Page 129 of A Violet Obsession

“What are they looking at?” Brady asks.

“Williams loses her license, full stop. Conspiracy, fraud, administering a controlled substance without consent, possibly conspiracy—she’s looking at real time. Dawn is facing similar. Neither one of them will see the outside of a prison for a long time.”

“What about Joey and Keith?” Lily asks.

“Keith’s going to jail,” Brady says. “He broke half a dozen terms of his release from a previous offense just by being in that house. But the DA is going after them for armed home invasion.” A beat. “Joey will join him when he’s out of the hospital.” He clears his throat. “I heard the reconstruction surgery didn’t go as well as hoped.”

Lily shrugs. I’d worried the violence at the Vale house would have made her nightmares worse, but if anything, she’s been sleeping better than ever.

“And Voss?”

“Out of the country,” Brady says. “I don’t have the details, but apparently when Voss realized Noah Tate was inside the compound, he ran, fleeing the country.” He frowns and looks at me. “We should put him on the list of people to watch.”

I nod. “Richard Tate has his precious amethyst and is presumably worshipping it with the time he has left.”

“It’s over, Lily.” Brady smiles at her.

“Okay,” she says, but it’s obvious she doesn’t really believe it.

She will. It will just take some time for her to accept that she is safe and there are people who care about her.

Brady’s already on his feet, gathering his phone. “Go home, both of you. You’ve earned a boring week off.” He points a finger at me. “Take it.”

Hera has officially claimed the house.

One week in and she rules it like a tiny, orange-furred dictator—the warm spot by the kitchen vent, the back of the couch, and dead center of our bed every night. Right now, she’s draped across the arm of the sofa like a stole, watching us with half-lidded eyes. I’m not going to lie, I love it.

Lily stands at the kitchen island, twisting a dish towel in her hands. The late afternoon light catches her hair, making it glow.

“I need to get a job,” she says.

“No.”

She blinks. “Finn, I can’t just⁠—”

“You don’t need a job.” I cross the room and stop in front of her, close enough to see the little crease between her eyebrows.

“You aren’t paying all my bills,” she cuts in.

I smile, slow and sure. “Well, if we’re talking about your bills, I’d like to add one.” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Tuition.”

“I have a degree.” Her chin juts up.

“You do,” I agree. “And you earned it and paid for it yourself. I’m talking about an advanced degree.”

She stares at me. “You can’t pay for me to go to grad school. Do you have any idea how much that costs?”

“I have more than enough money.” I smirk. “Rich people pay obscene amounts of money to have someone do their dirty work.”

Lily looks skeptical. “Finn…”

I catch her face between my hands and kiss her, the kind of kiss that shows my love and commitment better than any words I could ever come up with. When I pull back, her cheeks are flushed and her fingers are twisted in my shirt.

“You’ve been taking care of yourself for too long,” I say against her lips. “Let me take care of you.”

She smiles, small and wondering. “Okay.”

I kiss her again, deeper this time, tasting our future on her tongue.