Epilogue

Anticipation and excitement crackled in the evening air as visitors gathered by the grandstand for the spectacular fireworks display that would end the Tri-City Fair.

A child laughed as he ran past, and Flash tugged slightly on the leash, wanting to follow. "Sorry, bud." Jazz gave him a scratch behind his ear.

"Aw, it's all right, boy." Hawthorne's voice filled Jazz with warmth, and she turned to see him approach with the large bucket of popcorn he'd gone to purchase for them. "I got you covered." He winked at Jazz, then bent over and dropped a handful of popcorn on the blacktop for Flash.

"Hey." Jazz feigned dismay, propping a hand on her hip. "You're not supposed to feed the security K-9s."

"Not sorry." Hawthorne popped a kernel into his mouth as he grinned at her. "Are we, Flash?" He glanced down at the dog who was busy scarfing down the popcorn feast.

"You're trying to buy his affections, so he'll like you better than me."

"Yep. It's a male bonding thing. I don't want to be outnumbered in my life now that Rebekah is moving in." Despite his protest, the joy in his eyes said he was pleased Rebekah wanted to stay with him at his new apartment.

"Is she still moving next week?"

"That's the plan. It times well with her lease expiring. But I don't plan to stay at the apartment very long."

"You don't?" In all the lengthy conversations she and Hawthorne had enjoyed over the past week, she hadn't heard him mention that. But she didn't feel even an ounce of worry. He wasn't leaving her. He'd made that clear. And she was learning with every day that passed, Hawthorne was a trustworthy man. Someone she could count on.

"I'm thinking of buying a house."

Jazz smiled. She loved the sound of permanence in that plan. The sound of settling down. "You are?"

He nodded, his lips closed in a smile that looked like he was struggling to hold back some secret he'd love to let out. He stepped closer to her, lowering the popcorn bucket as he slid his free arm around her back. "But I want you to help me pick it out. The house you want to live in."

A shiver tracked up her spine even as heat from his touch spiraled through her torso.

"For that future we've been talking about."

The future. Jazz's heart swelled with the happiness that had flooded her so many times in the past week that she thought she might burst. She finally had someone who wanted to have a future with her.

She'd been shocked when Hawthorne had brought up marriage a couple days ago. For a man who'd run from marriage and even committed relationships for most of his life, he was a surprisingly fast mover now that he'd changed his mind. Maybe because the change had come from God transforming his heart, as Hawthorne had explained.

Now she got the feeling Hawthorne might propose at any moment, but he probably wanted to wait for the right timing for her. Until the painful emotions from the upheaval in her family were a more distant memory.

In her whole life, she'd never cried as much as she had in the last week. Often on Hawthorne's shoulder, strengthened by his support and compassion.

She'd had to give statements to the police about all that had happened with Pierce. Including the crimes he'd confessed to her and the attempt to kill her and Rebekah. The next challenge would be testifying at his trial. That wouldn't take place for a couple of months yet, but she already struggled with anxiety at the idea of testifying against her only living relative. Unless she counted his daughters, her cousins. But they had rebuffed her attempts to connect via phone or email.

They seemed to want to distance themselves from the whole affair, probably to keep their reputations unscathed from the scandal of having their father, prominent candidate for governor, exposed as the murderer of their own mother.

It was ironic he'd murdered two people and attempted two more killings all to cover up the original death that had started it all.

Nev and Hawthorne had helped Jazz search through her father's things, and they'd eventually found the evidence Pierce must have feared. Old photos of a dead soldier and a recording her dad had apparently captured secretly of a conversation between him and Pierce. Both offered proof that Pierce had killed the soldier.

The death had been accidental, according to the recorded conversation, but resulted from an altercation between the soldier and Pierce. The other soldier started the fight, and Pierce responded by trying to subdue him with a choke. Trouble was, Pierce unintentionally held the choke longer than the soldier could handle, and the young man died.

The only people present, Pierce and Jazz's dad, covered up the killing by using explosives to destroy the body in such a way that it would look like the soldier had encountered a land mine.

When Cora had searched the names of soldiers Jazz's dad had served with, she'd discovered that Pierce had been in the same unit. Phoenix had directed Cora to look deeper the moment she'd learned Pierce and Jazz's dad were in combat together overseas. The boss had suspected something during that time could give Pierce a reason to want Jazz dead.

Jazz knew they had served together, but what she hadn't known was Cora's further discovery—that they had been the only two people who'd witnessed a soldier's death.

And years after his successful cover-up, Pierce was still so worried about the truth coming out that he'd killed again. On purpose this time. More than once. Even murdering his own wife.

Jazz shook her head. She still couldn't wrap her head around Pierce murdering Aunt Joan.

"Hey." A light touch on Jazz's chin drew her gaze up to Hawthorne's. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I will be."

He gave her a squeeze, letting her cradle her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, lovebirds." Nev came up beside Jazz, people moving past her in droves to reach the grassy field where they could best see the fireworks.

Aunt Joan would have been so pleased with the huge turnout and the way attendance numbers had shot up for the last week of the fair. After the public had learned the danger was over and the culprits were no longer at large, her Tri-City Fair had been a success, once again.

"We're set up over there with blankets." Nev pointed toward a spot on the field where Sof, Michael, and their daughter, Grace, were spreading out a blanket next to one occupied by Bristol, Toby, and Remington. On the other side of Sof's family, Branson sat on another blanket.

"Blankets." Jazz stared at Nev. "I forgot one."

Nev waved the concern away with a hand. "I got you covered, girl. Ours is big enough to share."

"Even with your giant bodyguard fiancé?" Jazz grinned at her BFF.

Nev wrinkled her nose. "Hey, I plan to sit on his lap." She winked.

Jazz laughed.

Nev started forward with Alvarez on leash. "Oh, Becks said she's going to join us, too."

Jazz grinned at the nickname Nev had promptly created for Rebekah as soon as she'd learned the girl was going to be a big part of Jazz's life. "Where'd she get off to, anyway?" Jazz glanced at Hawthorne as they followed Nev toward the grass.

He winced. "I'm afraid she found a boy who wanted to take her on the Slingshot."

"Poor Hawthorne." Nev laughed and smiled over her shoulder at him.

Jazz linked her arm with Hawthorne's. "I'm proud of you."

He gave her a sidelong look as he pulled her closer with their intertwined arms. "For what? Not forbidding the kid to be alone with my baby sister?"

"Exactly." She beamed a smile at him, pride and appreciation swelling in her for how much he cared about his sister. "You're giving her space and still protecting her, letting her know she's loved. It's a tough balance."

He blew out a long breath as he looked forward. "That's an understatement." He turned his head toward Jazz again as they neared the blankets the PK-9 team had spread close together on the grass. "But I'm thankful to see her happier now that she has closure about Sam."

Jazz nodded. "That makes a big difference." Thanks to Pierce's claims that Butch was guilty of the sabotage and the discovery of Butch's motive to frame Desmond Patch, the police were open to hearing Hawthorne's suspicions that Butch had also killed Sam. Further investigation led to Randall from Best Life sharing that Butch had followed him outside the cult once and offered to pay him to give a note to Butch's ex-wife. Randall testified that Butch had become furious when he'd refused.

Given the possibility that Sam and Butch may have gotten into an altercation about the same issue at the fair, the police examined areas Hawthorne led them to at and around the designated smoking space where Sam was last seen. They found a tiny trace of dried blood on the bottom of a pipe behind the restroom facilities. Sam's blood.

The detectives and Hawthorne speculated that Butch had lured Sam to the more hidden location by offering to pay him to deliver a message. Given Sam's drunken state, he may have joked or insulted short-tempered Butch.

Butch's ex-wife shared that he had been physically abusive during their marriage, but she had never reported the incidents. So the theory that he'd become violent toward Sam was not only plausible, but almost certain.

Now Rebekah and Sam's parents could grieve knowing what had really happened and knowing his killer hadn't gotten away with it. Butch had fallen prey to his own schemes and revenge.

According to Rebekah, Sam's parents were back together. His mom had left the cult to join her husband, Gary, so they could grieve their son's death together, knowing the truth and finally being able to move on.

If only Hawthorne's parents would make a similar decision and flee the cult. But neither he nor Rebekah had heard anything from their parents so far. Hawthorne and Jazz were praying that God would change his parents' hearts, just as God had changed them.

Hawthorne stopped at the edge of the blanket where Nev kicked off her flip-flops and plopped down, basically in Branson's lap as she'd promised.

Hawthorne released Jazz's arm and made a sweeping gesture toward the blanket. "Milady."

"Ooh. How gentlemanly. Are you going to start writing medieval romances now?"

"I never know what you'll inspire me to do next." The heat in his eyes sent a tingle to her toes.

"Hey, Cora…Kent." Nev's greeting drew Jazz's attention to the lovely blond and her tall husband as they neared the group, Kent carrying a rolled-up blanket under one arm and a cooler in the other hand.

Cora held a pitcher and a large tote bag. "Hello." She beamed a smile at the group. "I've brought snacks and lemonade for everyone."

Sweet Cora. Always thinking of their needs and doing her best to meet them.

"No Jana?"

Cora met Jazz's gaze as Kent rolled out their blanket. "No, the fireworks would be too much for her."

"I thought about leaving Flash home, too. But I think he'll be good with the cotton in his ears." Flash, like all the PK-9 dogs except for Jana, had been trained to be comfortable around loud noises, including gunshots. But Nev had left Alvarez home since those loud sounds were not his favorite thing, and Jazz had added insulation to Flash's ears to keep the fireworks from damaging his hearing.

Hawthorne slid his arm behind Jazz's back again. "Want to sit down?"

She gave him a warm smile. "In a second." Her gaze slid over the PK-9 team members as she stayed standing.

One person was missing. Phoenix. "Anyone know where Phoenix is?"

The other ladies looked at Cora, who was now sitting beside Kent and removing plated food from the cooler. She paused. "She's had to go away again on a trip."

"Too bad. She should be here." This time, Jazz didn't mean the words as a criticism. Because as much as she still didn't understand Phoenix, Jazz did know she'd been judging the boss unfairly. She'd allowed her own insecurities to skew the way she viewed the mysterious woman, just like Neveah had said.

In the days since Pierce had tried to kill her, Jazz had felt the full-on blessing of the Phoenix K-9 team. They'd supported her, checked on her, made sure she was safe and healing. Even ribbed her in all the ways they had before. They treated her like family.

And they always had. She'd missed seeing that because she'd been too busy trying to push them away before they could reject her.

But now that she was trying to embrace them, too, she was tasting the wonder of what it was like to have a family of choice. Like Marion Moore's family that Phoenix had shown her—a family formed through adoption, where love was a choice, not a biological duty.

Was that the real reason Phoenix had taken her to the Forever Home shelter? So she would see that family didn't have to be by birth, but by the choice to love?

Jazz wouldn't be surprised. She was starting to come around to Nev's way of thinking that Phoenix was trying to help all of her agents heal. And one of the ways she did that was by building this family of PK-9.

She also took care of her agents behind the scenes in ways Jazz hadn't known. Jazz had been flabbergasted to learn from Nev that Phoenix had patrolled with Dag outside Nev's house every night after the two thugs had broken in. Jazz still needed to eat humble pie and thank Phoenix for that.

Though maybe she didn't have to. The boss didn't seem to want credit or thanks for any of the good she did.

"I'd hoped she would be here, too." Bris stood up, and Remington rose beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist as they faced the others. "But I still want to make this announcement now, while we're at this sort of celebration, and before things get farther along."

Jazz glanced at Nev who looked at her with a shrug.

Huge smiles beamed from the couple as Bris lifted her hands in the air. "We're expecting a baby!"

Squeals, applause, and laughter sprang up from the group as they all got to their feet and went to congratulate the happy couple.

As Hawthorne and Jazz stepped away from the prospective parents to allow Nev and Branson access to them, Hawthorne ducked his head toward Jazz.

"What do you think?" His low murmur tickled her ear. "Should we have one of those?"

She turned into his arms with a soft giggle. "Maybe even more than one."

He braced his hands behind her back as she leaned against them, resting her palms on his chest.

"But don't you have a book baby coming out in a few months?" She grinned, using the term she'd learned from him as he'd spoken of his upcoming release.

"Oh, yeah. It's a new series about an amazing woman with intelligence, beauty, and brains—along with some crazy fight skills you wouldn't believe."

"Wow. She sounds too good to be true."

He pulled her in closer, tightening his arms as he brought his face close to hers. "She almost is. But I hope very soon, I'll get to call her mine."

The electricity in his teal eyes and the loving desire in his words sent thrills through every part of her being.

"Hawthorne?"

He leaned down farther, pressing his forehead to hers. "Yes?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you ever since we met."

His slowing breath tickled her cheeks. "What is it?"

"Would you sign my Carson Steele novels?"

He straightened, pulling his head away but rewarding her with a hearty laugh.

She joined in the laughter with him as contentment and joy filled her heart to the brim.

A pop of fireworks pulled their attention to the brilliant, colorful display of light that painted the sky.

Jazz turned toward the show, and Hawthorne closed his arms around her from behind, cradling her back against his chest.

Standing at the edge of Nev's blanket, she had a perfect view of the fireworks, but also of her Phoenix K-9 family. Love for them swelled in her heart as she looked at each woman one-by-one. How could she have almost missed out on being part of such a precious family?

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she sniffed, trying to hold them in.

Hawthorne ducked his head down by hers, his lips brushing her ear. "You aren't sad, are you?"

She rested her hands on his strong arms and leaned her head back against him, reveling in his embrace. "No. I'm happier than I ever dreamed."

Hawthorne responded with a gentle squeeze.

God hadn't given Jazz the dream she'd tried to force into reality. No, He'd given her far greater gifts than she'd dreamed of—a trustworthy man and a family of women who chose to accept her and love her.

Belonging to Jesus would have been enough. She'd learned that as she'd grown closer to Him every day, reading the Bible and learning all about who God really was.

He was the Father who had chosen her—Jazz Lamont—before He'd even created the universe.

And that wasn't a dream. It was so real and true and wondrous that Jazz wondered every day why she'd taken so long to come to Him.

Thank the Lord, He'd chased her down and brought her to Himself despite her resistance. No matter what happened from now on, she was safe in the arms of the God who had chosen to call her His, forever.