“Thank you.” She angled toward him, sliding a hand along his jaw to tip his face down. He came willingly, his mouth warm against hers. They both sighed into the kiss, the last of the roughness between them smoothing out. Why couldn’t everything be as simple as this feeling of rightness?
With one last sip of him, she eased back, settling into the comfortable curve of his arm. He nudged the swing into motion, and they sat in companionable silence, watching the fireflies dance.
Eventually, Cayla’s curiosity overrode her need for silence. “What exactly are you doing to handle the situation?”
“We’ve all made the requisite reports to the FTC and all the credit bureaus about the false accounts. And Cash is looking into things. Unless Arthur somehow became a hacker in prison, he didn’t get into my shit on his own. I locked it down as soon as you said I should.”
Her warning hadn’t been enough. How were they supposed to combat that?
With a heavy sigh, she sipped more wine. “I didn’t think to warn Brax and Jonah. It never occurred to me he might go after them. It should have. They’re your business partners. It makes a sick sort of sense that he’d target all of you.”
“It didn’t occur to me either. And, yeah, it’s not great. But let me be clear, they’re not pissed at you. You didn’t do this.”
“Not directly, but it doesn’t change the fact that none of you would be in this situation if not for me.”
“Don’t.” Holt squeezed her shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself. He wants you to do that. It’s more manipulation on his part. This shit is a pain in the ass, but it’s not impossible to reverse. We will get it sorted.”
She wondered if he’d learned this unwavering confidence as a Ranger or if he’d always been like this. Either way, she appreciated the support. They didn’t have answers yet. In all likelihood, Arthur’s campaign was just beginning. That prospect was terrifying. She didn’t know what he’d do next.
But she and Holt had each other. That was enough for now.