Page 89 of Drilled

Epilogue

Lane

There were few things that I loved more than Chicago in spring time.

With mud season finally over, the biting slushy wind was replaced with a soft, lilac-scented breeze and clear night skies with visible stars. Late May brought with it a predictable lushness that I found so cathartic after the chaos of winter.

And tonight, we were making the most of the best this new season had to offer.

My small, newly-landscaped backyard was a glowing oasis, packed with fresh green turf that I was surprised to find I had quite the knack for maintaining. Hydrangeas were in full bloom and Dax had rigged up crisscrossing fairy lights that cast a warm glow over the crowd.

The party was a combined birthday celebration for Nance, and a housewarming for us. She looked beautiful in her summer dress, deep in conversation with Dax and the cousin I recognized as the one she told me about. She'd traded an invite to this party with him for the fast-track on my emergency paperwork, and seeing him here only reminded me again about how lucky I was to have her in my life.

And now that she’d gotten accepted into the fellowship program, I was even more proud of her than ever. Vance had taken some chasing down but I’d called in a few favors of my own and he eventually pulled his head out of his ass long enough to give Nance her well-deserved letter of recommendation.

Looking at them now, it seemed as though she and Dax had got into another debate again, which seemed to be something they enjoyed doing. Sy walked past me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before joining his brothers around the barbeque.

Docket followed him, bounding between our guests’ legs and attracting the adoration of every partygoer.

I sighed in contentment, just soaking in the soft music playing, and the conversations and laughter flowing around me. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this happy.

When I didn’t find Bear in the crowd, I decided to look for him in the kitchen. And there he was, grabbing more beer for the cooler outside.

“Hey sexy,” I said, leaning against the doorframe and tilting my head.

Bear turned around with a grin on his face and put the beers down on the counter. “That sounds like an invitation.”

“More of an observation,” I countered, moving towards him and putting my arms around his neck. He lowered his head and pressed his mouth to mine. The kiss was chaste and sweet but filled with a domestic warmth that was just as exciting as his less restrained kisses.

“If having people over puts you in this mood, then we’ll have to do it more often,” he said, drawing me closer at the waist until my body was flush against his.

“I’m affectionate all the time!” I said indignantly and he just raised an eyebrow. I pushed back a bit, determined to make a point. “Besides, it does help that I feel so much more relaxed now that our resident troll has left the building.”

“Ah, that explains it,” Bear said. “Any news on buyers for the upstairs unit?”

“Not yet.” I slid my hands down his chest and let them rest there. “There’s a viewing booked in a few weeks’ time. I can’t believe the prick actually left me his key. I would’ve expected him to make me jump through hoops out of pure spite.”

“Might be guilt. After he pushed you down the stairs…” Bear trailed off and I felt the tension cord his muscles.

He was still furious about what happened that day, and the fact that he hadn’t been here to protect me. It took me using every method in the book to convince the guys to leave Sandy alone while he sorted out his affairs. And funnily enough, up until the day he left, no one saw so much as a glimpse of him. He clearly knew better than to show himself again.

“Hey, I’m okay,” I said, taking his hands and placing them on my cheeks. “I’m completely healed and he’s gone.”

Bear exhaled, relaxing slightly. Then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. “Did he leave anything behind?”

“Nope. Not that I’m aware of. Why?” I asked.

“Want to go check it out for ourselves?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Now I smirked. “You mean we get to see the monster’s lair up close? Of course.”

He hooked his fingers in my belt loops and pulled me even closer. “Let’s get the boys.”

*

Seeing the inside of Sandy’s apartment was incredibly anticlimactic.

It was eerily pristine and smelled vaguely of citrus bleach and paint. There was no clutter, just stark white walls that made it look as though Sandy Manning had never even existed.