Page 110 of The Big Fix

“You’ll never be free again,” I promised her as they took her away. “And I hope you think about Ronan and Sara Moss every day for the rest of your life.”

Once she was gone, Darius and Dante came in. Darius sat down at the computer in her office, plugged in a jump drive, and seconds later had full access to all her files.

“That was a bit anticlimactic,” Dante told me.

I shook my head. “Wanted a big shoot-out, did you?”

He shrugged. “It’s never as exciting as you think it’s going to be.”

“I, for one, am always thankful for that,” Darius chimed in. “And from what I’m reading, it looks like Fang killed Peter Barrows, the bodyguard. There’s a video of his last moments that I’m going to get rid of. No one ever needs to see that.”

I texted Aaron Sutter to let him know that the person responsible for Peter Barrows’s death was himself dead.

“At least Aaron can let the family know.” It would perhaps bring some comfort.

Moments later, Darius’s phone pinged. “Oh look,” he huffed out.

The text was from Everett Burke himself, the assistant director of the CIA, a thank-you for the capture of Ming Gray. He was certain she would be a font of helpful information.

“Okay, so maybe you won’t owe him one,” Darius said, glancing up from the computer screen. “Maybe you get out of this without a scratch.”

“Really?” I said drolly.

We left before the Hong Kong Police Force showed up, because answering questions about how the CIA had removed one of their citizens was not going to put us on the good list. It was called rendition for a reason.

Darius, Dante, and I headed back down the road, retracing the earlier route we’d taken through the woods to where the car was parked.

“So what happens to the money Gray took?” Dante asked me.

“Owen took them to the cleaners,” I said, yawning. “The worm he used to track Suwan’s money was a hydra that infiltrated all of Gray’s bank accounts. It siphoned off her syndicate’s millions and reallocated them to needy causes all over Thailand.”

“No shit.” Dante chuckled. “That’s awesome. How much?”

“Minus Suwan’s four million in crypto, a little over a quarter billion. All anonymously donated to many, many worthy causes.”

“And no one will think to look at you for that?”

“No. For all anyone knows, Gray mismanaged funds and lied about what she had and what her people should expect.”

Dante said, “I like how that worked out. I appreciate the karma.”

I grinned. “I knew you would.”

It was always easier to say goodbyes when you had a plan to see your favorite people again.

“Thanksgiving in Maine it is,” I told Dante, hugging him tight at the departure terminal, closing my eyes for a second and leaning on him. “Please give Noah my best.”

“I will,” he whispered, hugging me back. “Give Owen a kiss for me.”

“I will,” I promised.

Darius agreed to Thanksgiving as well, and when he hugged me, I felt the last of the tension finally leave me.

This was over.

“Start living,” Darius husked, giving me a last clench before letting me go.

I was planning on it.