Epilogue
The Next Day
Sam
My phone vibrates in the hospital waiting room. Sloane’s stern expression and her pointed gaze at the ‘no cell phones’ sign has me pushing up off the plastic waiting room chair and apologetically telling my wife I’ll be right back after I take the call.
“We’ll be here,” my Lily says with a reassuring squeeze to my hand.
I don’t miss the worry etched around her narrowed blue eyes. She saw the name that flashed. I don’t know why he’s calling, but I won’t keep anything from my wife.
With a jab at the elevator button, I push the defensive thought away. Jack wouldn’t expect me to hide anything from my wife. In fact, he counseled against such a strategy. It’s a piece of advice he gave me on the first day we arrived at his home in San Diego.
He’d said, “I can understand the instinct to keep her in the dark. And maybe it’s necessary to cloak the past. But if my one failed marriage taught me anything, it’s that trust dies in darkness.” I won’t forget his words.
Others crowd into the elevator, and I shoot Jack a quick text that I’ll call him back.
Once outside, I locate an empty bench in front of the hospital and press his name.
“Are you at the hospital?” he asks upon answering.
“I am. Sage is in labor. Knox is about to become a father.”
“It’s a little early, isn’t it?”
“It is.” I relax on the bench, as I’m more than willing to give him an update on my sister. “Doctor induced in an abundance of caution. The baby’s big, I guess, thanks to Knox.” It’s not due to my five-foot-nothing sister.
“Sage is petite.”
I smile, thinking about my littlest sister. “She’s tiny, but she’s fierce. I’ll need to get back upstairs with the fam unless you have something else. I’ll shoot you a text once my niece arrives.”
“I wasn’t calling about Sage.”
My gut clenches in resistance. I am not doing this. “What’s up?”
“Nick’s in trouble.”
I close my eyes, inhale deeply through my nose, and exhale through my mouth with an audible huff.
“My cover’s burned. You realize that, right? A wig and colored contacts won’t cut it. If anyone recognizes me, we set off?—”
“That’s not what we’re asking. We need to strategize. I need you in the room when we do it. You know the syndicate players better than anyone we have. Hell, most of our intel came from you. You’re on leave. I get that. You’ve put in the time and deserve a break. But we need to do some fancy footwork on this one. And your wife’s cousin, Scarlet Gagliano, is in danger too.”
“Did things go south with Grigi family?”
“FUBAR is the term I’d choose.”
Damn Navy acronyms. Fucked up beyond all recognition. Fanfuckingtastic.
“Scarlet’s working with Nick.”
I look to the sky for guidance. What the hell? Why would Nick bring Scarlet into his schemes? How did that even happen?
“She’s been doing the books for the Lupi Grigi,” Jack says.
“Don’t tell me he used her in his petty battle with them.” Yes, he was pissed over Lina, but there are bigger irons in the fire.
“We’ll brief you in person. But, Sam, we need you.” Jack’s voice is stern.
A woman with her hair wrapped in a purple scarf and tattoos along her fingers steps outside and whips out a cigarette. She glances at me as she lights it, then drops the lighter in her coat pocket and pulls out a phone.
“What do you want me to do?”
It’s not like I can let anything happen to Scarlet. She’s Willow’s…Lily’s family. And I owe Nick.
“You want me in Virginia?” I ask, hoping my nondescript word choice successfully conveys I’m no longer alone on the sidewalk.
“No. The Highlands. Not too far, not too close. You think you could be there tonight?”
The door opens, and my wife walks out, flushed with excitement. She lights up when her gaze finds me. She puts both thumbs in the air and beams.
“My niece has arrived. Gotta run. Send me the address. I’ll be there.”
Lily steps up next to me as I end the call. “The delivery went smoothly. For a few minutes, there, Knox thought they’d have to do a C-section, but Sage pulled through. Knox came out and told us. He looked…god, you should’ve seen him. He looked like he just ran three marathons.” She pauses, studying me. Concern flashes, and she gently runs the pad of her thumb over my beard. “Are you okay?”
The woman with the cigarette stamps it out on the concrete and heads back inside, leaving us alone.
“I’ve got to go do some work tonight.”
“But—”
“It’s nothing to be worried about. Nick’s got himself in a twist, and I’m going to go meet up with some brains to strategize.”
“Is it to do with my family?”
“Probably not entirely.” My fingers comb her hair, and I inhale deeply, breathing in her soothing scent. “I’ll learn more tonight.”
“You’re not going to disappear, are you?”
I snort with amusement, but then I sense her fear. “No. I told you, I’m done with that game.”
“I thought you were done, period.”
“Me too, but…” I’m too young to retire completely. I’ll do something, I’ve just spent little effort figuring out what.
“Nick’s your family, too. You need to do this.”
I frown, questioning if he counts as family, but I suppose in a twisted way he does. And whether or not he’s my family, her family is now involved. I’ll wait to tell her about that piece of it when I have more intel.
But those blue eyes peer up at me, full of trust. I let out a sigh and press her to me, kiss the top of her head, and send a Hail Mary to the sky.
“Scarlet’s involved somehow, too.”
I pull back, assessing. Her lips flatline, but she gives a quick nod.
“You’re a good man, Sam. You’ll figure it out and do what needs to be done.” She pushes up on her toes and presses her lips to mine for a chaste kiss, then she stands back on her heels and reaches for my hand. “Now, come on, let’s go meet our niece. I’m eager to see what our child might look like.”
She steps forward, but I don’t move. I scan our surroundings and, for the first time in weeks, I ache for the comfort of a handgun tucked securely on my body.
“Sam? What is it? Don’t freak. I’m not pregnant, I just–”
“Babe, my thoughts did not go there. That’s not…” Her brow wrinkles, puzzled.
“I promise you, if I thought…” I study her as the full weight of what she’s saying and what we’re talking about sinks in. “You want kids one day?”
“Well, we haven’t talked about it, but I assumed. Don’t you?”
For the longest time, they weren’t on my radar. I tug her back against me, and she tilts her head up, expectant. “With you, I’d love nothing more. I was kind of thinking we should plan a ceremony of sorts, a renewal of vows with my family, so we have wedding photos and stuff like that.” Sage’s wall of photos has gotten me thinking. We don’t have anything from our wedding, and one day our kids will want to see their mom in white. Besides, it’s time to share life events with my family again.
“Kids, but a wedding first?” She’s grinning, and there’s an excited gleam in her eyes.
“Well, our wedding certificate is legal, just like all of your documents. But, I’d like to share our ceremony with my family. As for kids, I’m not in a rush. Kids can be…” I know firsthand what they can be and what can happen. “But if you want kids, yes, I want them too.”
“I want them to have your brown eyes, your wavy hair, and your heart.”
Grinning, I say, “Yeah, it sucks for our kids. They’re gonna wish they got your blues, and it’s probably not gonna happen for them.”
“You never know.” She beams up at me. “You can never tell what recessive genes you might be carrying.” I grimace at that thought, but she soothes those worries. “Our children are going to be so lucky to have you as a father.”
My chest expands, and emotion clogs my throat.
“You are a constant source of surprises. The very best kind. You know that?”
She pushes up on her toes and kisses me. The kiss is slow, and warm, and perfect. When she ends it, she runs her thumb over my lip, and I catch her wrist and press my lips into her palm. She smiles.
“Come on, Uncle Sam. Let’s go meet our niece, so we have time for some mutual appreciation before you need to go play Superman.”
God, I love this woman. She’s my greatest blessing.
I take her hand and enter the hospital, secure in the knowledge my days of walking alone are over.