Page 143 of Ryker
My heart explodes.
“God damn, you two really are made for each other,” Knox says with a laugh.
Dmitri crosses his arms. “Told you.”
“Looks like we’ve got a new member of the family, boys.” Vault announces with a big grin.
“What do you say to that, Butterfly?” I press my forehead to hers. “Can I keep you?”
“Yes, please.”
I smash my mouth to hers, driving her out of the utility room and away from Garret for good.
“We’ll clean up here,” D promises. “Take your girl home.”
“Yeah,” Tara says, her eyes glassy and cheeks flushed. “Take me home, Mr. Hudson.”
“Whatever the Butterfly wants, she gets.”
Epilogue
Ryker
Two years later…
A lot has changed and yet everything is still the same. Tara never left my side after the day we taught Garret a lesson in manners. Her mother hasn’t reached out to her at all. Neither has any other Brisbane for that matter. Garret survived and the cops never came for us. Good to see he’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut. I heard it had to be wired for a while though. Oops.
Knox’s club is turning a damn good profit. Once he got it all fixed up, Tara asked to run the business end of it for him, which is phenomenal. Knox is thrilled. She is too. Between spending her days there and nights at the Monarch with me, she’s always busy, which makes her deliriously happy.
My girl is smart as a whip. Have I said that already? We’re about to open another sex club, too. Only this one doesn’t cater to the elite. Anyone can join if they meet the criteria and keep to the rules. We’ll see how it goes.
Tara named it the Luna club.
Fucking killer, right? And ironic. Did you know Luna moths only live for about a week? Adults don’t even have mouths, so they can’t eat. They mate, reproduce, then die.
What a life.
My old apartment building on Greene Street was purchased for a cool three-hundred thousand at auction. It got turned into a park, of all things. There’s a walking path, basketball courts, a huge playground, and a baseball diamond. I love coming here.
Tipping my head back, I bask in the summer sun and stretch my arms out on the bench. My Butterfly should be here in about a half hour. We have dinner reservations at six to celebrate my birthday, but I got here early to enjoy the peace this place brings me.
“Ryker?”
My head shoots up at the sound of that voice. Standing in front of me is a woman in black leggings, a tank top, and running shoes. “Oh my god, it is you.”
Natalie.
Her name sticks in my throat like thorns. I grind my molars, hoping like hell my brain will make my mouth work, but I’m short circuiting. I thought I’d put my anger to bed over my past, but clearly, that’s not the case.
“Can I sit with you?”
Why can’t I make words come out of my face?
Natalie drops next to me and folds her hands in her lap, sighing.
Is this really happening right now?
“It’s been a long time.” She looks over at me. “You’ve done really well for yourself. I see Knox has too. How are Dmitri and Vault?”