Epilogue

The prosthetic nose and eyepatch itched, but he was too skilled to give in to the discomfort and scratch the sweat beading under the disguise.

They were part of his face now, as were the salt-and pepper-beard and shaggy hair.

His beard was real. The hair wasn't.

Victor didn't need the eyepatch, but it hid the scar left from the wound that had almost made it necessary. The disguise wasn't his only irritation, and it certainly wasn't the most annoying.

Of course, he wasn't Victor anymore. Victor Andersen was dead.

After too many years hunting the little fuckwit down while trying to maintain his cover with the crime ring he'd finally brought to justice, Martin Hall was gone and vanished to parts unknown after getting caught with his filthy little auctions in Victor's own fucking backyard.

It was like Martin was taunting him, and there wasn't much Victor wouldn't have given to catch him. Unfortunately, being dead meant Victor couldn't act without revealing himself.

Although Martin had never forced anyone to participate, and everything was supposedly consensual, Victor wasn't about to get over what had happened to Mandy—especially not when Titania had gotten caught up in the auctions too.

Club BDE was supposed to be safe. He might not have liked the idea of his daughter in a bondage club, but he wasn't worried about her being harmed. Although the Elliott brothers took way too long to find out about the auctions, they'd have protected Mandy and Titania with their lives.

He couldn't even bitch about Titania shacking up with Desmond and Bastian. After all, he'd asked them to watch over her, and they doted on her. Besides, considering Mandy was only a few years older than Titania, he didn't have much room to judge them for robbing the cradle.

God, he missed Mandy so fucking hard. It was like a spear driven into his chest every time he saw her and little Bianca. It was the same pain he'd felt after losing his first wife, Carina, when Titania was in kindergarten.

Of course, like Titania, Bee wasn't so little anymore.

Victor straightened his yellow vest and turned his stop sign toward oncoming traffic. "Did y'all have a good day at school?" he asked the children waiting to cross the street.

Most of them raced past him toward their waiting parents and caregivers, but one stopped and looked up at him.

"I made this for Mama, Mr. Androw!" Bee gave him a half-toothless hockey-player grin and held up a plastic vase covered in candy hearts. "It's her birthday tomorrow."

She'd lost another tooth, and he wished he could have put a silver dollar under her pillow like Carina used to do for Titania.

"Wow! That's a fine present, Buzzy Bee. I bet your mama is gonna love it."

Mandy would too. Despite being only a few years older than Titania, she'd stepped up to the plate and been a mother to both his girls. He might not have been Bee's biological father, but she was his daughter as much as Titania was.

"You think so?" Uncaring for the waiting traffic, she cocked her head and frowned at the vase. "Maybe I should buy something from a store."

"No." He resisted the urge to pull her into a hug. "Your mama is going to adore that pretty vase because you made it. She'll cherish it more than all the diamonds in the world."

Just like he cherished her, Mandy, and Titania.

No, she was Tania now. Carina had loved Shakespeare, but Tania wasn't a fan. Damn, he was proud of her. Her little speech following her assault was still circulating around social media.

Fuck, he'd hated seeing those bruises on her beautiful face. Marinos Pappas was lucky he was already dead after she'd bashed his head in with a skillet, and he had to remind himself almost constantly that he risked exposure if he went after Dr. Ng. Best to let that asshole suffer with his forced retirement.

"C'mon, Bee!" Tania called. "Desmond and Bastian are making your favorite for supper, and we're having a campfire on the beach when your mom gets home."

He turned to look at the other side of the crosswalk. As usual, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of his eldest daughter.

His baby was all grown up. She wore an engagement ring, heels, and a light-gray pantsuit, meaning she must have just come from her new job. Like every day he saw her pick Bee up from school, he had to force his feet to stay still before he dragged her into his arms.

His girls had moved on. Mandy was back in school, studying biology like she'd been before Martin Hall convinced her to sell her innocence. Tania was working the job she'd dreamed of and would be getting married soon.

Well, close to it. She'd always sworn she'd work on the International Space Station, and every day took her one step closer to her childhood goal. Of course, maybe her aspirations had changed now that she had Desmond and Bastian.

"Bye, Mr. Androw! Have a nice day!" Carrying her vase, Bee raced to her sister.

All he could do was watch over them from afar.

* * *

Want to know how the Cherry Popping Daddies all started? Check out Emily (By Golden Angel) and Lottie (By Stella Moore)