Epilogue

EpilogueSix months laterOliviaIwoke up to rain and wind battering against the hunting lodge’s armored windows, and Viktor spooning me from behind. One arm was tucked under the pillow beneath my head, while the other was slung over me loosely. His breathing was slow and even, he was still asleep despite the cacophony outside.Thunder rumbled in the distance. I opened an eye and saw dawn breaking through the storm clouds. It was the only light coming into the room, the line of streetlights I could see through the trees from where I lay was still dark. Blackout. I listened, hearing the backup generators humming floors away in the basement. Between them and the house batteries, we would be fine for a solid day.But that wouldn’t keep the thunder from waking Michael and scaring him into our bed. He was a lot less nervous these days than he’d been months ago, but loud noises still got to him.Six months after Viktor had buried Boris and called an end to the war, my life remained a mix of the ordinary and the unbelievable. This had its drawbacks, but for the most part, I loved how things were going.It was true that I would never be able to tell my friends and coworkers at the auction house what my new husband did for a living. We were still figuring out what to tell Michael about it. Right now, he just knew that Viktor had been far away during those years when he was gone from our lives. I hoped that by the time he learned his father’s true calling, he would be old enough to keep the secret on his own.On the other hand, with Viktor, my life was endlessly richer, more exciting and more exotic than I had ever known. We had honeymooned for a month in the Caribbean on a yacht with a full staff and armed guards. Viktor had taught Michael to swim in the yacht pool while I had watched, marveling quietly at how fast the two were bonding.I rolled over carefully in Viktor’s arms and gazed at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. He had pulled on a pair of pajama pants during the night, but his tattooed chest was bare. I slid my hand up it and he stirred.“There’s a thunderstorm,” I murmured in his ear. “That means Michael’s incoming.”His brilliant green eyes opened, and I propped myself up on one elbow to kiss him. He smiled up at me. “I see.” I felt him quickly do a pants-check on himself and my smile turned into an amused grin. He’d had to break himself of the habit of sleeping nude and leaving the bedroom door open. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any mishaps in the meantime.Right on cue, another thunderclap shook the windows. Much closer this time, louder, following a lightning flash just a few seconds before. The storm was right on top of us. He stretched against me. “Sounds like the roads are going to be a mess for a while. Should we cancel with Anna and Luis?”“I think we should talk to them and see what they want to do. Last time it rained like this they were fine, but then there was the time with the road closure.” My last word was punctuated by a yawn. I wanted more sleep, and certainly more snuggle time. We hadn’t come up here for the weekend to get up early and be busy all day.“All right. I’ll make the call as soon as it’s a reasonable hour.” He was going to say more, but before he could, our bedroom door opened.Michael was in his favorite superhero pajamas, and his hair was sticking up haphazardly from sleep. He rubbed one half-open eye and shuffled toward us. “Thunder’s loud and scary. I can’t sleep.”“I get it, sweetie,” I told him as Viktor and I both sat up. “C’mon, snuggle in. The storm’s going to be a while.”“Why is it so loud?” he grumbled while I stifled a laugh. He was so cute with the crazy hair and chirpy-voiced grumping.“Thunder gets louder the closer the center of the storm is. Right now, it’s overhead. It will quiet down eventually.” Viktor scooted over to make room for our son, who flopped onto the bed and nestled in between us on top of the covers.“Oh. Okay.” He jumped as lightning flashed and thunder roared at almost the same time. “I just wish it would go away faster!” Then he gave me a worried look. “Is Auntie Anna still coming?”“We’re hoping so. It depends on how bad the roads are. It might be difficult for them to get here.” I smoothed Michael’s hair down gently so it would stop tempting me to giggle.“Stupid storm. I want them to bring Pookie up again!”I smiled. “Well, if it doesn’t work this weekend, next weekend’s supposed to be clear. It’ll be fine, sweetie.”These days, Anna and I spent even more time than we used to confiding in each other because we had found ourselves in the same basic position. In her case, she had to figure out how to explain her brother’s work in ways that her own husband could understand, and, eventually, she’d have to do the same for her daughter. There were a lot of potential conflicts involved, and I didn’t envy her the coming talk with her husband.Figuring out how to live ordinary lives on the edge of a criminal organization took a lot of work. The fact that the men leading those groups were so close to us only helped in some ways. The no-weapons-around-our-kids rule took a while to stick with some of the younger members. I still didn’t know that much about my husband’s day-to-day work. I still hoped he wouldn’t end up shot, arrested, or betrayed again.A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to grasp that someone could work outside the law and still be a good and honorable person. Now, I was married to one. And Anna had been sister to one, unknowingly, for years. We loved them both, and we chose to live with their secrets.I sometimes rationalized my choice, thinking that there would always be crime lords, and that the city was better for having an honorable man at the top in Boston. And maybe that was even true. Viktor’s and Luis’s characters certainly helped end the war between their organizations quickly and with no further bloodshed. They helped keep the peace now. And that meant I felt safer with Viktor than with anyone else in my life.But in the end, for better or for worse, I was with Viktor because I loved him, and we both wanted Michael to grow up with two parents. The most simple and ordinary of reasons, which many couples would give as their own.We curled up in bed and watched the storm, chatting softly and answering Michael’s endless questions about everything from how thunder worked, to when he could finally learn to drive a car. I looked over the top of our son’s head at my husband, and when he looked back at me, I saw in his fierce green eyes a contentment I had never imagined could rest there.THE ENDHope you enjoyed the book! Subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook to be the first to know about the release. Other recommended books by Aria Ray: Check out my bestselling Mafia Romance,The Mob’s Stolen Baby