That day was perfection, as much as it could be with all of us were harboring anxiousness over what was about to happen. I wished that we could have stayed on that yacht forever, just the four of us. It was perfect and peaceful there. Nothing could hurt us.
On the plane ride home the next day, I held tightly to Max's hand. Letting go of it never crossed my mind because I needed him to steady me. I think he needed me to. Each time he would kiss the back of my hand with his warm lips, it reminded me of how blessed I was to have a man like him by my side.
Our relationship may have started out a little rocky, but he had somehow turned into everything I needed. There was no doubt he was a man's man, but he was also kind, and gentle, and vulnerable. Those were the moments I cherished the most, when he let all of his armor fall and all that was before me was his beautiful, bare soul.
When we finally arrived back at the mansion, it didn't feel the same. We were all on edge and our haven felt a little less safe. If they could take us out of Piper's apartment there was no guarantee that they would not try to breach security and storm the mansion.
None of us slept easily that night. It brought us a little comfort to know the security tangent we left behind had seen nothing suspicious. In the wee hours of the night we were laying there, wide awake. I had wrapped myself tightly around Max, I couldn't help it though. I just felt so out of sorts being back in the same town where everything happened and not knowing what they were planning next. Max was his usual amazing self and calmed me, at least momentarily.
"You know my favorite thing in the world is laying next to you and feeling you so close to me."
I giggled a little at his comment.
"What, what is so funny?" He asked.
"I just figured that I felt more like an attention-starved Koala bear," I laughed and he joined me.
"Come here my little Koala," he teased as he kissed me and then pulled me close to him again.
We stayed just like that for the rest of the night. When morning arrived, we got dressed and met Chase and Piper downstairs. They looked just as nervous as we were.
The ride to the meeting was silent. We were all lost in our own thoughts. Walking anxiously into the building, we pushed the elevator button and began our ascent. As we stood waiting for the doors to open, Max grabbed my hand.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked.
"As ready as I will ever be."
We walked into the meeting room and Max stopped as soon as the door was closed behind us.
"Who is this?" He said to the man I assumed was James Stockholm. There was a man sitting next to him that was unfamiliar to Max.
James stood up and walked toward us, "Calm down Max, this is Agent Stringer and you can trust him."
Max was hesitant at first, and I didn't blame him. He ultimately relented. We had come that far. There was no turning back.
We took our seats at the large executive table. Black leather chairs surrounded it, making the entire room seem cold and official. The two men in front of us were wearing black suits and white shirts. Their intimidating appearance seemed disconcerting.
We took our seats, and I grabbed Max's hand under the table. I wanted to give him as much support as I could. What he was about to do would not be easy.
"Before we give you the information, I want written assurance that it is in exchange for new identities and immunity."
"You have my word Max," James said as he slid a piece of paper toward him. Max didn't read it right away, he continued laying out his requirements.
"We want all the assets liquidated and the cash put in an offshore account that only we can access."
"Agreed," James said.
"We want our own security team," Max continued.
"Done, it's all laid out in the agreement, just like we discussed," James reassured him.
Max read over the entire document and the room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. When he finished, he seemed satisfied but still had something on his mind.
"One final thing, I want the mansion donated to Safe Horizon and turned into a shelter for battered women."
When he said that, we all looked at him in absolute awe. This man had such a huge heart. Even amid our lives being turned upside down, he was thinking of others. A warm smile filled Chase's face, he approved.
"I will see to it personally," James responded and with those words, Max knew it was time to reveal all of our secrets.
We listened as Max started at the beginning and told the entire story to the two gentlemen. He explained what was in the box, and also what other secrets were hiding in the secret room. They were news to me and some things he revealed shocked me.
It made me so sad to hear him describe what happened to his mother. At one point he was choking back tears, and I wanted nothing more than to comfort him.
When he got to the part about the kidnapping and rescue, it shook me up just hearing him recount it. He squeezed my hand a little tighter. He knew how disturbing it was for me.
The men let him tell it all without interrupting him. As he spoke you could see them trying to disguise the shock and disgust they were feeling.
When they finally spoke, they didn't give up much. James said he was very familiar with the patriarch of the political family responsible for it all. The man was very high on the political food chain. His activities had been suspicious for a long time. He informed us that the information we provided would be the nail in the coffin they needed. He would finally be accountable for his actions.
******
A/N
Well, they have finally done it. They put it all out there. Do you think they will be safe?