Epilogue
The celebration was still going strong, and the reason for it would likely have it going well into the night.
Two years of hard, dangerous, and sometimes terrifying work had come to an end.
It started the night Heath and the others had extracted the information they needed from my mom, Huston, and Bolin Zhāng.
It took two long years to dismantle everything Huston and Bolin had created.
On Huston’s end, it was done rather quickly and, overall, easily, I was told.
It was the dismantling and removal of the numerous threats posed by Bolin’s Triad gang, without them knowing who did it or allowing the other Triads to figure it out.
It was slow because the Dark Patriots and their allies were methodical and careful.
Yeah, we’d been on alert and lived with security measures they usually didn’t have to employ, but it had been worth it. The organization's extent on the Triad end had been incredible. It was a billion-dollar-a-year operation.
Last week, the last ones had been dealt with. In some cases, they went to prison, and in others, they went the way of Bolin, Mom, and Huston. I felt no pity for them.
In some ways, my life hadn’t changed. In others, it had.
I continued to work as a PA the entire time, except I no longer worked at the clinic.
Instead, I was offered a position with the Patriots.
They had formed their own internal clinic employing staff to care for not only their employees but also their families.
I was asked to manage it, which I’d never imagined happening.
I took it for the challenge and the safety it provided.
The Patriots’ headquarters had secure daycares for employees’ children, so Heath and I had no worries about our daughter’s safety during those two years. I smiled over to where my husband held our twenty-one-month-old daughter, Dimitra, or Dimi, as her family called her.
She smiled at everyone. She was a daddy’s girl.
Heath adored her, as did her Uncle Johann.
Scanning the crowd, I saw Johann in a group across the way.
He was laughing. He’d gotten out of the Navy a year ago.
When he did, he accepted the Dark Patriots' offer to work for them. He was happy with his choice and life.
One of the reasons was the woman at his side.
Meghan not only covered my maternity leave at the clinic when I had Dimi, but we also became friends.
And from that had sprang a relationship between her and my best friend.
They’d been dating for nine months. Johann had confessed he was going to pop the question on her birthday in two weeks. I could hardly wait.
Thinking of their engagement and wedding made me recall Heath’s and mine.
We hadn’t made it a big, extravagant event.
We’d had a ceremony with our Patriot friends, a few others, Anderson, and Johann.
The reception had been much bigger and totally chaotic due to the number of bikers who attended. It had been a weekend-long blast.
But amid all the craziness and changes, there had been one other big change.
Undertaker, Sean, Gabe, and Griff had decided to expand their offices to include a second location.
It was in Norfolk. That meant our new house was still within drivable distance of it, which was a good thing.
Heath went there daily. And he wasn’t the only one.
Ben and Beau did as well. And that was where the clinic was located, which I managed, along with one of the two daycares housed inside it.
The three of them worked from the new office because the four original Dark Patriots approached them and asked whether they would be willing to become minority owners of the company.
The three couples had been blown away. There had been disbelief, and more was voiced, but in the end, all three said yes, with their wives’ backing.
So now, there were seven dragons. And, as at the original headquarters, the top floor of the new building was set up the same way to house the second Lair of the Dragons.
The Patriots' success kept growing, and they had more work than they could take on, even after expansion. Maybe they’d launch another or build on to the existing buildings. Time would tell.
An arm came around me, jerking me to the present and out of my head. I knew that touch. I smiled as I glanced up at my husband. Our daughter wasn’t with him. I knew she was safe no matter who had her. He gave me a loving smile.
“Any regrets, Divine One?” He asked.
He knew what I’d been thinking. That wasn’t unusual for him. I put my arms around his neck, shook my head as I said confidently, “No, not one. I’d pick you again, Heath Rugger. Thank God you reappeared and came looking for me.”
“Amen,” he murmured before he lowered his head and kissed me. That kiss took my mind in another direction. As my body heated, I wondered if we could sneak off for some alone time soon. Dear Lord, I hoped so.
The End of The Dark Patriots Series. Thank you for being a part of the series.