Epilogue

epilogue

A Few Months Later

Autumn rolled her shoulders, trying to settle her nerves. There was no reason to freak out because she was moving in with Seth. Or they were moving in together would be a better way to put it.

She glanced around the apartment where she’d lived for a couple of years. It was small and looked more like a terrorist cell safe house in a Jakob Wulf movie.

The walls were bare now. All of Autumn’s research had been handed over to the FBI and other agencies that had asked. She thought she would have a hard time letting go. But it had been easy. Probably because Joseph was in prison. All his assets had been frozen, so he was relying on donations and a public defender. It didn’t matter if Joseph could hire the world’s best criminal attorney. The mountain of evidence she had handed over was enough to keep him in prison for life. Other countries also wanted their chance to prosecute him. Joseph would spend the rest of his life in court.

Still, this was where she’d lived for so long it was hard to let go of it. It was crappy, with thin walls, and loud as hell all night long. The tenants in that building worked all kinds of hours. She was going to miss this place a little bit. And then there was the fear of this big life step.

Seth and Autumn had only been dating for three months. Hell, they had never really dated. They just fell together, and she hadn’t returned to her apartment for anything other than a change of clothes. What if he regretted this and they were stuck together? She was a lot to take. Panic rose up, then sunk down into her gut.

What if she couldn’t make this work because she was broken?

Just as she felt a meltdown approaching, arms slid around her stomach, then pulled her back against a hard body.

“Is everything packed up?” Seth murmured in her ear. His heat warmed her back, and that spicy scent she had always associated with him surrounded her.

“Yeah.”

He kissed her temple. “What are your reasons today?”

She sighed. They might have been together for only three months, but this man knew her better than most. She turned to face him, but he kept his arms wrapped tight around her.

“I’m a lot.”

“I like a challenge.”

“Have you ever lived with anyone?”

“Yes.”

“Your family doesn’t count.”

His mouth twitched. “Okay, then no, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

She nodded. “I just need to know.”

She would have to explain what she meant to other people, but with Seth, she didn’t. He seemed to understand her better than even her brother and father.

Seth cupped her face. “We need to just take it one day at a time.”

Autumn rolled her eyes at the trite saying.

“Don’t,” he said, brushing his mouth over hers. “We can do this, Autumn. You can do this. And if we irritate the hell out of each other, we’ll just be like all the other couples I know.”

She sighed and leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. “Don’t be charming when I’m freaking out.”

He chuckled, and the sound vibrated from his chest, warming her heart.

“Come on. Let’s go grab something to eat. Your dad and Merri are meeting us at Side Street Inn. Ian might even be able to make it.”

“You do know my love language.”

She leaned back and caught the concern she saw on his face. It disappeared so fast she thought she might have imagined it.

“What?”

He cocked his head.

“You’re worried about something.”

“Nope.”

“Oh, God, you are.” She pulled out of his embrace and backed away. “You’re having second thoughts.”

He snorted. “Not likely.”

“Then, what are you worried about? And do not lie to me. I know that you’re worried about something.”

He opened his mouth, but she stopped him.

“Don’t lie.”

His mouth snapped shut, and then he sighed.

“Listen, it’s just a concern that I have.”

“And what would that be?”

“I know that saying the words aren’t important to you. I get that, but…”

It was her turn to cock her head at him. “What words?”

Another sigh. “You don’t express your feelings for me at all.”

“I think I did that twice last night.”

He studied her for a long moment. “Sex doesn’t mean love.”

She blinked, working through his comments. Seth was usually all upfront with what he was talking about. Autumn knew he understood she had issues picking up on the normal cues most people would have no problem deciphering.

“Are you questioning my feelings for you?”

He looked uncomfortable. Like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Listen, I just don’t want to be pushy.”

“We’re moving in together. I think you have a right to be pushy.”

Seth sighed. “You don’t say ‘I love you.’”

She frowned. “I don’t?”

“No. And this is why I didn’t want to talk about it. You don’t need to say the words.” He sighed. “Now it feels like I’m pressuring you.”

She sighed and stepped forward. Cupping Seth’s jaw with one hand, she looked into his eyes.

“Seth Harrington.” She smiled. “For a man who claims to know me so well, you miss all the times I’ve told you I love you.”

“You have never said the words.”

“And you’re trying so hard not to pressure me.” The backs of her eyes burned. This man was definitely too good for her, but he was stuck with her. “The words mean little to me.” He opened his mouth, probably to argue that he loved her. “They do when you say them, I believe you.”

“Then…why is it hard for you?”

Always so patient. “We were forced to tell Joseph we loved him. It came to mean little to me because people said it so they wouldn’t be abused.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Yep. But I have told you without words. I told you things I have ever only told three people in my life before you. My brother, father, and therapist have been privy to my private moments with my mother. The guilt I still feel for escaping without her. The anger for keeping me away from Sam for so long.”

“You really don’t tell other people that?”

“They judge. It’s been over fifteen years, so I should be over it, right? Or that’s what I’m afraid they’ll say. Then, there is the cooking.”

He smiled, and she knew he was having the same memories as she had. The truth was, she loved cooking with Seth. They often prepared meals together at night. It was their routine when they were done for the day, whether it was six in the evening or one in the morning. They had odd hours, thanks to their jobs.

“And we’re moving in together.”

“We’ve been living together for three months.”

“True, but this is official. I don’t let people in my spaces, and I definitely don’t cry in front of people like I do with you. I feel safe with you.” Then, knowing he needed the words, she stopped being a coward. “I love you, Seth Harrington.”

His eyes darkened as he stared down at her. His love for her was easy to read. “I love you.”

“How could you not? I mean… I’m drama-free and have an easy backstory.”

His mouth twitched. “Yeah. I really hate that we’re meeting your dad for lunch.”

“Yeah, and this is no place for a quickie. We’ll eat fast, then we’ll do wonderful things to each other later.”

He kissed her nose. “Deal.”

Ian looked down at his phone and frowned. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his sister or her newest way to torment him: bringing up Samantha Charles—or whatever her real name was.

The call was from an unlisted number.

Well, that meant it was Samantha Charles. And why was she calling him? She usually sent him mocking texts.

Just let it go to voicemail.

That was the smarter thing to do. She tormented Ian on so many levels that hearing her voice brought about conflicting emotions. He wanted to hunt her down and turn her over to authorities. He knew her ex-employer—the CIA—wanted her brought in. But a part of him also knew something else was going on. Something that reeked of a cover-up.

When his phone stopped vibrating, he slipped out of his car. He’d parked at the lot adjacent to Side Street Inn. Seth had insisted that this was a family lunch, and unless work kept him away, Ian needed to be there. He rolled his eyes. Captain America was annoying—although Ian was happy for his sister. In all the years he’d known Autumn, Ian had never seen her quite this content. Seth seemed to have chased away the sadness.

When his phone vibrated again, he pulled it out of his pocket. Unknown, again. She didn’t leave a voice message but instead called him again. He rolled his shoulders, and he clicked to answer against all of his training and better judgment.

“Finally,” the deep, sultry voice said. He didn’t know if Samantha was from the American South or if she was faking the accent. Either way, it was his kryptonite.

“I was busy.”

“You were sitting in your car goofing off.”

“I was not goofing—” then what she said struck him. “How did you see me?”

“I snuck into your car and put in cameras.”

She could do it, but he knew she wouldn’t. “Right.”

She snorted. “I tracked you with the traffic cams, and since I know y’all are going to lunch today, I wanted to talk to you before you went in. You’re not good at hiding things from your sister.”

“What are you trying to hide from Autumn?”

“Not really hide. I just want an embargo because Autumn should have a good weekend without my shit. Just tell her that I’m disappearing for a while.”

Alarm lit through him. Samantha might go underground, but she usually didn’t break off all contact for long. She would just establish herself in a new location.

“What do you mean you’re disappearing?”

“Aw, look at you faking worry. Nothing big. Just have to make sure I’m not being followed. Don’t worry, MI-6, I can handle it.”

It still bothered him. His time with the British spy agency taught him that being out on your own was a bad place to be, no matter how bloody brilliant you were. Sometimes, the smartest of them made the stupidest moves.

“You need to talk to Jin Phillips.”

“I did. I just couldn’t wait any longer, and I wanted you to know so your sister could find out. That’s all I have, Mix.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Oh, God, when you get that prissy tone, it just turns me on so much.” Her husky chuckle wound through him. Fuck, why was he so damned hot for a woman who mocked him like she did? “Just wait until after this weekend. We both know your sister hasn’t had many happy moments like this, and I don’t want to be the storm cloud. I’ll probably be back online in a week or two.”

And that’s why he couldn’t completely dismiss her. She cared about people, especially those associated with Task Force Hawaii.

“Okay, fine. Just…”

His voice trailed off as he searched for something to say. There was nothing to say and no reason to be freaking out that she might disappear and never be seen again. He barely knew the woman.

“What?”

“Check back in with Autumn as soon as you can. She’ll worry.”

“Oh. Okay. I will. Probably will just be a week or two.”

The line went dead. Why did Ian feel a sense of loss? They didn’t talk, and they barely texted. He drew in a deep breath, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and continued to the restaurant.

The woman known as Samantha Charles watched Ian Smith walk into the restaurant. For a former spy, he was terrible at picking up he was being followed. She guessed it was due to the idea that he no longer had people gunning for him.

What did that feel like?

She pushed that thought aside and continued past the restaurant. None of them would recognize her unless she talked. Her usually curly hair had been tamed and put up under a jet-black wig. She had been cursed with two different colored eyes, which she hid behind brown contacts that were a pain in the ass, but much needed in this case. She’d used lighter makeup on her skin to hide her usually olive undertone. Being the granddaughter of an actress had helped her conceal her identity these past few years.

What was it like to have lunch plans? She had been like that once, but her old life dissolved because she decided to be a whistleblower. Her fiancé had dumped her, and her other hacker friends had shunned her. The only people she trusted all lived in Hawaii, and they barely knew her.

Shaking off her morose thoughts, she headed down the street. Even though it was small, Hawaii had a lot of hiding places. It was time to disappear entirely off the grid as Samantha Charles—even if just for a few weeks.

Thank you so much for reading Justified Secrets! I hope you enjoyed the first book in the series. There will be more coming in 2025 starting with Justified Fear. To be one of the first to find out all about the book, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or website news (or both!).

If you want to get to know the original Task Force Hawaii team, make sure to check out all the books available in digital, print, and audio!

And, I’m sure you want to know what is coming up for Ian Smith and the mysterious Samantha Charles. Well, they will be the first book in brand new Harmless World Series, Dillon Security. Never Trust a Spy will release late Spring 2025.

If you loved Autumn and Seth’s story, please think about leaving a rating or review at your favorite online store.