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Chris
Somewhere in a secluded spot in Alabama.
The sun was a damn furnace in the sky, but the cool breeze off the ocean made it bearable. Sand clung to my feet, and I stretched out, feeling like a king in this slice of paradise. Adam was beside me, his laughter a low rumble against the loud crash of waves.
"Can you believe this shit?" I said, squinting at the horizon where the sea met the sky in an endless kiss. "From blood-stained streets to sipping coconut water with our toes in the sand."
"Never thought we'd make it, did ya?" Adam flicked a glance at me, his grin all teeth and triumph.
I stole a look at Belle and Ella, who were a wild splash of color against the blue canvas of the sea.
Belle's laughter carried over the water, pure and unguarded. She chased Ella, her hair whipping behind her like a banner. Ella’s shrieks of delight cut through the air. They danced at the water's edge, dodging the foamy residue as they splashed each other.
"Look at 'em, Chris. They're somethin' else." Adam's voice took on a rare note of reverence.
"Like fucking phoenixes rising from the ashes," I said, watching as Ella threw her head back, the sun turning her blonde hair to a halo of fire. Her skin had tanned and she had become relaxed; her laughter was a melody that could almost drown out the ghosts of gunshots and screams.
"Remember when they first came into our world? How broken everything seemed?" Adam shook his head, as if to dislodge the memories. "Now, just look."
"Times change, people change," I grunted, acknowledging the truth in his words. Our hands had been stained with the same blood once, but here we were, two bastards trying on halos, playing house.
"Never thought I'd see you go soft, Chris," Adam teased, nudging me with his elbow.
"Soft?" I barked a laugh. "Just adapting to thrive, brother. Nothing soft about that."
"Surviving's one thing," he mused. "But living—really living with these women—that's something else."
"Damn right." I watched as Ella spun, arms wide, embracing the freedom we never knew was possible. Belle caught her and together, they collapsed onto the sand in a fit of laughter.
"Let's keep it that way," I said, the weight of my old life—a life of orders, hits, and cold-blooded decisions—lifted with each breath of salt-scented air.
"We will," Adam agreed, and there was a promise in that, a vow forged in the fires of hell we'd walked through.
We'd lived by the code, but now, the only code we had was keeping our life safe. Happy. The island was our sanctuary, a place where the darkness of our past couldn't reach us, couldn't touch the women who'd become our redemption.
"Come on, let's rustle up some grub for the ladies," I stood, brushing sand from my shorts. "Bet they're starving after all that frolicking."
"Lead the way, Chef Charming," Adam quipped, getting to his feet.
"Fuck off," I shot back with a smirk, but inside, warmth spread through my chest. This was peace. This was love. This was something worth fighting to keep.
We strode across the sand, two men who had walked through fire and come out the other side, not unscathed, but alive. Alive and fucking determined to never slip back into the darkness that once claimed us. This island, this peace—it was ours, and I'd be damned if anything threatened it.
The sun dipped low, setting the sky ablaze in shades of orange and crimson. A breeze carried the scent of salt and charred meat as Adam and I manned the grill like a couple of domesticated warlords turning our blades to spatulas.
"Shit, man, remember when our biggest worry was whether the feds had us on wiretap?" Adam flipped a burger, the sizzle cutting through the quiet hum of the waves.
"Fuck that noise," I grunted, spearing a slab of steak and feeling the juice dribble down my wrist. "This is the life. No more looking over our shoulders."
"Damn straight." Adam clinked his beer bottle against mine, the clank as satisfying as a bullet casing hitting concrete. We shared a nod, a silent oath to the lives we'd clawed outta the dirt.
"Food's about ready," I called over to the beach where Belle and Ella laid, soaking up the last rays of daylight.
Ella rose, her smile cutting through the encroaching dusk. The sight of her like that, free as the gulls overhead, it did something fierce to my insides.
Ella
Grains of sand clung to my feet, remnants of a perfect day as I trailed behind Chris toward the makeshift dining area. My heart swelled, a balloon fit to burst with gratitude.
