Chapter 30

Ariana

30

The fundraiser gala organized for Mayor Henry David is Everton City's event of the year. The news cycle has brainwashed people, and some have even forgotten that my father has barely done anything for this city or its voters.

Outside the theater, there are droves of folks eager to cheer him on while the press and the venue's private security staff gather at the main entrance.

I've got my press pass ready, and my red hair is hidden underneath a pale blonde wig. I'm wearing a simple beige pantsuit with a delicate white silk shirt and nude pumps. My makeup is minimal. I'm not supposed to stand out, so I wear a pair of neutral-lens glasses with thick black rims, anything to mask as many of my features as possible.

My phone buzzes with a text from Sky.

We're ready.

I'll be there soon, I promise. I message him back.

My heart flutters with excitement and dread. I wanted to be here tonight. I owe it to myself and my mother. No matter how it ends, I want to be at peace. It's the first day of the rest of my life, and I intend to live it fully and righteously. Therefore, I have to do this.

I make my way through the crowd, politely excusing myself until I reach the base of the theater's front steps. There are massive banners of my father's smiling face hanging from the building's fa?ade. It's the warm, confident smile of a man who expects an entire state to trust him, to vote for him, and to get him that highly coveted senate seat.

On the banners, his name is written in bold letters, the font carefully chosen to inspire confidence, clarity, honesty, and transparency. The latter two traits are actually a part of his slogan, and it makes me laugh. What a joke.

Hiding my disgust, I give the PR representative a subtle smile as I show her my badge.

"Good evening, Miss Jones. It's a pleasure to have you here tonight," the young woman says.

"It's a pleasure to be here," I promptly reply.

"I didn't think The Chronicle was sending anyone over tonight," she says. My fake press ID states that I'm a field reporter for The Concord Chronicle, so I'm playing my part. "They weren't exactly Mr. David's biggest fan when he first won the mayor's seat."

"They've come around since," I reply. "You know, up-and-coming politician, fresh blood. That's bound to raise some eyebrows until they see him soaring through the ranks."

"He's headed all the way to the top," the PR representative quips, practically glowing.

Her excitement brings a ball of acrid nausea up to my throat, but I can't break down now. Not yet, anyway. I swallow it all back and mirror her expression, forcing myself to carry the charade all the way through to the end. "I'm sure of it," I tell her. "I suppose I have a seat assigned?"

"Yes, it's written right here," she says and gives me my gala ticket.

I smile once more and go inside.

Behind me, the crowd swells at the base of the steps. The public is interested in this event and in being as close as possible to the many local and national celebrities attending tonight.

Actors, athletes, and TV personalities aplenty, along with the party's most popular senators and representatives, some from New Hampshire but more than half coming from out of state. I see Washington faces everywhere around me.

Floral arrangements and marble statues occupy every corner, while plates are loaded with a variety of wonderful smelling hors d'oeuvres, and champagne glasses are distributed evenly among the swelling crowd by neatly dressed waiters. Somewhere on the eastern side of the hall, right next to the main stage, a band plays mellow jazz while the organizers of the event help people find their seats—of which there are about five hundred—evenly arranged in front of the stage.

"I hear he's a party darling for that New Hampshire seat," one man tells his wife.

"It's the sympathy vote, I'm sure of it," she scoffs.

I give them both a curious look, surprised that I actually recognize them. They are the Mannings from Rochester, New York. He's a finance magnate, and she's an uppity socialite who once reigned as the party queen of the Hamptons. Both of them are generous donors, likely drawn here by my father's political potential.

"The man just buried his daughter, for Pete's sake," the wife adds. "Of course, he's getting all the votes. People have a soft spot for tragedy."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't mind supporting the guy. His agenda sounds pretty straightforward," Mr. Manning says. "Besides, the state senate needs some fresh blood. It's practically a museum these days. Mummies everywhere."

I'd laugh along with Mrs. Manning if I didn't know the kind of man they're supporting for that senate seat. I'll take a roomful of mummies anytime over my own father, and that says something. Better the devil you know, or so they say, and I can't believe I'm actually thinking that. Better the devil you know than your own father. Sheesh.

Slowly, I move forward, occasionally smiling and nodding at people before I take my seat at the front. Amstaff made sure I got the best seat in the house for this. I couldn't be more grateful. Maybe when it's all over, I'll be able to let go of this unquenchable anger that I've been carrying around for so long.

Eventually, the guests for my father's first fundraiser sit down, exchanging smiles and brief pleasantries, before his PR representative takes the stage.

Everything reverts to being mere background noise for me as my most intrusive thoughts take over. It's mostly just me screaming on the inside as my gaze remains fixed on the left side of the stage. That's where he'll be coming from. But first, his PR rep has to give us a whole speech about what a wonderful man he is, about how grateful they are to have us here tonight, and so on. I'm already close to puking.

I tune her out altogether, fearful that I might actually vomit if I keep listening to what I know is a veritable crock of shit. My father didn't do anything for this community, and anything he did do was purely for his own benefit.

Inadvertently, my head starts turning, ever so slowly, left and right. I'm scanning the seated crowd, once again wondering who's who, wondering if I can identify the Black Hand folks by how much evil I see in their eyes.

That's not a thing, unfortunately.

What is a thing, however, is about a dozen federal agents discreetly entering the hall, arrest warrants and badges at the ready as they scan the crowd. They're in place, receiving instructions through discreet earpieces and promptly responding through the microphones in their sleeves once they have a visual on their targets.

My heart is now racing.

It's about to go down. Perfect timing, too, as the PR rep is finally done kissing my father's ass and proceeds to introduce him onstage.

"Without further ado, please welcome the man of the hour, the hero of our hearts, Mayor Henry David! And, with a little bit of luck along with your support, our future state senator!"

The crowd rises to their feet, clapping and cheering with bright eyes and even brighter smiles as my father walks onto the stage. He looks dashing as ever, wearing a custom-tailored black suit with a burgundy tie and neatly combed hair. He smiles with intimidating confidence as he gets in front of the microphone and motions for everyone to sit down.

"Thank you, thank you all," he says, his voice echoing across the hall. "It is truly an honor to be here tonight, to be able to …" He pauses and takes a deep, shuddering breath. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there are tears in his eyes. "As you're well aware, it's been a tough year. Frankly, I wasn't even sure I'd be doing this. After I buried my own daughter, I almost gave up on everything."

"You bastard," I mutter under my breath. "You lying bastard."

There's no doubt in my mind that my father loves me; I just know he doesn't love me enough. And he sure doesn't love me more than his career; otherwise, he wouldn't be here tonight. It fills me with anguish and burning rage, but honestly, I'm almost glad that my mother isn't alive to see this. It would break her beyond repair.

"But I can't change the past. I can't change the way certain people think and act," my father says, about to do a deep dive into his prepared speech. "I can only change the way we punish those who act outside the legal boundaries. Ours is the greatest country in the world. Though our legal system could use some tweaks, I'm sure we can all agree. And after everything that's happened, I'm now more determined than ever to make sure that no one goes through …" his voice trails as his gaze finds me.

I'm sitting upright on purpose. My wig is on the floor. As soon as he recognizes me, I feel a slight smirk testing the corner of my mouth, so I take my glasses off, too, just to twist the knife in his wound. "Hey, Dad," I mouth at him, then wink.

"Oh my God," he gasps, genuinely shocked to see me.

Much like the rest of the world, Henry David thought I died that night on the cemetery hill where he left me to be killed by his cabal buddies. He had a choice to make, and he chose to walk away as Troy aimed his semiautomatic weapon at my head. My father chose himself and his career over me, his one and only daughter.

I don't know if he's actually made peace with that, but it doesn't matter anymore.

The truth is staring back at him now, and Henry David is torn between relief and horror as he begins to realize what my presence, what my survival, actually means. I see the color draining from his face in real time while everyone else is wondering what's going on.

"Ariana …" he breathes, his eyes suddenly filled with tears.

I stand up, prompting an eruption of gasps from the audience members who instantly recognize my name slipping from different mouths at the same time. I walk closer to the stage as I hear the federal agents combing through the seated guests.

"Mr. Neyman, Special Agent Darius Jones, FBI. You're under arrest," one of them says.

The individual named Neyman tries to object, but the cuffs are promptly slapped on his wrists as Everton PD officers swarm into the hall and assist the Feds in multiple arrests. Supervisory Special Agent Grey joins me in front of the stage. He moved in like a shadow to stand next to me while my father is still struggling to cope with this new reality.

"Ariana, you're alive …" he manages with a trembling voice. "How?"

"I'm a survivor; what can I say?" I shoot back, my tone cold and clipped.

"It's a miracle!" he tries, foolishly enough, to spin this back in his favor, but Grey steps forth and shows him a search warrant. "Who are you?"

"This is a search warrant to search your office, city hall, and every single private property that you own, Mr. David," Grey says. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Grey with the Quantico office, therefore unaffiliated with your Black Hand partners, and I'm afraid that this is the end of the line for you."

"What are you talking about?" my father blurts out, quick to feign outrage and confusion.

But I can see the wheels clicking in the back of his head. I can almost hear the deluge of screaming thoughts rushing through his mind as the entire theater hall is ravaged by gasps and protests, flashing camera lights, and reporters shouting uncomfortable questions at every person who is in the process of being arrested.

"Cut the shit, Dad," I say, loud enough for everyone to hear. "They know. They know about you and your ties to the Black Hand; they have evidence against you and those monsters. They know what you did to Mom and to anyone who dared get in your way. They know about the shady deals and the bribes. It's over."

"You're alive," my father says again.

"Lucky for you, because then you'd have conspiracy to commit murder added to what is likely going to be a very long list of charges," I snap. "You left me there to die, Dad. Your own daughter, your flesh and blood!"

"Ariana—"

"Nah, it's over. You don't get to talk your way out of this. Your buddies can't help you anymore, either. You're done, and you are going to pay for everything you did. You are going to pay for what you let them do to Mom, too …" My voice breaks.

I thought I'd be stronger, but the tears rush to roll down my heated cheeks as I watch Agent Grey turn my father around to cuff him. He reads him his Miranda rights while Dad keeps trying to reason with me, but I'm not listening anymore.

"I had no choice, Ariana, I swear, I tried …"

"Screw you," I mumble between sobbing hiccups.

"Ariana, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry …"

"Too late for that," I reply.

"Come on, time to go," Grey says and takes my father away.

It's an eerie sight for me. Not that long ago, I didn't think I'd ever witness this moment. I was sure he'd figure out a way to escape justice, one way or another. But he didn't. The long arm of the law is longer than the cabal's reach, and when the president himself decided to get involved, I knew it would end here tonight.

Yet here I stand, motionless in a rushing crowd, ignoring questions and recorders being shoved in my face and watching as my father is taken away in cuffs by federal agents. The RICO operation is a roaring success by the looks of it. They didn't see it coming. They were so comfortable, sitting and watching my father—their most valuable pawn—talk about what a hard time he's had since he buried me.

He's going away. And so are the last of my fears and nightmares. My baby and I are finally safe.

The worst chapter of my life is now closed.

After I give my statement to the authorities, I hail the first cab I see and rush back to the hotel, where the guys are waiting for me.

I dash into the hotel lobby and head for the elevator. The urgency of desire and longing has me wound up tighter with each passing moment. By the time I reach the top floor and slide the key card into my door, I'm panting, my heart a throbbing mess, and I can barely breathe.

"Ariana!" Sky exclaims as he jumps from his seat by the window.

I burst into tears upon seeing them. All three, standing tall and proud in the middle of my hotel room. The men I love more than anything in the world. The men I thought I'd lose that night at the cemetery and whom I haven't seen since.

"Oh, I've been so lost and miserable without you," I cry like a little girl, finally coming apart at the seams as they immediately rush to take me in their arms and hold me tightly. "I've missed you so much."

"Baby, we're here," Sky kisses my lips, softly and sweetly cupping my face.

"You're safe," Raylan adds, taking over for a long, delicious moment.

Then Kendric squishes me in a heartfelt embrace and captures my mouth, his tongue slipping inside. "You'll never be alone again, Ariana, I swear it," he says, his breath ragged as he kisses me again.

The days and nights that we've been apart were the worst, and we seem desperate to catch up, to make up for all the time that we had to wait to be together again. My chest hurts, but it's a beautiful kind of pain, a relief so powerful and so intense that my soul simply can't keep up.

Our bodies and our hearts have come together again, and the world feels right once more. I know deep in the very fiber of my being that we belong here, with each other, forever.

"God, I've been so fucking miserable without you," Raylan growls, kissing my lips while Sky and Kendric's hands swiftly and mercilessly remove my clothes.

I close my eyes, basking in their musky, powerfully masculine scent, reveling in their towering presence as they undress. I take deep breaths as Sky fondles my breasts, taking each nipple in his mouth to lick and suckle until the sweet, teasing stings send shivers down my spine.

I'm like putty in their hands, wet and wanting and ready for everything that they wish to give me. Our mouths clash, and our tongues wrestle as they take turns kissing me and tracing every contour of my body.

"I want you inside me," I whisper in Sky's ear.

"Hold on, let me enjoy this some more," he chuckles softly and lays me on the bed.

I am on my back, legs spread before him. He goes down and slides his tongue between my slick folds, eager to kiss, lick, and explore while Kendric and Raylan take good care of my tender breasts.

They knead them and kiss them, playfully nibbling on every inch of creamy skin they can find while I stroke their cocks firmly and tenderly. I feel the veins pulsating along their thick shafts. They're as ready for me as I am for them, but Sky is determined to ravish me with an orgasm first.

"Oh, how I've missed this," I cry out as he suckles on my clit, fingers curling inside me.

He brings me closer to the edge, mercilessly eating my pussy as I take care of Kendric and Raylan. They give me their cocks, and I take them, one at a time, letting them glide all the way down my throat. Tears trickle from the corners of my eyes as I taste the salty precum on my tongue. I'd missed all of them so much, missed all of this. The debauchery, the self-abandonment, the purest form of bliss as we surrender unto one another.

"Sky! Don't stop, don't ever stop!" I scream as I come hard, my pussy clenching.

I'm still throbbing on the inside when Kendric rolls me over and has me riding him. He spears me with his enormous, rock-hard erection. I'm stretched into insanity and wrapped around his cock, giving myself a moment to get reacquainted with his generous girth, but then Raylan joins us, taking me from behind and sliding inside me, as well.

"Ohhh," I moan as Raylan holds me by the hips, and Kendric takes hold of my breasts.

Sky is on his feet, the tip of his cock pressed against my lips and a loving look in his dark eyes. I can only smile and open wide, holding on to his muscular thighs as he fills my mouth.

My cries are muffled, but they are cries of joy and ecstasy as Raylan starts moving and Kendric pumps into me harder and faster. I'm overflowing with golden sunlight and endless happiness, rolling through the tide of another mind-crushing climax as my men claim me.

"Give it to me, Ariana. I want to feel all of it," Raylan says and shamelessly slaps my ass.

It causes an immediate chain reaction, making me explode all over him and Kendric. I hear Kendric's groan as he thrusts himself deeper, heels planted into the mattress as he fucks me into oblivion. Still, I manage to hold Sky's hard balls with one hand and relax the back of my throat to welcome him deeper, locking my gaze on his as I feel him getting closer to completion.

"I love you so much, it hurts," he says.

I close my lips around the tip and stroke his shaft just as Kendric and Raylan unravel like beasts and drill deeper inside me.

My soul expands as I come again, as my men fill me almost in perfect unison. Kendric is first squeezing my breasts so hard that it hurts so good as he unloads everything. Raylan bites into my shoulder as he shoots his seed deep within me while I swallow Sky wholly and unequivocally, feeling his heat roll down my throat.

The silence that follows is perfect.

The past is but a memory, all of our troubles left behind. The future is yet to happen, but I know we will make the most of it. We belong together, and we're going to do everything in our power to stay together. The present matters the most. The here and now.

"I'm pregnant," I finally say when the silence weighs the heaviest upon me.

One by one, their heads pop up from the pillows and turn to look at me, their eyes worriedly searching my face. I can't help but smile as I realize that they're genuinely happy. Shocked, but happy. Surprised but excited.

"Are you sure?" Sky manages, his hand resting gently on my belly.

I nod once. "One hundred percent."

"We'll need a new strategy then," he says.

"Of course we do," Raylan calmly replies. "We're going to be fathers."

"Respectable members of society," Kendric chuckles and leans in for a kiss.

I laugh and welcome their reactions, relieved to be faced with such joy, such warmth, so much love that it almost feels surreal. But it's not a dream. It's not a figment of my imagination. And the reality of this entire moment hits me so hard, so deep, that I can't stop myself from crying.

"We're going to be okay," Sky whispers, taking over from Kendric.

"I know, baby, I know," I tell him.

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm happy."

I am. Despite everything, I am happy. An hour ago, I was watching my father getting arrested by the FBI. An empire of terror and corruption crumbling after they almost killed me, after they almost destroyed everything. Now, I'm melting in the arms of my kidnappers, my men, my partners… and I'm going to have their baby.

The future is ours.

"I'm so happy," I say again. "I'm finally at peace."

"Good. Consider it your default state from now on," Raylan says and plants a soft kiss on my lips.

We've got so much catching up to do, and the night is still young.

We've got all the time in the world, though.

All the time.