Epilogue

Epilogue

C abbrieli threw down his fishing pole and stormed from the dock.

Brogan chuckled beside me. The poor worm squiggled on the hook.

“He’ll get the hang of it.” Brogan picked up the fishing pole and set it aside.

“It’s the crickets,” I murmured. “They’re driving him out of his head.” I smiled at him.

“We should’ve run to Mexico.”

I laughed with him and leaned to his shoulder. “Pennsylvania isn’t so bad. It’s better than Missouri.”

“What do you have against Missouri?” Brogan asked with a lazy grin.

“Nothing.” I returned his grin.

There was no guarantee the other families wouldn’t retaliate. Aureliu turned down immunity and relocating. Agent Seli or Teresa, as I now called her, said that he’d smoothly taken over what was left of the Pannareli family.

We’d taken door number two — five acres of land in the middle of nowhere and new identities. They allowed me to leave Rigoletto to Tristan, Sade, and Chloe. There were quiet days when I missed the laughter we shared and their unconditional friendships. None of my personal feelings made jeopardizing their lives worth it. I thought, if I could ask them, they’d be happy I got out. They’d love that I gave up appearances and all our ill-gotten gains to live simply with a man who adored me. We had a creek, a pond, a cabin that needed a bit of upkeep, and Cabbrieli urging us to have a baby so he had someone cooler to hang out with — I’d never been happier. We’d never been safer.