“All I want is you, the kids, and to be happy. Is that too much to ask?” Abigail’s question was so laced with misery, that it made Emma sad.

“No, it isn’t, and none of this is your fault. How in the world would you have known what Nicola was before you got together with her if she kept that side of her a secret?” Emma hoped Abigail would start asking herself that question enough times that she’d finally start to understand she bore no blame. “Cain isn’t someone who abides by the law, but she was up-front about who she was. She gave me the chance to either accept it or walk away.”

“So was Remi. She and Cain both let us make that decision,” Dallas said. She reached over and took her sister’s hand. “That’s the same decision you and Kristen are going to have to make, but at least you get to make it. The women we love aren’t hiding behind the facade of a fake name and a fake life.”

“I know, and in my head I know you’re right about all of it. My heart, though, was broken from the moment someone shot at me in the street because they wanted my children.” Abigail rested her head on Finley’s shoulder. “They wanted my children to keep this disgusting business going.”

“With any luck, they’ll be interested in computers instead,” Emma said, and Abigail finally smiled.

“I have a feeling Sadie will be more interested in helping Hayden run the family business. She’s got a huge crush for someone who’s too young to know what the hell a big crush is.”

“You’ve got years to worry about that, but think of how gorgeous our grandbabies would be,” Emma teased her, and Abigail moved from Finley and hugged her.

“Thank you for everything. I’d have gone nuts by now without your family.”

“This is your family too. That ring on your finger means you willingly decided to join, and Cain takes that commitment to family to heart.”

“Thank God for that,” Abigail said, squeezing her one more time before letting go.

“Well, the FBI thinks of her more as the devil incarnate, but I think she’s heaven-sent.” She picked up the phone again and called Cain, but she didn’t answer, meaning she was tied up with something. Cain wasn’t in the habit of ignoring her. “As soon as I get in touch with her, we’ll put something in place to find Nicola and finish this. You deserve peace and a happy future, and I plan to give it to you.”

✥ ✥ ✥

“The guy I put on this narrowed it to eleven locations,” Nina said.