Page 39 of Possessed By Roman

She gives him a watery glare. “You look terrible.”

A tired smile appears on his face. “Good to see you too.”

Her laugh breaks through her tears, and then she hugs him again.

I stand near the door with River while everyone else watches the reunion quietly. The others are here too, having arranged for family to keep the kids so they could be here when we brought Dan home. Raiden stands near the kitchen with Elodie, Royal has Nadia tucked against his side, and Sierra waits near River by the couch.

For the first time since this whole nightmare began, the tension inside my chest eases. Dan is home. Cora eventually guides him toward the couch, refusing to let go of his hand as they sit down. Once he is settled, she looks at him with a mixture of relief and worry.

“What happened?”

Dan leans back carefully. “Duggan took me. Him and another guy.” The room immediately becomes quiet.

“They grabbed me inside my house and took me somewhere I couldn’t identify. They wanted information about what I had found, what evidence I had collected, and where I kept copies of everything.” His gaze briefly moves toward me. “They wanted the drive.”

Cora’s expression falls. “They used you to get it from me.”

“Maybe,” Dan says gently, “but you thought you were saving your father. I would have done the same thing for you.”

She looks down, and I can tell she still blames herself.

Dan continues, “They held me for days and kept asking questions, but when they realized I wasn’t going to tell them anything else, they decided you were their best chance of getting the drive.”

My jaw tightens as anger moves through me again.

“They knew where I was,” Cora says quietly.

I move closer and rest my hand on her shoulder. “You’re not doing this again.”

Her eyes lift to mine. “You made a mistake,” I tell her quietly. “You’re alive. Your dad is alive. That’s what matters.”

Dan looks at all of us then, his expression becoming serious. “I don't know what would have happened if you all hadn't gotten involved, but I know I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Thank you.”

Royal gives him a small nod. “You don’t have to thank us.”

“I’m going to anyway.” Dan looks at River, then Raiden, and finally me. “All of you.”

Cora wipes at her eyes before looking around the room. “What happened to Alexander and the other man?”

River answers first. “Duggan and the man with him are alive and restrained. We recovered their weapons and phones, and Royal has already copied anything useful from the devices.”

Cora looks at Royal. “So what happens now?”

Dan shifts carefully beside her. “Now I make a few calls to people I know I can trust. The evidence I collected doesn't disappear just because Duggan wanted the original drive destroyed.”

Royal nods. “Especially since I copied everything.”

“What about the people helping him?” Cora asks.

“We go through every name,” Dan says. “Carefully. Duggan didn't build this alone, and I'm not assuming everyone with a badge can be trusted until we know exactly how far this goes.”

I watch Cora absorb that.

“So it's over?”

“For you,” I tell her. “Yes. Duggan isn't getting near you again.”

The rest will take longer.