Chapter 9 - THE FAMILY WE CHOOSE
The rain finally stopped as the sun began to rise over the wetlands, painting the gray sky in streaks of pale gold.
I fell to my knees in the wreckage of the boathouse, wrapping my arms around my sister. Sarah sobbed, burying her face in my shoulder, her tears mixing with the damp earth on my jacket.
“You found me,” she whispered over and over again. “You found me, Katie.”
Nico stood by the armored car, finishing a phone call. He walked over to us, his face softer than I had ever seen it.
“It’s over,” Nico said quietly. “Vincent and Vivienne were arrested at the house. I had my men forward the security footage and the ledger’s dummy accounts to the feds. They’re going away for a very long time.”
“What about the council?” Sarah asked, looking terrified. “The family?”
“I just resigned,” Nico said. The words hung in the morning air, heavy and permanent. “I handed the territory over to a neutral party. I’m out. I’m a civilian.”
He looked toward the black SUV parked at the edge of the dock.
Lily had climbed out and was walking toward us, clutching her pink backpack.
Sarah looked at the little girl she had protected all those years ago. “Lily?”
Lily ran to her, throwing her arms around Sarah’s neck. For a moment, the three of us just held each other, a tangled knot of survival and relief.
Six months later.
The coastal house in Maine smelled like sea salt and fresh coffee.
I stood at the kitchen island, icing a batch of vanilla cupcakes. Through the large bay window, the ocean glittered under the summer sun.
Down on the beach, Sarah was pushing Lily on a wooden swing set Nico had built by hand. Lily was laughing loudly, her voice clear and bright, carrying over the crash of the waves. She hadn’t stuttered in months. Once the anxiety and fear had been removed from her life, her words had found their natural rhythm.
Nico walked into the kitchen, wearing a faded gray t-shirt and jeans, looking nothing like the ruthless mafia boss I had met a year ago. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“You’re getting frosting everywhere,” he murmured, kissing my neck.
“It’s a strategic mess,” I smiled, leaning back against him.
He reached into his pocket and placed something on the marble counter next to the cupcakes.
It was the silver key. The one that used to open the basement archive of secrets and pain.
Nico picked it up and tossed it directly into the trash can.
“We don’t need locked doors anymore,” he said.
He turned me around and looked into my eyes. The shadows that had haunted him for five years were entirely gone. In their place was a quiet, unshakeable peace.
He reached into his pocket again. This time, he didn't pull out a velvet pouch or a family heirloom tainted by betrayal.
He pulled out a simple, elegant diamond ring.
“Kate,” Nico said softly, his voice full of a love that didn't need to be hidden in the dark. “Will you stay? For good?”
I looked out the window. Sarah was chasing Lily through the shallow surf, their laughter echoing like music. I looked back at the man who had burned his empire to the ground to keep us safe.
May you like
I didn't stutter, either.
“Yes,” I said. “Forever.”
