Chapter 10 - THE DAWN OF THE REYES ESTATE
The digital clock on the master bedroom nightstand glowed 11:58 PM.
Outside, the desert storm had reached its peak, rain lashing against the stucco walls in violent, rhythmic sheets. Inside, the room was dimly lit by a single amber reading lamp.
Selena sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, her fingers gently threading through Ruby’s dark curls as the little girl slept soundly, clutching her stuffed rabbit against her chest. Selena was fully dressed in dark trousers and a heavy wool sweater, her eyes fixed on the heavy oak door.
She had heard the quiet, disciplined patter of boots in the corridor below twenty minutes ago. She had heard Marcus’s voice giving clipped, tactical orders over the encrypted comms.
She knew what was coming.
Click.
The bedroom door opened slowly.
Damon stepped inside out of the shadows. His coat was damp from the rain, his knuckles grazed, and a faint streak of soot smudged his left cheek, but his eyes were clear, steady, and entirely calm.
Selena stood up immediately, crossing the room to meet him.
"Is it over?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to keep it steady.
Damon reached out, wrapping his warm, strong arms around her and pulling her tightly against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of lavender and vanilla that always seemed to ground him when the rest of the world was burning.
"It's over," Damon murmured against her ear. "The men at the north ridge aren't a problem anymore. Federal marshals picked up the rest of the cell near the highway. The Romano name is finished, Selena. Permanently."
Selena let out a long, shuddering breath, her hands gripping the fabric of his coat as the last remaining fear of her past life finally melted away into the dark.
"You're bleeding," she noticed, pulling back just an inch to touch the small graze on his knuckle.
"It's nothing," Damon said, offering a rare, genuine smile that softened the hard lines of his face. "A parting gift from a very unhappy man who won't be bothering anyone ever again."
From the bed, a sleepy little voice broke the quiet.
"Uncle Luca?"
Damon turned, walking over to the bedside and kneeling down until he was eye-level with the little girl. Ruby rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand, blinking against the light.
"Yes, Boss?" Damon asked softly.
"Did the bad men go away?"
Damon reached out, gently smoothing her crooked curls, and nodded.
"They're gone, sweetheart. They’re never coming back."
Ruby yawned, turning over and burying her face back into her pillow, already drifting back off to sleep with the absolute certainty of a child who knew she was safe.
Selena stepped up beside Damon, slipping her hand into his large palm. He intertwined his fingers with hers, the golden band on her ring finger catching the amber light of the lamp.
They walked together to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the vast expanse of the Arizona estate. Beyond the manicured lawns and the cypress trees, the first pale streaks of dawn were beginning to break across the eastern horizon, painting the desert sky in brilliant shades of gold and amber.
May you like
The pink suitcase sat quietly in the corner of the closet upstairs, its zipper closed, its contents untouched. None of them would ever need to pack it again.
Damon pulled Selena closer against his side, watching the sun rise over a house that was finally, truly, a home.
