breathing. I spotted Matt standing on the street corner waiting for me, his head covered in a baseball cap, his eyes obscured by dark sunglasses. He closed the distance between us, coming to greet me, his mouth tightened in a hard line.

“How did it go?”

“Well. He’s going to handle it. I told him everything. I trust him.”

Matt let out a sigh of relief and it looked like his whole body relaxed. “Good.” He held his hand out to me. “Are you ready to go say good-bye?”

I nodded, not sure I would ever be ready to say good-bye, but knowing it was the right thing anyway.

I placed my hand in his, our fingers linked, and looked up, taking a moment to appreciate the D.C. skyline, the view of the Capitol shining in the sun, wondering if I would ever see it again.

And then we went to say our good-byes.

Chapter Twenty-three

Senator Reynolds will have some questions to answer regarding his involvement …

—Capital Confessions blog

Kate

We met back at the hotel. Matt left to go pick up our documents—we had over fifty hours of travel ahead of us and lots of connections to cover our tracks—and to prepare everything for our departure that evening. The plan was for us to lose these IDs on a stopover en route to Bali and switch over to new docs that he’d had prepared for us. The whole thing was crazy, and our odds of success terrified me, but I trusted Matt and I went with it, because honestly, there really wasn’t a better solution.

I stayed with Blair and Jackie while he took care of business, enjoying my final hours with my sisters. Blair came prepared with a box of pastries from our favorite bakery in D.C.—the one we’d ordered from for so many Sunday brunches. The lump formed in my throat at the sight of the familiar lettering and the move that was so classically Blair. It made me feel better to know that she and Jackie would have each other in my absence, not to mention Gray and Will.

We sat on the couch, drinking mimosas courtesy of the champagne and orange juice Blair had also brought. Despite the sadness lingering in the air, I think we all wanted to focus on the positive rather than feeling like this was a defeat. We’d won a battle today, even if we hadn’t come out unscathed.

I filled them in on my meeting with Sean while we ate.

“I can’t believe we’re teaming up with the enemy,” Blair grumbled.

Considering how much Sean had made of both her broken engagement and her relationship with Gray, I didn’t blame her for feeling the way she did.

“I know, but it was the smartest move we could make. The enemy of my enemy, and all that. Besides, I got him to promise to lay off you guys. I figured that would make up for the brunt of it.”

“Hopefully.”

“Are you ready for your trip?” Jackie asked.

I nodded, figuring I was as ready as I’d ever be.

“Do you have everything you need?” Blair asked.

I grinned, nostalgia filling me as Blair assumed her usual maternal role. “Yes.”

“Are you sure? Did you pack enough shoes? Socks?”

“Yes.”

“You always under-pack.”

I laughed. “I know, but I got this. Promise.”

“Are you scared?” she asked, her voice thick.

My expression sobered. “A little.”

“You can always come home. With more time, we could figure out a way to make it work. And if you need anything, we’ll be there for you. You know that, right? I know you want to do this alone, and I’m not saying that you can’t, just that you don’t have to. There are people here who love you and are willing to fight for you.”

I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes. “I know.”

I turned toward Jackie. “I’m really sorry I’m going to miss the wedding. You’ll have to send pictures.”

She nodded, her gaze watery. “I will.” She gave me a quick hug. “I can’t believe I found you just to lose you again.”

“I know.” She’d only been in my life a short time, but she was as much my sister as Blair was and I loved her. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us. We couldn’t have gotten through this without your connections and your research.”

“I feel like I got you into this mess in the first place,” she replied. “I wish I’d never started this stupid vendetta against him. It wasn’t worth it.”

“It was,” Blair interjected, surprising me. “It was the right thing to do. I thought I could bury my head in the sand, that if I just left town, it would all go away, but I didn’t think of all the people he’d hurt along the way, of all the damage he could still do.” Her gaze met mine and held, understanding flickering in her eyes. “You were right all along; he needed to be stopped.”

It felt good to have her approval, to know that I wasn’t alone in this.

We sat together, talking about nothing, focusing on the mundane rather than the jarring fact that this would be the last time we would see each other for the foreseeable future. It felt like an ending of sorts, even though I knew that distance wouldn’t lessen the bond I felt between us or diminish the love I held for them.

A series of knocks sounded on the door, the code Matt and I had developed so I would know it was him, and then the lock turned and he walked over the threshold, his gaze sweeping over all of us. A smile tugged at his lips; I figured we looked pretty ridiculous holed up in this shitty hotel room, drinking mimosas and eating fancy pastries like we didn’t have a care in the world.

His gaze softened as it settled on me, the love in his eyes filling me with a flood of warmth.

“We should probably get going soon. Our flight leaves in a few hours.”

I nodded. “Did you get everything you need?”