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It was over.
It was really over.
Kelsey looked at the man beside her in the Jeep. Her husband.
He glanced at her but spoke into the phone pressed to his ear. "Okay, thanks for letting me know. How about the other two?"
He paused, nodded. "Keep me updated."
He ended the call, tossed his cell into the console, and grabbed her hand.
"You can put the calls on Bluetooth," she said. "It's not like I don't know what's going on."
"It's police business, ma'am."
She smiled. "But you're going to tell me."
He focused on the road as they crossed the rickety bridge. They'd gotten a ride into town and retrieved Eric's Jeep. Now they were headed back to his house. The snow was still falling, but the snowplows had been busy, and the roads were passable. From the little she could see in the glare of Eric's headlights, snow had accumulated on every telephone wire and tree branch they passed.
The sight was breathtaking.
She turned back to her husband, another breathtaking sight. "Well," she said.
"They found the other two guys, the chubby one and the one who got you from the lake house."
"Where were they?"
"Halfway to Dover, probably driving too fast trying to get away. Their truck ran off the road and got stuck in the snowbank. The cop drove by when they were taking the snowmobiles off the trailer."
"Good," she said. "So now it's just Mateo and the girl."
"Are you hoping they get caught?"
"Mateo, definitely. The girl?" She knew what that girl had gone through. "I think they'll go easy on her. She was a victim, after all. And then she'd truly be free."
"She killed him in cold blood."
"I know." She blew out a breath. "I would have, too, if I'd had the chance."
"Maybe," he said. "But I doubt it. I think, when the moment came, you wouldn't go through with it. To kill a man..."
Was Eric thinking of Carlos or of the man whose life he'd taken that night? She took his hand. "You had no choice. It was you or him."
"I know. It's still hard, though."
When he didn't say more, she turned to the window to watch the landscape go by.
"Nate and Marisa will head back first thing in the morning."
She snapped her gaze back to his. "Daniel?"
"He'll be..." He paused, swallowed. "He'll be home tomorrow."
The tears she'd kept at bay for hours burned her eyes. She didn't know what to say. She lifted her husband's hand and kissed his knuckles.
They were silent for the rest of the drive.
When Eric parked in his driveway, she reached for her door handle.
"Don't even think about it."
She sighed for his benefit, but she couldn't help the smile.
Eric jogged around the car and opened her door. They held hands as they walked to the house. He unlocked the door, and she stepped inside. The light was on, but it was quiet.
"Where's Magic?"
"She's at Rae and Brady's. We'll get her tomorrow." He closed the door and stopped beside her. "You hungry?"
She shook her head.
"Thirsty?"
"Just tired."
He took her hand again, and they walked upstairs. "I can give you a fresh toothbrush, since we don't have your stuff."
"Okay."
"And a T-shirt to sleep in, if you want."
"Okay."
They reached the upstairs hallway. She looked at the guest room door, then back at him. "I think we've spent enough time apart, don't you?"
He squeezed her hand and smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."