Epilogue
Six Weeks Later
Frankie
T he donation truck pulls away from the curb, filled with all the things that remind me of my mother.
When I move in with Maverick and Eve, I’ll paint every wall in their apartment with a splash of color, just to keep that woman’s memory at bay.
But I guess I need to stop calling it their apartment.
It’s ours now. I signed the lease last week, and King okayed the move to New York with his blessing.
Remote work isn’t unheard of in these post-Covid settings, after all.
The Midnight Masochist and I have gotten very close since that fateful dinner.
He’s divulged his painful histories to me, and I now know the full story behind his scar.
I shared my strange upbringing—all the little things I once thought were my mother’s quirks.
Now I know they were merely ways to put me in danger to try and bring my father out of the woodwork. Too bad it didn’t work.
Maverick pulls into the driveway as I’m turning to lock up. The house holds no fond memories, so I’m happy to leave. All the memories I need wait somewhere in the future.
“Hey, sweetheart. Need a ride?” he says through the lowered window of my red sports car. He looks amazing behind the wheel.
“More like I need to be ridden,” I mutter under my breath.
It’s a wonder I don’t live with a constant UTI, considering how often we fuck. It’s been almost six hours since our last session, and I’m ready to go again.
After locking the door for the last time, I hurry to the car and slide into the passenger’s side. Much like our sex life, we take turns being in the driver’s seat. We like it this way.
“Did Jim tell you what he bought?” I ask.
Maverick shakes his head and backs out of the driveway. “No, you know how he is. I’m just glad he didn’t try to rope me into this one. I’ve had just about enough of his schemes.”
I buckle my seatbelt as he pulls off the side street and onto the main road. “Hey, that’s no fair. I just joined the crew, so you can’t stop going to the events now. I’m already ready for whatever comes next.”
“Oh, not to worry. We’ll definitely attend whatever he plans.” He slides his hand onto my thigh and gives it a squeeze. “I’m just glad we’ll be there as guests instead of test subjects this time.”
After a few more turns, we arrive at Deluca’s. Dining here seemed a fitting goodbye to Virginia and my old life. Jim even booked the Peacock Room, though he requested a larger table for our party. It’ll be nice to share the meal with family and friends.
Inside the restaurant, we find everyone already waiting.
King and Jim hover by the fireplace, sipping golden drinks and chatting.
Cat and Bennett whisper and grin as they peruse the menu.
I wonder if they’re talking about how to use the different dishes in the bedroom.
Kindra, Ezra, and Eve look up as we enter, all three of them wearing the biggest smiles.
I’m still getting used to this, but it’s a good feeling, even if it’s a little awkward.
“She’s here. Can you finally tell us about your big purchase?” Bennett asks Jim as he pushes the menu away from him.
A mischievous gleam flits through Jim’s eyes as he grins at us. “Are you sure that’s the secret you want to pluck from the box? I recently came into possession of a much juicier tidbit.”
“Can’t you give them both?” King sips his drink, then shakes his head. “What am I saying? Where’s the fun in that?”
The two men laugh at their little inside joke. It’s strange to see King laugh at all, but I’ve seen a side of him that most in the department will never witness, not even the select trustees in our division. We’re part of an inner circle that most couldn’t understand.
“I’ll be kind and let them choose. We’ll take a vote,” Jim says, and we all groan. “Don’t be spoilsports, now. The choice is a simple one. Do you want to hear more about my recent acquisition, or would you like to learn a tasty little secret we recovered from Frankie’s mother’s laptop?”
Personally, I’m finished hearing about my mother’s dirty dealings.
She was a woman obsessed. Her every waking moment was filled with the search for my father.
She tracked his trail all over Europe and Asia, finding evidence of his work as recently as three years ago.
That must have been why she took that trip to the Alps a couple of years back.
She thought she was close to finding him.
Maybe King and Jim finished her life’s work for her.
Everyone around the table seems to come to this conclusion as well. Their eyes turn to me, realizing that what Jim knows might have something to do with my father’s location.
“Don’t look at me,” I say. “I’m not the only one who has a dog in the fight. He’s their father too.” I motion between Ezra and Bennett. “I have no desire to know a man who had no desire to know me, but they deserve a say.”
Ezra shifts uncomfortably in his seat, but he says nothing. Kindra places a hand on his arm in a show of support.
“I’m with Frankie,” Bennett says. “He hasn’t made an effort, so I really don’t give a shit about meeting him. We found our sister, and that’s all I cared about.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. Having brothers has been an interesting experience.
It’s something I didn’t know I’d been missing, but those two men have filled an empty space in my soul.
They all have. Kindra, Cat, and Eve have become like sisters.
Jim and King are the fathers I never had.
The void created by my mother has been filled to the point of bursting.
Ezra nods and adjusts his glasses on his nose.
“They’re right. I think it’s more difficult for me because he came around when I was young.
He took me to Dover.” He clears his throat as emotion overcomes him.
“But I can’t remember his voice. I know he spoke to me, but I can’t recall what was said.
His face is a blank slate, and I don’t know that I need to change that. ”
Eve shrugs. “Then it’s settled. Tell us about the next trip!”
“Are you sure? No take-backsies...” Jim rocks on his heels, dragging out the anticipation as Maverick and I take a seat at the table.
When no one budges, he and King join us at the table as well.
“Very well. If the decision is made, then I’m happy to inform all of you that this fall, we’ll be enjoying a week at Laughter Park. ”
Cat sputters on her glass of water. “The amusement park that closed down six years ago? What are we gonna do on a bunch of abandoned rides?”
“Wait, that’s just off the Carolina coast. Isn’t it a bit risky to operate so close to the unsuspecting public?” I pause, giving Jim time to answer, but the door swings open and a familiar figure steps into the room. “Gary?”
The little bug-eyed man is hard to mistake, what with all his scars and that spiked hair that shows his scalp. His skull is a bit misshapen on one side now, and I feel a bit guilty about that.
Ezra and Bennett jump from the table, nearly knocking it down with their enthusiasm.
A steak knife gleams in Ezra’s fist, but I don’t know what Bennett expects to accomplish with that breadbasket.
Not wanting to find out, I leap from my seat and stand in front of the terrified man as everything clicks into place.
“He’s not who you think he is!” I shout at my brothers. “You snatched him by mistake. You were after his twin!”
The men lower their weapons and look at each other.
“Twin?” Ezra asks. “That’s impossible.”
“It’s the truth. You can ask Jim!” Gary peeks out from behind me.
“Ezra, when you mentioned that football game at the bar, you were talking about my brother. I never did anything great like he did. I never scored a touchdown or even had any friends to invite me to a poker game. When you said all that, I lied because I was excited to see what it was like to be popular. My name...isn’t even Gary. ”
Jim explains Gary’s ordeal, and the men burst into another argument. Ezra keeps saying it’s impossible, that he would never make that sort of mistake. Bennett laments that it doesn’t matter and he just wants to end his life.
King taps his wineglass, calling for order. “It happens to the best of us, lads. Sometimes we get it wrong. Nothing to do now but accept it and move on.”
“That’s why I came in here,” Gary says. He gathers his courage and steps out from behind me. “I know how much you guys wanted to kill me because you thought I was my brother.”
“Pretty bold of him to assume that’s why I wanted to kill him,” Bennett mutters.
“I wanted to help,” Gary adds. “Jim has done a lot for me, and I wanted to show you guys that I’m not mad about what happened. So, I convinced my brother I wanted to patch things up. He’s right outside.”
As a group, we stand from the table and follow the little man to the front lawn. We pour from the building as a group and spot Gary’s carbon copy in the circular drive. He gives his brother a little wave, then gets a bit nervous when he sees the crowd behind him.
“Long time no see.” He holds his hand out to Gary, who doesn’t accept the handshake. He lowers his hand and clears his throat. “I, uh...Who are all these people?”
Gary turns to us. “Do you want to kill him here, or should we take him inside?”
“We usually don’t announce our plans, old chap, but here is fine. Jim has the staff on payroll now.” Ezra takes a step toward the man.
Gary’s brother flinches and takes a step back. “Kill me? What are you talking about? You said you wanted to have dinner and catch up. I flew all the way to Virginia for this.”
“We’ll be sure to pay for your return trip,” I say. “In a pine box, of course.”
Eve and Kindra chuckle beside me.
Something cold slides into my palm, and I look down as Ezra pushes the steak knife into my grasp. “You should do it,” he says.
“The fuck she should!” Bennett bellows. “Gary was my kill to take on the island, so this is my kill to take now.”