At Cole’s mention of being their enemy, they glanced at each other. Fear. Uncertainty. I caught those two emotions before they could be masked. They quickly went back to being statues, but they were growing restless. One couldn’t keep his hand still, so he tucked it under the table. Another’s eye kept twitching, and he coughed, wiping his face to cover it up. A third leaned forward, his eyes even more intent on what Cole was about to say.

They needed the family. They couldn’t go against both of us, not if we were together. I saw their surrender.

Cole paused and looked around the room. He was going to keep going, tell them about all the men he had, how I had built up my own security detail again. Every word he was about to say had been carefully picked to let the elders know we weren’t to be taken lightly, that we were a real enemy, if they chose to go that route. It was either accept us back in, or be damned.

But I knew it was done. They wouldn’t go against us, not after what I’d done to the Bartel family, who had all gone underground after we took Andrea back. So I cleared my throat. Cole glanced at me, his eyes narrowing for a second. Then he nodded and stepped back.

It was my time to talk.

I looked each elder in the eyes before I did. “You know what I did to the Bartels. I cut their family in half. If you touch Emma. If you betray Cole. If there is any attack on my loved ones, I will hold you responsible. I will do more than cut your family in half. Let me be very clear.”

They were riveted. They knew I was speaking my truth. I would kill them, no hesitation.

“Emma is why I’m no longer the Cold Killer. If something happens to her, I will hunt each of you down. I will take from you what you took from me. I will do to you what I did to the Bartels, but it will be three times the damage. Do not think this is a bluff. You will die.” I pointed at Cole. “He is the true leader. His bloodline is the true leadership of this family. You will uphold those traditions.”

One by one, they looked from me to Cole, until all eyes were on him.

He stepped forward. He was their leader. I saw it. He saw it. They saw it. I didn’t want to kill my own family. I had been praying, hoping this would be the result, and it was, but I had lingering doubts. If they’d betrayed him once, they could do it again.

Cole looked at me and nodded, a fierce determination coming from him. “I will fulfill my father’s leadership, and my first order of this family is to release Carter from us.”

A stirring sounded from the men.

I silenced them, holding my hand in the air. “Cole is granting my request. I asked to be released. After this day, all my business shares will be sold to Cole. He is taking my place in more than one way, but if he needs me, I’ll be at his side.”

They needed to accept that, and as they stood, coming around the table to me, I knew they had. A line formed, and each one of them hugged me before returning to his seat.

Cole was the last. No words were spoken. This was the end, and we knew it. I would go back to Emma, and I would live my life free, like I had before AJ was murdered. Cole would always be a brother, and he was the one they needed to fear. As I left, I heard him announce the other reason for this meeting. “There are three men among you who are traitors to the Mauricio name because they aligned with Gene. They supported him as he was going to kill me and Carter’s woman. To show your loyalty to me now, those three traitors need to stand up.”

I paused outside the door. Cole already knew who the men were. He’d searched for them, but the elders needed to hand them over. When I heard the first name spoken, I started forward. It was done. As I went to the stairs, I heard the last two names.

I was almost to the next floor when I heard the gunshots.

One.

Two.

Three.

It was done.

A woman stood in front of AJ’s tombstone with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Her head bent down, but I could see, even through the car window, that she had my build. Her shoulders were slender, and her dark hair whipped around in the wind. That was all I could tell. But Andrea and I looked so much alike that we must’ve taken after her.

It was the logical conclusion, but I wanted to know. A part of me didn’t want to look like her. AJ had taken me away, and I couldn’t remember most of my childhood. I knew that was because of her, and in some way, some small way, I blamed her.

If she’d been the mother we should’ve had, none of this life would’ve happened. AJ would’ve been alive. Andrea and I would have grown up knowing each other. But then there was Carter.

I glanced over my shoulder as he waited for me. I might not have known him. No. He was my soul, the other half of me. I had to believe we would’ve found our way to each other, even if things had been different. And gazing at him now, I knew that would’ve happened. Somehow. Some way. At some point, we would’ve found each other.

But life had turned out the way it had, bringing me right to where I now sat, watching a stranger who never should have been one.

Carter had awakened me this morning and told me there was something I needed to see. I didn’t question him. I got out of bed, dressed, and followed him to the car. The guys hadn’t come with us. Michael, Peter, and Drake opted to spend time with their families, so they weren’t with us for the week. Carter was really out of that life, so they weren’t needed as much as before. For a few days alone, just Carter and me, we’d get by just fine.

“That’s my mother?” I asked now, but I knew. I think I just needed to hear it affirmed out loud.

“Yes.” Carter nodded. “My guy notified me she was coming here today.”

“How’d she find his grave?”

“I had her told.”

“What?”

“She was my other reason for returning home when you were in New York. I had my investigator research your sister fully, and he found your mother. I meant to tell you earlier, but I needed to know what she was like. She abused you, Emma. I couldn’t bear it if she hurt you again. I didn’t talk to her, but I saw her. My investigator talked to her. He told her about AJ. She asked about him. She asked about you. He was instructed not to give her any information about you, but I told him he could share this with her.”

He had known...I was glad he hadn’t told me. “Why did you tell her about this?”

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. “Because AJ told me he wanted her to know.”