Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Fred

"The end…or really the beginning." I smiled softly at Rush and Simon as they looked at me with wide eyes.

"I don't understand why Snow didn't tell me any of this," Simon huffed.

"Haven Hart knows as much as I've shared and before today, I hadn't told anyone every part of it." I sighed, my gaze drifting to a group of hummingbirds happily drinking from the feeder.

"So what's next for you?" Rush cocked his head to the side.

"Vincenzo is staying in Westford; he feels he can run Lex Talionis from here. Sure, he'll have to go back and forth since he's going to split his people, but he insisted."

Simon chuckled. "And you'll live happily ever after? Him running the most lethal and elite assassin organization and you heading the Irish mob and being a doctor?"

"My life isn't everything I'd wanted. I lost so much, Simon. But with Vincenzo, I don't feel alone anymore, and truly…and this is the most important—I'm safe. I trust him with my life, and I've never been able to say that before. I'm not getting out of this position of running things any easier than you would get out of yours."

"Difference is, Fred, I want to take over for Pops when he steps down."

I nodded. That was true. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you both what's been going on. I've never had friends really, at least not real ones. I had plenty I thought were friends until they stabbed me in the back. But you two, I owed you this piece of me…and I wanted to share it."

Rush reached over and took my hand. "Thank you for telling us. Even though your life from here on out will likely be a tornado of chaos, I'm happy you found someone to ride out the storm with."

I squeezed back and smiled—a genuine one. "I am too."

That night as I lay in bed, Vincenzo's arms wrapped around me, I was hopeful. I didn't know what our future held, but I knew we would face it together.

THE END