“I’ve got it. But you know, we really should cue in the bounty hunter, don’t you think?”

He nodded. “Cops’ll be on us in no time, and people are starting to gather.”

Alani sat up straighter. “Go.” Knowing they had to coordinate stories, she shooed him away. “Do whatever you have to do.”

With a shake of his head, Trace walked off toward Arizona.

Gaze warm and intimate, Jackson touched her face. “We have so much talking to do.”

The groan bubbled out. After all his efforts to avoid deep discussions, that sounded pretty serious. She had a few things to say to him, too, but she definitely needed to compose herself first. “No more cloak-and-dagger, please. I can’t take it right now.”

He smiled. “Nah, nothing like that.” Sirens sounded. He looked at her mouth, gave her another brief kiss, and straightened away. “Wait for me in the car?”

“All right.” Alani forced herself to her shaky legs and all but collapsed in the backseat. Seconds later, Trace got Arizona into the car, too. Seconds after that, he was gone.

Jackson and Spencer talked, but they both kept their eyes on the car, watchful, protective.

Really good guys.

Arizona stewed, but Alani couldn’t just ignore her. “You’re okay?”

“It should have been me.”

Shaking her head, Alani said, “What do you mean?”

“I should have shot Chandra. I owed her. It was my right, not his.” Gaze devoid of feeling, she stared out the window. “Spencer robbed me of my revenge, and I’ll never forgive him for that.”

It broke Alani’s heart to think of what Arizona carried inside her, the hatred and need for retribution.

It was going to take a lot for anyone to really reach her.

“Someday,” Alani whispered, “you might feel differently.”

Arizona surprised her by saying, “Maybe.” She rested her forehead against the cool glass. “But not tonight.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

WITH GRIM THE CAT sprawled in his lap, purring in his rusty voice, Jackson lounged back in the big easy chair Alani had chosen just for him. It went with his other new furnishings, made his place feel like a real home and still suited him. He couldn’t remember ever being so comfortable.

Of course, that had as much to do with the fact that Alani was still with him, as with any of the furnishings.

With the danger behind them, he and Alani spent all their days together. Grim had settled right in, and Arizona…well, she was getting used to things.

Three weeks had passed since Chandra Silverman had died in the hospital. Spencer had taken in the rest of the cretins, and they were currently incarcerated on a list of charges a mile long. The best lawyer in the world wouldn’t do them any good—especially with Trace pulling in a few favors to ensure that no one cut them any deals.

Busting up their trafficking ring had freed a dozen females of various ages and nationalities. And finally, Alani and Arizona were safe.

Life was good.

Trace admired a decorative dish on a side table—something else Alani had chosen. “So Arizona is adjusting to her new job?”

God, he hoped so. “Seems like.” Jackson had given her an array of duties that she embraced with gusto. She’d visited them a few times, but by using the computer for her work, she could still live on her own. She threw herself into researching the backgrounds of small-scale, local-level traffickers.

Jackson didn’t want her anywhere near far-reaching organizations with major muscle behind them. Those were for him, Dare and Trace to deal with.

“The house looks great,” Dare said.

“Yeah. Alani did a terrific job, huh?” He could say that they were living together, except that Alani kept her own residence and only brought to his home the things she needed on a regular basis.

But he was working on that. Without pushing her too much, they’d had that serious talk. About exclusivity. He told her how precious she was to him, and he made it clear that he didn’t want things ending anytime soon.

Once he finally won her over, he’d tell her that he wanted her to stay with him forever. He’d tell her just how much he cared. He would—

“When are you going to marry her?”

Whoa. The question from Trace came out of left field. One second they were complimenting his house, and then—bam—they dropped the bombshell.

But the truth was, Jackson had thought about it plenty. Every day, in fact.

It was what he wanted, so Jackson started to say that he’d marry her just as soon as he could get her to agree—but then he noticed that both Dare and Trace wore identical looks of challenge.

No way in hell would he let them think they’d forced him to the altar.

One way or another, he would marry Alani—but only because he wanted to spend his life with her.

Not for any other reason.

Definitely not because Dare and Trace felt like forcing the issue. Alani wanted time to play, to experiment, and he knew for a fact she was enjoying their time together.

She deserved his patience, no matter how it killed him.

“Well?” Dare gave him a level look. “Let’s hear it.”

They actually expected excuses from him? Pfft. Did he look stupid? “It’s none of your business.”

“It’s my business,” Trace said.

“’Fraid not.” Jackson relaxed back in his chair while Grim pawed his shirt. “And you know your sister wouldn’t appreciate you nosing in.”