39. Epilogue
Epilogue
Theo
“We’re screwed.” Ryker sighs and slumps back in his chair. He tilts his head back.
He closes his eyes for a moment. His nostrils flare. His knuckles turn white as he clenches his hands into fists.
Now that Eli is no longer officially a general, I’m the closest person to Ryker. The only other person he trusts.
What happened is tightening the noose around our necks. We’re running low on air.
I rest my ankle on my knee, lean my elbows on the back of the chair, and interlace my fingers.
“We have two options,” I say after a moment’s thought.
“We’ll accept Aisling’s spy into our ranks.
I don’t even have the words to describe it.
An overt mole? And let’s not forget what the Pact itself will say once they find out.
We’ll lose what little credibility we have left in the blink of an eye.
Without their support, we won’t win any war against Veirix. ”
Ryker stares at me. He’s analyzing me. And he knows just how much this will weaken us.
“And the second option?”
I shrug. “We’ll accept Aisling’s spy into our ranks. And then we’ll kill him.”
A mad smile appears on his face. It’s a perfect match for my own.
Because there’s no way we’re backing down. Eli and Zoe would pay the price for that.
And Zoe has already lost so much…
I don’t know how to get it out of my head. What she has been through…
Zoe is strong. And she has Eli. She’s one of us now. And we protect our own.
“Sometimes, I think you’re the most fucked up of the three of us,” Ryker says.
I don’t stop grinning. Nor do I correct his suspicions.
I’m worse than the two of you put together…
Ryker’s phone vibrates on the counter. He picks it up, puts it on speaker, though he furrows his brow as he does so.
“Yes?”
“Hello, brother…”
Silence.
Neither of us is breathing.
Ryker stares at the phone with laser-like focus. I get the impression that a strange spark is flashing through his eyes.
“Aisling…”
One word. That’s all he can say; his voice is trembling.
Finally, after how long? Twenty years? He’s hearing his sister’s voice live for the first time.
“I’d like to say it’s nice to hear from you, but that’s not true.” She makes no secret of her feelings not being mutual. The very way she speaks is proof of that.
I can see what her words are doing to Ryker. It’s a dagger straight to the heart, as if until this moment, he’d been holding onto the faint hope that it was all just a terrible nightmare.
“Aisling, we need to talk about all this. You don’t understand—”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. In a moment, you’ll meet the person who will replace Eli by your side. I advise you not to do anything stupid, or you’ll pay for it with everything you hold most dear.”
Ryker gives me a fleeting glance. “How did you know about Damien?”
Aisling laughs softly. “It was easier than you think. Do you suppose people in Veirix are unprotected? That we leave our own behind without knowing where they are?” Another laugh. “We knew where Damien was almost from the start.”
Subcutaneous trackers.
“And yet you let him die.” The gears in Ryker’s head put the pieces together.
“And yet I let him die... It was his destiny...”
A quiet knock on Ryker’s office door breaks the silence.
I signal to my brother that I’ll handle it and head for the exit without a word.
They could use a moment to talk in private.
“Sorry to interrupt, but someone’s waiting for you downstairs,” Dave says as I close the door behind me.
I straighten up, clench my jaw.
What is it this time?
“I’ll handle it. Thank you.”
A moment later, we step out of the elevator. Dave points to the bar, and I head that way.
It’s a quiet night at the club tonight. Thank goodness.
When my eyes find the visitor, I slow my pace.
I immediately stop understanding what’s going on.
This makes little sense.
A woman in a knee-length yellow dress—with white polka dots, I might add—is standing at the bar. She has shoulder-length, curly red hair and tanned skin. A ton of freckles on her face and black-framed glasses.
But that’s not what makes me blink in confusion.
She’s smiling. For real. A huge, wide grin.
As if she’s happy to see me.
And most importantly?
She’s pregnant. Very pregnant.
I stop two steps away from her. I shove my hands into my pockets.
“Hello,” I say first in a not-so-friendly voice.
Without losing her smile, she says, “Hi. I’m Dolly.” She holds out her hand to greet me, but I ignore the gesture.
“Like the sheep?” My eyebrows shoot up.
Her hand falls on its own. She rolls her eyes but keeps grinning.
I didn’t know anyone could look like her. Like a fucking unicorn in Wonderland. Like a joyful sun blinding you. Or a sunflower…
“Not like a sheep. Like Dolly Parton,” she replies in a melodious voice.
Even that voice drips with sweetness.
It makes my teeth hurt.
“What do you want?”
“Aisling sent me.”
Three words.
I take a step back. My eyes are wide. My heart is pounding. I clench my hands in my pockets.
The new general…
I don’t believe it. Her?
Is this some kind of joke?
“Again, what do you want?”
“Take me to Ryker Elliot.”
Is this supposed to be the Pact’s general? I could crush her with one hand! Squeeze all the colorful sprinkles out of her in just a few seconds.
And yet a slow, sinister smile spreads across my face, the second one today.
“Let’s go, then,” I say and, without waiting, I head back to the office.
I don’t take my eyes off her the whole way. And one thought won’t leave my head.
The plan to kill the new general needs to be improved. A pregnant general… Damn…
Her belly is the size of a basketball. Big. I know little about this, but I’m pretty sure people who are about to give birth look like this.
We enter Ryker’s office. I go first. Dolly follows me.
My brother is sitting with his head resting on his hands. At the sound of our footsteps, he jumps up, standing straight. He blinks in disbelief, just as I did a moment ago.
I stand by the desk, leaning on my hip.
“This is Dolly.” I point at her with my thumb.
“Like the sheep?” Ryker’s eyebrows shoot up.
I guess we’re more alike than I thought.
The woman puts her hands on her hips. Maybe she wants to look menacing? Up against her dazzling smile, it won’t impress anyone.
Her lips are smiling… but her eyes remain lifeless.
“Not like a sheep. Like Dolly Parton.”
A dark chuckle escapes me. “Ry, meet the Pact’s new general.”