Epilogue Dane

I roll up on the courthouse parking garage about half past noon. My foot darts out and puts down the kickstand in one smooth motion as I dismount the cycle. I drag out my phone and check my email, to make sure I head to all the right places.

I nod to the security guard on the way in, willingly surrendering my metal belt buckle, keys, and a pocket knife I’d forgotten I’d had.

“You can get this when you come back out.”

“No problem. Forgot it was even in my pocket.”

He scoffs at the tiny blade and puts it in a tray.

“Between you and me, it’s not going to do much on anything bigger than a cockroach anyway, but rules are rules.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you have cockroaches in the county courthouse.”

He just stares for a long moment before saying–—

“No comment.”

“I’ll definitely avoid the commissary on my visit. Thanks.”

I put my belt back on, threading it through the denim loops, and then follow the signage until I find the courtroom I’ve been searching for .

I file into the back of the room and sit in the galley. It takes a while for the case I’m interested in to show up. I almost drift off, because I’m quite frankly bored. You’re not allowed to be on your cell phone in the courtroom, because someone might snap a pic or something I guess.

Eventually, I perk up when a particular name is called.

“Justin Jackson.”

Selene’s brother shuffles up in front of the judge, wearing a nice suit that should probably have been tailored more. He seems like a man diminished inside of it, swallowed by the fabric.

The judge reads off the details of Justin’s plea deal. Five years probation, which is pretty damn good considering the grocery list of charges he was facing. The judge notes Justin’s cooperation with authorities, which probably helped lead to his light sentence.

When Justin is free to go, I meet him outside the courtroom. His eyes widen in surprise.

“Dane? I wasn’t expecting to see anyone here.”

“Yeah, well, Selene wanted to be here herself, but they had emergency reshoots today.”

“No, no, it’s good,” he says, nodding. “I’m glad she’s taking care of herself for a change, instead of messing up her life because of something I did.”

I nod. “You need a ride?”

“No, I’ve got it covered. I’m heading out of town tonight. I don’t think I should be in LA seeing as Moreno has it in for me.”

“Moreno’s facing dozens of federal charges, and he’s not getting out of it this time,” I point out.

“Yeah, but I squealed on the Mob. They’re going to have it in for me just on principle, no matter who winds up filling Moreno’s shoes as the head of the family.”

“Fair enough.”

That’s his own bed, and he has to lie in it. But I still wish him luck.

“Here,” I say, putting my number into his phone. “This is my phone number. If you get into some kind of trouble, and you genuinely can’t handle it on your own, call me. Me, specifically, not your sister. Understand?”

“I understand. I won’t be messing up her life any longer, I swear.”

“I know. I’ll be there to protect her now.”

He nods. “I’m glad for that, too. Take good care of my sister, Dane. She deserves it.”

“I know. She’s one of a kind.”

We part ways, and I don’t look back. I hope Justin gets his life together. For his sake as much as his sister’s.

But now, I turn my attention to happier thoughts. I cruise down the boulevard until I find a roadside florist stand.

She doesn’t speak much English, I don’t speak much Spanish, but the proprietor and I work out a deal we can both live with. I arrange the bouquet behind the windshield and rumble to the freeway.

The sun shines bright and cheery in a perfect blue sky with only a few white fluffy clouds dotting the azure perfection. My bike is riding like a dream, and I’m on my way to see the love of my life.

Life is good.

When I roll up on the studio lot, the security guard is already raising the bar for me. I give him a wave as I pass. A lot of people are starting to think I work here, I come around so much.

I stroll across the lot, passing a gladiator, a stripper, and a half-dinosaur man. An assistant with a tablet and a headset pops out of a random door and glares at me.

“Are you the stuntman for the convict scene? We need you on set, like yesterday.”

“Sorry, no,” I say. “I’m just here to see my girlfriend.”

He mutters something unkind like it’s my fault his guy hasn’t shown up on time. I walk off shaking my head.

Convict? Is it the tats? These are high quality work, not prison tats.

I self-consciously check my illustrations, and decide that he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Are you seriously admiring your own arms?”

I turn around to find Selene standing there, hands on her hips. Her rumpled apron is spattered with paint streaks. In fact, her face has some streaks on it as well. Even with no makeup and her hair bound up into a tight bun she’s the most beautiful woman on Earth.

“Hey, Living Dead Girl.”

Her smile grows more brilliant, and then her eyes dart downward.

“Are those for me?”

“Why yes, as a matter of fact,” I say, offering the flowers. I had forgotten I was even holding onto them. Guess I’m a little distracted today, but under the circumstances it’s pretty understandable.

“Thanks,” she says, her cheeks turning red. She sniffs the bouquet and her smile widens. “Peonies. My favorite.”

“I aim to please.”

I gather her into my arms, Selene holding the bouquet off to the side so it doesn’t get crushed. When I take her lips, it’s almost as exhilarating as the first time. I want nothing more than to maul her right here and now, but duty calls.

A loud buzzer breaks both the liplock and the mood.

“I’ve got to go,” she says. “They’ve got me working with the director of cinematography to make sure the shots don’t reveal any seams or discolored foam rubber.”

“That’s good experience. Could help you move up in the industry.”

“I like where I am in the industry,” she says. “But you’re right, there’s nothing wrong with diversifying my skill set.”

“You might want to make your own movie someday, who knows.”

Selene’s jaw falls open, and her eyes go wide.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.

“No, I just never thought of doing that before. Oh my god, I think I could make my own movie! I have connections, and know-how, and I can handle the special effects myself…”

“Go keep this job and dream of the next one later,” I offer.

She kisses me again, then dashes off to finish work. I cool my heels in the green room, snacking on free food and talking to an eighty-something studio security supervisor who knows all the secrets and all the best stories .

When the re-shoots finally finish a couple of hours later, Selene has even more paint streaks on her person, but she also has a huge smile. I love the fact that she’s doing something that makes her happy.

I take Selene back to her place. While she cleans up and changes, I sit on her bed and scroll through my phone.

“You know,” she says from the bathroom, “you could just move in already. It doesn’t make much sense to pay rent on a place you barely use.”

She’s referring to the postage stamp apartment I got in the city. The drive from the compound to her place was just too damn long. I got the apartment because I was still a little gun shy on the idea of moving in with her at the time.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I say. “My lease is up next month. Why don’t I just move in here?”

She darts her head out of the bathroom, makeup half applied.

“Really? I know we’ve talked about it a couple times before, but I didn’t think we were…Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. I’ve already got a steady job with Platinum Security. Might as well do some more grown up stuff like move in together.”

She does a little happy dance, and then returns to her ablutions.

“Someone wants this date to have a happy ending,” she says from the bathroom.

“Don’t they always?”

She sticks her tongue out at me, stepping into view wearing a tight little black dress and knee-high boots. My pulse quickens. She can morph into different styles like nobody I’ve ever seen.

“You look incredible,” I say, my breath stolen by her beauty and presence.

“I’m glad you like it,” she says, then her eyes widen in fear. “We’re NOT taking your bike. Not in a dress this short. I know some women find it empowering to flash their undies, but I prefer some things left to the imagination.”

“Fair enough. We’ll take my truck. ”

Which is coincidentally parked outside. She’s right, I practically do live here anyway. I even have a toothbrush in the bathroom hanging over the sink.

I take her to a French restaurant in Beverly Hills. The place is swank enough to be suitably elegant for date night, but not social media famous enough to be packed with morons taking photos.

I spring for champagne, and she cocks an eyebrow.

“Are we celebrating tonight?”

“Baby,” I say with a meaningful stare, “we’re celebrating every night we’re together.”

“Ooh,” she says, eyes narrowing and lips forming an O. “Good answer, but I still get the feeling you’re up to something.”

I take a sip of champagne and arch my brows.

“Who, moi? Whatever could I be up to other than showing you a good time?”

She gives me a suspicious look.

As we’re about to order dessert, I look up from the menu and catch her gaze.

“There’s a grotto on the roof. You want to take our dessert there?”

“That sounds lovely.”

I catch the waiter’s attention and give him a nod. He nods back, knowing it’s showtime. I really have to thank Easton for using her Hollywood influence to help me sweet talk the restaurant staff into this.

We take a metal spiral staircase to the roof. It’s not the tallest building in LA, but the view is still magical. Selene smiles, the wind gently blowing her bangs away from her face.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I surreptitiously check the screen. A message from Jax glows faintly in the soft light.

Is she in position?

I text back in the affirmative, and then wait. Time to see if Easton’s contacts paid off.

About ten very tense seconds pass by and nothing happens. I start to text Jax to ask what’s up. Then, the skyscraper across from us goes completely black, the lights turning off all at once. Selene starts when the lights go out.

“What in the world? Is this the beginning of the apocalypse or something?”

The windows on the skyscraper light up in a flashing checkered pattern. They even change color across the spectrum. Selene’s gaze narrows. She’s getting suspicious that something’s up.

Oh, something’s up all right, baby. Just you wait.

The flashing slows, coalescing into a pixelated image of a man-shaped figure. Even with blocky pixels and few details, it’s obvious the figure is a trundling zombie. The zombie walks along, until he runs into a girl zombie, with a bow on her head.

The two figures kiss, and then the windows light up in a scintillating pattern which spells out words.

Selene, will you marry me?

Selene gasps, swaying unsteadily on her feet. When she turns back to face me, I’ve sunk to one knee. Her eyes widen, and then her hands clap over her mouth and nose.

“Selene Jackson, you’re the most incredible, beautiful, and brilliant woman on the planet. Will you be my wife?”

She sniffles, tears welling at the corner of her eyes. But she drops her hands from her face and nods.

“Yes,” she says softly, her voice breaking. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

I slip the ring on her finger, then she helps me stand up right into a kiss. Her eyes widen at the sight of it. A double hoop of white gold holds a setting exquisitely carved to resemble lotus blossoms. The stone itself is a custom white diamond from Mejuri, carved and cut in a traditional hexagonal shape.

“Wow,” Selene says. “I mean, wow.”

“It gets better,” I say. “Hold the diamond up and stare into the middle.”

She obeys, and then a sharp gasp escapes her throat.

“Is that our names? Inside the diamond? How did they do that?” She blurts.

“Magic, of course,” I reply with a wink .

She kisses me, and I give even better than I get. At last we can enjoy our time together.

Finally, we can leave the past behind.

Whatever the future holds, we can face it together.