Chapter 72
A weekafter the event in Monaco, I let the debris settle before doing anything else. My life before that trip had been filled with fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. But now, all those emotions had drained out of me and were replaced with love, hope, and joy. With these emotions, I felt liberated.
The emotions stirred in me, making me aware of where I was compared to where I’d been. I witnessed my personal transformation, and that was a gift I’d cherish forever.
Governor Fenner and Judge Patterson were apprehended based on anonymous recordings sent to the FBI and the news stations. Prince Allard was dealing with the problems in his country. Two families had filed lawsuits against the prince for assaulting their young daughters. This was only the beginning of his downfall. The Trogyn were probably livid right now. Their elite members were slowly apprehended, which meant their organization was crumbling.
Ghost had died from the crown explosion, which the authorities believed resulted from a crime organization taking out an enemy. They also said Ghost had pulled the fire alarm to create a distraction for attacking Arrow. Arrow had removed certain audio portions that could incriminate us prior to sending it to the authorities.
My love got the closure he deserved. Though Arrow never talked about his father, knowing what had turned him into a monster made forgiveness possible. Sometimes, forgiveness was the first step to truly healing the past.
Today, Arrow and I were meeting up with Calvin in Newport, Rhode Island. Arrow walked along the seashore, talking to someone on the phone. He gave me privacy to talk. I loved Arrow, and he knew it. There was nothing between Calvin and me.
Calvin sat on the bench beside me, looking at the few boats on the water. Early April was cold, but that didn’t stop people from enjoying the sunshine. He wore a brown leather jacket with jeans, looking more relaxed than I’d ever seen him.
“Thanks for the gold and the cash,” Calvin said. “Arrow organized everything into one legal business transaction.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Why didn’t you keep it?” he asked, referring to the money I’d discovered in the storage.
“It’s not my money.” I looked at him. His black hair had grown longer. “It belongs to The Triad.”
He nodded and smiled. “We used it to rebuild two restaurants and a warehouse that Ghost destroyed. I’m glad the fucker died the way he did.”
“I kind of wish he’d suffered a bit more, like going to prison. But then I’d worry about him escaping prison and coming back to find me. So his death was the closure I needed. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“You feeling okay?” He met my eyes. “Seeing someone die like that changes you.”
“I’m okay.” And that was the truth. “I was already immune to the horror after seeing what he’d done to my mom and me.”
“You sure you don’t want to join The Triad? You’d make a classy criminal.” Amusement flickered in his eyes. “You’ve got the guts for it.”
“No thanks.” I laughed. “I’ll leave that to the experts. Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Anything.”
“You’re now The Triad tycoon for The Taipans. Will you . . . will you continue to run it as before?”
“You mean the illegal activities?”
“Everything.”
He looked out at the sea. “To survive in my kind of world, I have to be ruthless, Vivian. I have to show my men and women that they can depend on me. That I can protect them. I have to lead by example. Power and respect. That’s how an organization portrays and maintains its success and status.” He inhaled a breath. “It’s tradition. But I won’t harm women and children. That’s a business The Taipans won’t be involved in.”
I was relieved that he was changing the legacy of The Taipans.
“The world is a cruel place. Sometimes cruelty is required to deal with cruelty.” I looked him in the eye. “Because it’s the only thing it would understand, right?” A seagull flew by and landed in front of us. “After that, you can inject ‘softer’ methods.”
I’d learned the hard way that people could be evil. There was no one method to deal with evil.
He elbowed me. “You’re a true daughter of a crime tycoon.”
I smirked. “You can’t cut down a giant tree with a butter knife. You need a chainsaw.”
He laughed. “I heard about your fancy new crown. Mind if I hire you to create a few things for me when the situation calls for it?”
“Not gonna answer that and incriminate myself.” I smiled. “But I’ll help a friend in need. Just ask.”
Arrow approached us with a smile. I got up from the bench and kissed him on the cheek. “Now it’s my turn to take a walk down by the shore. You men can have your conversation.”