"I’ll be by later to explain everything," he said.

"Thanks," I replied before hanging up the phone.

When Marcus called with news that the raid had gone successfully, I felt the excitement I should have been feeling, followed by a little tinge of upset. While it had been fantastic that they found what they needed during the raid, I knew I needed to go let Hannah know. And I really, really didn’t want to. I wanted her to spend the whole day with the other women, smiling, laughing, and relaxing. However, I worried sitting on the information would upset her later. I also hoped that it would help propel her further into her healing by giving more validation to Court’s arrest.

Still, I waited for a while. I wanted her to get through the massage and enjoy just a little more time with the others. By the time the afternoon was coming and going, I headed downstairs from my study.

Their giggles could be heard from the hallway and I found myself smiling warmly at the sound; I just hoped they weren’t too drunk. Stepping into the family room, I was thankful to see just a few wine bottles stacked up and everyone in the room sipping water or juice. They had enjoyed themselves responsibly—how quaint.

My slight amusement fizzled when I remembered why I was there. Walking up to Hannah, I rested a hand on her shoulder and nodded to the door. "Can we talk for a minute?" I asked.

She eyed me and nodded. Despite her lack of sleep and horrible morning, she was looking so refreshed and rested. I was thankful for that and hoped that my news would only add to it.

"Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of the class," Kristin chuckled.

It was then I noticed that it wasn’t juice in Kristin’s hand, but a corkscrew. There were little airplane bottles next to her. I wasn’t judging, the woman deserved a break more than anyone I knew, honestly.

And she was right. Anyone in that room would eventually catch wind of what was going on, anyway. "Ed and Marcus raided the place that Court tipped them off too," I explained. "I don’t totally know what’s going on yet; they called and said it went well. They have evidence and they’ll be by later to talk to us about."

"By us, you do mean just you and Hannah," Lori added with a chuckle.

I gave a weak smile and a shrug.

"We’ll give you your privacy," Lauren laughed and stood. She then took to the task of helping Kristin to her feet. The three women carried their party outside to the deck by the sound of it. I looked at Hannah with a small smile.

"How was your day with the ladies?" I asked, moving to sit next to her.

She was propped up in the corner of the couch with a faint smile on her lips. "It was actually really nice. I still had a bit of a hard time keeping my mind off things, but I relaxed as much as I could."

My hand rested on her thigh and rubbed it in a comforting manner. "Did you enjoy the massage?"

Her smile grew and a genuine gleam appeared in her eyes. "Yeah, that was perfect. Thank you for that."

"I know I loosened you up this morning," I started with a humorous tone. "But I wanted a professional to really get the job done. I’m so glad you had a good day. You deserve it."

Hannah slipped her hand into mine and put on a bit of a frown. "I feel a bit bad, though. You should have been able to join us. You need to relax too, you know."

"I know, I know," I nodded.

"When will they be here?" she asked.

I shrugged. "They didn’t say when, but I imagine soon." Standing from the couch, I pulled her up with me and tossed my arm around her shoulders.I wanted away from the chaos of the family room after their girls’ day; I made a mental note to make sure to talk to the cleaner about adding a double-paid shift to deal with it. "I know you’ve had wine, but would you care to join me for a drink?"

"I’d love one. I only had a couple. Didn’t want a midday hangover," she replied.

"Responsible," I smiled.

We moved into the parlor, and I poured myself a scotch. I glanced over to her. "And what would the missus like?" I questioned.

She put a finger to her lips and tapped as she thought. "Do you have the makings for a cranberry vodka?"

"I have everything, m’lady," I replied with a bit of flare. Reaching under the bar to the mini fridge that kept the commonplace mixers. Pouring a double shot of vodka and finishing it off with juice, I paced over and gave it to her.

We made a brief cheers and sipped our drinks. By the time our drinks were dwindling down, familiar faces appeared in the archway. Damn, I had good timing. Ed and Marcus moved into the room and sat in armchairs across from us.

"How’s it going?" I called over to them, scooting closer to Hannah and laying my arm behind her on top of the couch.

"Pretty good, actually," Ed replied.

"Pretty good? You mean f*cking great," Marcus chuckled.

In unison, Hannah and I moved toward the edge of the couch as we anticipated their announcement. "What did you find?" I asked.

Ed held hands up like a scale and balanced them back and forth. "We can’t go into specifics. Confidentiality, risk of leaks, all that," he said. "That being said, however, we found a good bit. Fitzgerald was of course gone, but—"

"We have evidence to definitively link him to the Auction House," Marcus cut in. I could tell they were both wired from their substantial findings. It was contagious.

"Really? Is it that concrete?" I asked, shocked by their confidence.

"It’s things that will eliminate any amount of reasonable doubt in someone’s head," Ed replied.

"That’s fantastic!" Hannah exclaimed. I squeezed her shoulder to share in her excitement. "What’s the next step? What goes on now?"

"We have a warrant out for his arrest," Marcus announced, his teeth flashing with just how brilliant the grin on his face was. "I’m sure we’ll catch him soon. He may have money and be a little slick, but he won’t be able to outrun us."

"This is the light at the end of the tunnel," Ed added with positivity.

"I could weep," I said with a little laugh. "Great work guys, I mean really. I couldn’t have done it better myself."

"I don’t even know how to put into words how to thank you," Hannah blurted out, as though she had been holding it back.

Marcus waved her off. "No need for thanking. This is quite literally our job. We can all thank each other when we have the lead bad guy in handcuffs."

"Are you guys able to have a drink? This feels like a cause for celebration," I asked.

"Still on duty," Ed chuckled.

"Always on duty," Marcus mused.

"So, what does the warrant mean exactly?" Hannah asked. "Are we safe? Does that mean we can move on with our lives?"

A silence fell over them, and a tension arose as Hannah’s and my hope suspended in the air for the agents to either lift up further, or cut down.

"Truthfully, I’m not sure," Marcus replied honestly. "Things are looking up. But I’m not sure."

Hannah and I turned to one another, and our eyes met. Hannah took my hand. In that moment, I knew it didn’t matter. It was all coming together. We could wait a little while longer for things to wrap up. I wanted it done and swiftly, but I wanted it done right. I had the rest of my life to enjoy Hannah without the madness of an FBI investigation.

I turned back to Marcus, and nodded. "We’re ready for whatever the future holds."