Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “You’re not freaking out,” she whispered.
I gave a small smile. “I’m surprised. But I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyes softened, and she leaned into me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close while the night settled around us. One week until the fight. Everything felt uncertain.
But standing here with her pressed against my chest, I felt more grounded than I ever had in my life.
CHAPTER 30
Asher
The morning started quiet. I woke before my alarm. My body was already tight with the rhythm of training. Fight week did that. My brain never really shut off anymore. Even when I slept, I felt like I was preparing, running combinations in my head, replaying tape, imagining every possible scenario. I rolled out of bed and stretched; my muscles stiff but ready. The orchard outside my window was still half asleep, mist clinging low between the rows. Until my phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. I frowned and grabbed it off the nightstand.
Eric:TURN ON THE NEWS
My stomach dipped. I threw on a shirt and clicked on the TV. The screen filled with flashing lights, police vehicles, and reporters talking fast over footage of men being led out of a warehouse in handcuffs. And then the name hit. Marcel Bellerose. I froze. The reporter’s voice filled the room.
“…after a coordinated operation involving provincial authorities and federal investigators… multiple arrests… organized crime, money laundering, trafficking…”
I stood there staring as my heart pounded. They got him. For a second, I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. All those years Dadspent chasing ghosts. Becket digging through leads. Harmony risking everything to turn against her own blood. Now Marcel Bellerose was being shoved into the back of a police cruiser once again on live television. My phone rang, and Becket’s name lit the screen. I answered immediately.
“You’re watching?” he asked breathlessly.
“Yeah.”
His voice shook with excitement. “Ash… they actually did it. They finally did it.”
I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to process it.
“Dad know?” I asked.
“Probably. I’m at the station, but I’m heading to the main house now,” he said. “Tell everyone. We’re all getting together.”
“What’s going to be different this time?” I asked Becket. The man had been arrested, stood trial, and got off. Then he was almost shot to death. It seemed like he had nine lives.
“I don’t know, but my gut tells me this time is different,” my brother said. Given how closely he followed the case, I found that reassuring. “Get your ass over to the main house.”
“Yeah,” I scrubbed my hands over my face.
The line went dead. I stared at the screen a second longer. Marcel’s face flashed again on the screen. He looked older than I remembered. Smaller somehow. For the first time, he didn’t have that cocky grin he always seemed to have, even when he was in court the last time. This time, the man looked beat. I quickly got dressed and showered. Claire had wanted to spend the next few nights in her cabin because my body needed repair time when I was sleeping, and she wanted me as focused as possible. Marc had taken over my job at the orchard until after the fight, so my only focus was on winning and now the downfall of the Bellerose empire.
The main house buzzed with energy when I walked in. Voices overlapped. Laughter mixed with disbelief. The smell of coffeeand food drifted from the kitchen. Harmony was talking fast, hands moving as she replayed details from the news. Elyna stood nearby holding little Oli while Phoenix hovered protectively beside her.
Eric clapped me on the shoulder as soon as I walked in. “Can you believe it?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, still trying to wrap my head around it.
Sandy moved around the kitchen like she was hosting a holiday, setting out plates and snacks no one was really eating because everyone was too wired. Dad stood near the window, quieter than the rest of us. I caught his eye and nodded. He nodded back slowly, emotion flickering across his face. Becket arrived last, phone already in his hand, jaw tight like he was trying not to hope too hard.
“They’re saying it’s big,” Harmony said as soon as he stepped in. “Multiple charges.”
He gave a short nod. “I know.”
His tone made everyone go quiet for a second.
“You okay?” Phoenix asked.
Becket shrugged. “Just waiting to see if it sticks.”