Page 107 of Her Mercenary

ROMAN

A tornado of hate, adrenaline, pain, sadness, and guilt spun through me as I watched my brother pull himself into his car. He was wounded badly and probably experiencing the onset of a concussion.

I watched the door slam, his silhouette slumped over the seat.

This was it. My moment.

My chance to kill one of the most ruthless human traffickers in the world. Kill the son of the man who’d killed my mother, and who had killed my friend. This was my moment to kill my brother and reset the family legacy.

Images of my mother flashed in front of me like an apparition in the fog, her voice a slowly haunting song in my head.

“Revenge is never the answer. Rise above it. Solve it.”

“Solve it.”

I looked back at the woman on the ground, more words suddenly echoing in my ear, but this time it wasn’t my mother’s voice, it was Sam’s.

“There’s got to be a point where you just have to let it go, Roman. Let it all go.”

“Let him go.”

I didn’t hear the tires spin as Conor hit the gas, didn’t feel the rocks pelt my face.

I stared down at Samantha Greene, and for the first time, felt the mission fade away.

Felt everything fade away.

With her.

54

SAM

I knew the minute his decision was made. I knew by the warmth in his eyes and by the butterflies that burst to life in my stomach.

Roman wasn’t leaving me.

“I love you,” I whispered breathlessly, tears spilling down my cheeks.

Tears filled his eyes as he dropped to his knees once again and pulled me back into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry.” His gaze narrowed on the damage to my throat from Conor’s nails.

“Stop.” I cupped Roman’s cheeks and forced his eyes back onto mine, studying his swollen, bloodied face.

He’d chosen me. Roman had renounced his mission, his vengeance, his life-long goal, for me.

“Your mother would be proud,” I said.

“No.” Carefully, he lifted me to a seated position, wrapped me in his arms, and stood, cradling me like a baby.

“No?” I frowned.

“No. Not yet. Let’s go get the children.”

“Oh, Roman.” I threw my arms around him, a rush of energy and excitement blowing through my body. “Have they been taken away yet?”

“No. I’ve got people stationed at both the airport and the dock. They would have called me.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”