Epilogue 2
Vee
Ican’t take my eyes off my daughter, who is currently sleeping peacefully in my arms. The living room is quiet except for the low murmur of my men moving around the house.
Still, my stomach is in knots. A dread that something bad is about to happen.
“Why does Ryker want to talk to us?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to wake my girl. I just got her to sleep.
“I don’t know,” Luke says from the kitchen doorway, running a hand through his hair. “He just said it was important and couldn’t wait.”
I shift Brynlee slightly against my chest, careful not to wake her. “When is he getting here?”
“Should be any minute,” Hank answers from the floor where he’s putting together a baby swing.
I nod, but the nerves won’t go away. Everything has been so good lately—too good, maybe. Peace never lasts long in our world. And this just feels like an omen; something bad is about to happen.
“Want me to put her in the bassinet?” Josh asks softly.
I glance down at Brynlee. Her tiny fingers curl against my shirt, her lips puckered in sleep. Her and my three handsome men have filled my heart with so much love.
“Yeah,” I say, carefully handing her over.
Josh takes her like she’s the most precious thing in the world, which to us, she is. He carries her to the bassinet beside the couch and lays her down gently, adjusting the blanket with surprising tenderness. They’ve all been like that. The most doting fathers I could’ve imagined.
They each take turns getting up with her at night. Making sure I sleep. Making sure I eat. Always watching over both of us like we’re the center of their universe. And in a way, I guess we are.
A sharp knock sounds at the door, and every muscle in my body tenses.
Luke moves immediately, crossing the room and opening it.
Ryker steps inside, shutting the door behind him. His expression is serious, more than usual, and that does nothing to help my nerves. If it were Mack or Colin who wanted to talk to us, I don’t think I would have this much unease. But Ryker? He’s always been the one to share bad news.
“Hey guys. Vee,” he says, nodding at each of us before looking around. “Where’s the little one?”
“Brynlee’s asleep,” I tell him quietly, pointing to the bassinet.
His eyes soften for a second before he rubs his hands together and steps further into the room.
“So, I have something I need to talk to you about, Vee. But I need to wait for Luca to get here. He was on his way when I called him.”
“What is it?” I ask immediately, needing to know. Especially if it involves Luca.
“When he gets here, I’ll tell you,” he says. “I just want to say it once, and you both need to hear it.”
Great. I just get to sit here and panic more.
“Okay,” I murmur.
Josh wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer to his side. He leans over, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispers.
I nod, but inside I’m spiraling. It’s not going to be okay. Bad news never is, and the way Ryker looks, it has to be bad.
Ryker and Hank start talking quietly about something club related. Words like orders and runs float through the air, but I’m barely hearing any of it.
My mind is running through every horrible thing he could be here to tell me.
A low rumble of a motorcycle approaches, pulling me from my thoughts. It gets louder the closer it gets until it stops right out front. A few minutes later the front door opens and Luca steps inside. He looks around the room, taking in the tense expressions on everyone’s faces. His eyes narrow.
“Who am I killing?” he asks flatly.
“No one,” Ryker says. Then he adds, “Well… not anymore. No one is left.”
Luca’s brow furrows in confusion as he walks further into the room.
“Okay. So why did you need to see me?”
Ryker exhales slowly and rubs the back of his neck. “So here it is.”
The room goes completely silent.
“As the guys know, some of us just got back from a job for the club,” he begins.
I nod slightly. Hank had mentioned it, but he didn’t have much information, and even if he did, he couldn't tell me.
“It wasn’t just any job though,” Ryker continues. He looks at Luca and then at me. “We met a guy who used to be part of your dad’s club but left it. Him and Earl were friends, and he called in for some help.”
Something clicks in Luca’s head.
“Ricochet,” he says immediately.
Ryker nods.
“Who’s Ricochet? Some of us don’t know,” I say sarcastically.
Luca’s eyes widen slightly. “Uncle Rico. Dad’s brother. I thought he was dead. I haven’t seen or heard from him in years, and Dad never talked about him.”
“Uncle Rico?” I ask. “I don’t remember him.”
“Yeah, he didn’t come around much. But he was a good man. Nothing like Dad.”
“He’s not dead. Very much alive, but living under the radar. He was watching over someone very important,” Ryker adds.
“Who?” I ask.
Ryker looks directly at Luca and me. “Your sister.”
For a moment the room goes completely still.
Luca blinks.
“Sister?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper. “We have a sister?”
“How?” Luca asks.
Ryker crosses his arms.
“After your dad left your mom, he met another woman. When she found out she was pregnant, she was scared of the man your father was… so she left.”
Just like my mom. Hopefully she had a better life being away from him.
“Rico helped her,” he continues. “She had a girl. One your dad never knew about.”
Somewhere out there, Luca and I have a sister. One that we never knew about. One who most likely didn't know about us.
“She’s had a hard life,” Ryker continues. “Her mom died a few years ago. Since then she’s been taking care of her younger sister. Working as a stripper to survive.”
My chest aches. I could’ve been there to help her.
“And…” His jaw tightens, “she was raped.”
A flash of rage crosses every face in the room.
“We killed the fucker,” Ryker says immediately. “She’s safe now. She’s strong,” he adds.
Luca clears his throat. “How old is she?” he asks.
“Seventeen.”
My heart shatters a little. Seventeen. And she’s already been through all of that. I press a hand to my chest.
“I want to see her,” I say immediately.
“I figured you would,” Ryker says.
Luca suddenly laughs and looks over at me.
“See?” he says with a grin. “All those times I told you that you were my favorite sister, and you said I was your only one. You were wrong.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Only he could find something humorous about this. Always the one to lighten the mood.
“Better watch out,” he continues, smirking. “I might have a new favorite.” He winks.
Before I can even argue, he rushes across the room, dropping down onto the floor and wrapping me in a tight hug.
“Don’t worry, VeeVee,” he says warmly. “You’ll always be my favorite twin.”
I laugh weakly, tears sliding down my cheeks. He squeezes me again before pulling back.
“Alright,” he says, clapping his hands once. “Let’s start talking about when we’re going to see our sister."