Sophie shook her head, her pretty platinum blonde curls bouncing. She looked windswept, and radiant, too. Not to mention like a total knockout in her pinup girl dress with a peach pattern on it. “As soon as we reached the top, the very second when the car just sort of hovers there on the track and you’re about to scream your lungs out, he shouted ‘Sophie, will you marry me?’”
Shannon clasped her hand on her mouth then dropped it just as quickly. “Oh my God, that is so perfect.”
“And what did you say?” Elle asked, making a rolling gesture with her hands, eager for Sophie to tell the rest of the tale. A Bruce Springsteen tune played in the background at the bar, while the men toasted to Ryan. Colin, Michael, and Sophie’s brother John—one of the most handsome detectives Elle had ever seen, with his dark blond hair and blue eyes—were all there. “Well, obviously you said yes,” Elle quickly supplied. “But how? Tell us, tell us.”
“I shouted yes! It was that simple,” Sophie said and her joy was infectious. Elle beamed as she listened. She couldn’t stop smiling. Not even the specter of the rest of her evening could cast a pall on this moment.
Ryan leaned in, draped an arm around Sophie, and raised his finger in the air. “Actually, to be precise, she said ‘Oh my God, yes, yes, yes.’”
Sophie swatted him on the elbow. “Ryan Sloan.”
“Sophie Sloan,” he countered.
He tugged her in for a kiss, and even though Elle’s chest ached with sadness, she clapped loudly and cheered them on. She couldn’t help it. This kind of bliss needed to be celebrated, even if a relationship like that was too risky for her. Even though love was biting her in the ass.
Oh, wait.
That was Colin grasping her rear. He brushed his lips to her ear. “You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered. “And I’ll be right back. I need to talk to John. But I have good news.”
She flashed him a smile. “Can’t wait,” she said, her eyes following him briefly as he walked into the casino with Sophie’s brother. But truth be told, she could wait, because she desperately needed the second-hand high she was getting from Sophie’s tale. The only good news would be that her stalker was arrested, and she doubted that was the case, so she opted to exist in this bubble of happiness for a few more minutes.
“Tell us the rest,” Elle demanded when Sophie and Ryan managed to pry their lips off each other.
“I need every single detail of how my brother finally got down on one knee,” Shannon added.
Sophie laced her fingers together and continued. “As soon as the cars stopped and everyone got off the rollercoaster, the attendant handed Ryan the box. Ryan didn’t want to have it on the ride, obviously, since it goes upside down. He stepped off the car, reached for my hand, dropped down on one knee, flipped open the box, and said…” Sophie stopped to clasp her hand on her heart. “‘You are the love of my life. And I have never wanted anything more than I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you.’”
Elle shrieked. She couldn’t help it. It was so perfect. Her heart skipped around the room. It traipsed and pranced, and sang tra la la. She grabbed both of Sophie’s hands. “That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
A tear of happiness slid down her cheek. Followed by another. Only this one was laced with sadness, because she couldn’t have that kind of romance right now.
Maybe not ever.
* * *
The sound of shrieking distracted him momentarily. As he and John threaded their way through the slot machines, he glanced back at the bar and spotted Elle holding Sophie’s hands and beaming. Man, was there anything better than a proposal to send the woman you were crazy for into romantic overdrive? He couldn’t wait to have a minute alone with her tonight. They hadn’t been together all week, and he wanted to feel her in his arms. To hold her, touch her, taste her. To tell her how he felt, tell her he wasn’t just falling.
He’d fallen.
But this had to be done first.
The problem wasn’t fully solved yet.
That was where John came in.
They continued past the Willy Wonka slots, where the chocolatier presided over Oompa Loompas, and reached a quiet hallway near the restrooms.
“I’ve got some info for you,” Colin said, then told him everything about the texts, the convenience store visitor, the Instagram pictures and the name. “Is Stefano’s son part of the case? Why would he have something against Marcus and be trying to get to him through Elle?”
John nodded a few times, seeming to process the news. He blew out a long stream of air. “Lee Stefano is one of the reasons there is an investigation. When he started falling into the gang activities, we were tipped off about what Lee was up to, and started looking into the possibility that his father had accomplices in the Sinners. He might have a bone to pick with Marcus.”
“But Lee’s dad is in prison, so what would he have against Marcus or Elle?”
“That’s what we’re working on. My belief is that Kenny Nelson and T.J. Nelson were supposed to look out for Lee Stefano and keep him out of trouble. They did for a while, but then they stopped keeping him away from the gang and brought him into it instead. He’s one of them now, and I’m willing to bet that Lee is doing his part to look out for the men he thinks of now as his brothers—Kenny and T.J.”
Colin knit his brow. “How is he looking out for them? Especially since they’re on the run.”
“That’s exactly why Lee’s looking out for them. So we don’t get to them. This is Lee protecting them, and they don’t like that Marcus is talking to you. I have some leads I’m chasing down, but my gut is telling me that these guys figure the more Marcus talks to your family, the more they’re at risk.”
“Do you think Marcus knows something?”
John paused and clenched his jaw, his eyes hardening. “I have my suspicions.”
“Jesus Christ,” Colin muttered in utter frustration. “This is like a fucking onion. Peel off one layer and there’s another one underneath.”
“Believe you me, I know. But we’re getting closer to the key suspects, and now it looks like Lee Stefano just put a sign on his back that says arrest me for grand larceny. After all, iPhones aren’t cheap,” he said with a wry grin. “And on that note, I need to cut out of here and get on with paying a visit to a certain longitude and latitude.”
* * *
He couldn’t wait to tell Elle, to let her know that the end was in sight. They had a name, and the name was in the hands of the cops, and the cops were doing their job. She was going to be safe. Safe with him.
When he returned to the bar, he reached for her hand, pulled her up, and led her into a quiet corner. He grabbed a small booth and told her every detail. She cycled through surprise, shock, and fear.
He threaded his fingers through hers, trying to reassure her. “But John’s on his way to make an arrest.”
She parted her lips to speak then simply said “good” in a voice that was devoid of emotion. He wanted to reach back in time and recapture some of that magic she seemed to feel moments ago. Maybe it had all disappeared. Abracadabra. Now you see it, now you don’t.
“Elle, this is a good thing, isn’t it?”
She shook her head then she nodded, as if she couldn’t decide. “It is good. It’s wonderful. It’s everything I hoped for. But he’s not in handcuffs yet, and we don’t know if he’ll be at his home when John goes there to arrest him. We don’t know what will happen,” she said, fiddling with her necklace. “All I know is my son is freaked out, and he’s barely talking again. I can’t take this chance right now. He is my son. He is my world.”
“Oh.”
His heart cratered. It fell from the sky and crashed hard at his feet, in pieces.
“I want to,” she said, squeezing his hand. “You have to know how much I want to be with you.”
He nodded. He didn’t doubt it for a second. “I understand,” he said, though the words cut his throat.