Page 92 of Wicked Shadows
“You once asked me who Ava is. She’s my little sister, but she was taken from us when she was only five. Kidnapped by a monster. My parents had just bought me a new bicycle for my birthday, and at nine years old, I was preoccupied with tricking out my ride. I took my eyes off her for too long. They must have driven by and snatched her out of the front yard.
“Remember the man who died while we were in St. Lucia? He was a party to her disappearance, and he was there to coordinate the movement of more abducted children. Since I was completely off the grid while we were away, Axle showed up to deliver my orders in person. It was a sanctioned hit, but I gladly killed the man who took my sister away from us. I’ve blamed myself for what happened all my life, and I’ve dedicated my every move to protecting innocents as best as I could.
“So many times, I’ve wanted to lay all my cards out on the table for you to know all about me. I’ve said repeatedly the only way to leave the CIA is to die. Shadow was my nickname, the only name most people have ever known me as. Shadow died on his last operation and is finally released from the CIA. Devon now stands in front of you, asking for, I believe, the third time—will you marry me?”
“I’m sorry,” she replied and watched his face fall. “I’m still trying to catch up to you actually being alive and deciding if I should be mad at how much anguish you’ve put me through. When I opened the door and saw you there, I actually thought, if I was hallucinating because I’d had a mental breakdown, I didn’t want to be put back together. So now I know I’m not crazy, you are real, and you’ve been a spy and an undercover agent the entire time we’ve been together. It’s…a lot to take in.
“Plus, as I recall, you left me a year ago and haven’t been back.”
“I’ve been back many times,” he replied quietly. “But I can understand how you’re hurt over the secrets and the month since my funeral. To be fair, I’ve been in the hospital all that time, but you didn’t know that. It is a lot to accept and forgive. So I’ll go and give you the time to think about everything that’s happened. Mull it over. Decide what you want.”
He turned to leave, and she noticed his grimace when he moved, the slow pace of his steps, and his hand on the wall for support. The pallor of his skin struck her hard, as did the noticeable weight loss.
“I never said I didn’t know what I want, Devon.”
He stopped in his tracks, but he didn’t turn to face her. “And that is?”
“You. All I’ve ever wanted is you. All I’ll ever want is you. Had you asked me to leave the glamour and glitz of modeling and movies to join the undercover world in the shadows, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it as I packed my bags. My first choice has always been you.”
She slipped under his arm on his injured side and wrapped her arm around him, gripping the other side tightly. He looked down at her, his eyes overflowing with love. “Let me help you into my apartment. You need to lie down before you fall down.”
“You’re just trying to get me into your bed.”
“Damn straight.” She smirked.
His thumb and index finger found the ring on her finger and tilted it slightly from side to side. “Does this mean yes?”
“It means yes. With all of my heart, body, mind, and soul—yes.”
She walked him toward her bedroom, and her steps faltered only when she saw Jeff standing in Beth’s bedroom doorway with his hand firmly over Beth’s mouth.
“It’s the only way I could keep her from blabbing.” Jeff shrugged and winked, clearly enjoying his role in the game. “I’ll be on my way now.” He nodded to Devon, his eyes conveying the sincere gratitude he felt inside.
Elle smiled at her brother and continued assisting Devon to her room, then watched with tears brimming in her eyes as he struggled to crawl into the bed. Tears for so many reasons—elation, sadness, concern, and relief. Euphoria topped the list of feelings overwhelming her senses, though. Completely grateful for everything she’d gone through because it only made her that much more thankful to have him back in her life.
“When did you get out of the hospital?”
“About thirty minutes before I rang your doorbell.”
She slid into the bed beside him, his back to her front, and gently draped her arm over his side. “Does that hurt?”
“No.” He wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her closer to him. “You feel like heaven.”
“I have so many questions to ask you.”
“Ask away.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” she laughed.
“We have the rest of our lives, darlin’.”
She raised up on one elbow and put her chin on his shoulder. “So, black ops. Does that mean you know how to torture people for information?”
He slowly turned his head until he could see her. “That’s the first thing you want to know? Out of everything you could possibly ask?”
“It was the first question that popped up in my mind,” she giggled.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you so much.”
