Page 80 of The Billionaire's Angel

She said it was inappropriate for her to move bedrooms, never mind that I slept by her side every night. As long as she was legally married to another man, she wasn’t moving in with me. Like I said—stubborn.

Finally, four months after Anthony Anderson was arrested for kidnapping Amelia and trying to shoot Sophie, Cooper got word that he’d been found by a guard with his throat slit, despite his seclusion in solitary. It might have been the original locked room mystery, but no one wondered who’d killed him. Testifying against one of the biggest organized crime families in the Southeast, after stealing a chunk of their cash, was a death sentence. I was only surprised we’d had to wait for solong.

I wasn’t quite sure how to tell Sophie. I wanted to celebrate, but I knew she wouldn’t find that funny, no matter how relieved she’d be that her tormentor was dead. After a detour with Cooper to verify that Anthony wasn’t going to come back to life this time, I headedhome.

I found Sophie in the library with Amelia. I have no idea what they were up to, but from the guilty look on their faces and the scramble to hide what looked like dark fabric in a shopping bag, I guessed I’d find out soonenough.

Amelia had dialed back the pranks in the first few months after the kidnapping when Sophie and I were exhausted and jumpy, but now that we were better she was back to her oldtricks.

Just the week before she’d talked Sophie into putting bubble wrap beneath the hall carpets, so they popped with every step. To be honest, no one really minded that one. I even caught Mrs. W doing a little dance down the hall by the kitchen when she thought no one was looking, each step punctuated by cheerful littlepops.

Sophie’s eyes brightened when she saw me come in. She was off the couch and in my arms before I’d cleared the threshold, her sweet, sultry scent filling my lungs as I kissed her temple. I wanted to kiss her mouth, but not with Amelia looking on, an avid grin spread across herface.

Stepping back, I said, “I need you to sit down, Angel. I have somenews.”

Sophie’s eyes darkened, and she bit her lower lip, sitting obediently and waiting, braced for bad news. I hated that the life she’d lived left her assuming that any news was automatically bad. Now that Armstrong was dead, that was finally going to change. I sat beside her and took herhand.

“Anthony was found dead in his cell this morning.” Sophie just stared at me, disbelieving. I went on, “Cooper got us in to see the body, Angel. He’s dead. It’s not atrick.”

“He’s really dead?” she whispered, taking a quick, deep breath. “You’resure?”

“I’m sure,” Ipromised.

She still looked unconvinced. I could understand why. The last time someone told her Anthony was dead, he’d knocked on our door two years later, very much alive. After going through so much, my Sophie was afraid to hope it was reallyover.

She blinked and took in another quick, deep breath. She was fighting tears. I wished she’d just let go, but she had this idea that crying made her weak. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Sophie was one of the strongest women Iknew.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and brought up the last pictures I’d taken. It was gruesome and totally against regulations, but I’d known what I’d need to set Sophie’s mind at ease. Without a word, I handed her my phone, a picture of Anthony’s dead body filling thescreen.

He lay on a metal tray that had been pulled from a wall of similar trays, his skin grey with death, his eyes closed. His neck gaped in an open wound, bloodless and dark, like an obscene grin beneath his chin. Sophie cradled my phone in both hands, staring down at thepicture.

Amelia leaned over and took a quick look, grimacing and saying, “Couldn’t have happened to a betterman.”

I expected Sophie to scold her, but she remained silent, still staring at the picture of her dead husband. She stared so long I started to wonder if I’d done the right thing in showing her Anthony’s body. Just as I was about to reach for my phone, she clicked the screen off and handed it back tome.

“You saw him? You took that pictureyourself?”

I knew what she was asking. She’d been fooled once, the last time by the police. She had to be sure. So did I, which was why I’d asked Cooper to call in a favor and get us a first-hand look at Anthony’s dead body. I slid my phone into my pocket and wrapped my arm around Sophie, pulling her tight to myside.

“I took the picture myself. He’s dead, Sophie. Ice cold and very, very dead. They said he bled out in his cell. He’s not coming back thistime.”

Sophie let out a long breath and slumped against me, winding one arm around my waist and holding me tight. It felt like we’d been waiting forever for her to be free. Divorce had been one solution, but this was much better. Finally, Sophie’s nightmare was over. Forgood.

“If you two don’t have other plans,” I said, “I was thinking we could go get a hot chocolate at Annabelle’s and stop by to see Charlie and Lucas’s project. Charlie said the kitchen is done and we need to see it before the painters cover itup.”

Sophie straightened and smiled. “Sure, just let mechange.”

I caught her hand in mine before she could leave. “You okay,Angel?”

Sophie gave me an absolutely brilliant smile and said, “I’ve never beenbetter.”

As soon as she was out of the room, I turned to Amelia and said, “I have a plan, and I need yourhelp.”

Epilogue: Part Two

Sophie

“Sophie,while you’re up, would you get my book from thelibrary?”