Page 64 of Home Free
Finn had been surprised at the announcement that his father was getting married, but once the surprise had worn off, he’d been happy to know his dad was getting on with his life. He deserved that.
They all did.
“I hope they got the hot cocoa right,” Finn said, handing Elise one of the last two cups. “Ronan’s pissed because they gave him some kind of frou-frou coffee drink.”
Elise laughed. “He’ll love it, he just won’t admit it.”
Finn sat down and put his arm around her. They’d been in the hospital waiting room for the past two hours, ever since Declan had texted to tell them he and Kate were at the hospital.
He’d told them he’d call when the baby came, but they’d all shown up anyway, thumbing their noses at his instructions in true Murphy form. Beth had already been there, on Griffin duty since Annie was in the delivery room with Kate and Declan.
A squall sounded from the far side of the lobby, and Finn looked over to see Nick lift his tiny daughter into his arms. She was less than two weeks old, with a full head of dark hair and shockingly clear blue eyes.
Nick made cooing noises to her and kissed her cheek, then rested the tiny bundle against his chest and sat next to Alexa. She leaned over and stroked the baby’s hair, then gazed up at Nick with so much love a lump formed in Finn’s throat.
Elise snuggled into the crook of Finn’s arm, trying to get comfortable for what still might be a long wait. He kissed the top of her head, then focused on the news broadcasting on one of the waiting room’s TVs.
An image of Aldrich Cromwell was displayed on the screen next to a smaller image of Castle Blackridge. Finn recognized the woods surrounding the property, the field he and Ronan had crossed to reach the castle.
He read the text on the closed captioning marching across the muted screen.
An investigation is under way in the murder of philanthropist Aldrich Cromwell. Cromwell was a patron of the arts, with a special interest in natural history. Over the years he bequeathed more than one billion dollars to organizations focused on the preservation of prehistoric artifacts and antiquities. He had recently come under fire from human rights groups for what many saw as the pillaging and appropriation of developing countries. Investigators are focusing on a Ukrainian terrorist organization as potential suspects in his death.
The fact that the men who’d killed Cromwell were being called terrorists when Cromwell was the one who’d murdered people like Fedir and Iryna was an irony Finn didn’t have the energy to deconstruct. For some people, the definition of the word monster seemed to depend on where they were sitting.
It was surreal to see Cromwell on TV being described as some kind of hero. Finn could still picture the man sitting in his bathrobe in the second-floor library at Castle Blackridge, could still hear his voice.
Finn had expected Ronan to be pissed when he found out he hadn’t killed Cromwell, but he hadn’t given his brother enough credit. When Finn confessed to leaving Cromwell for the Ukrainians, Ronan had just stared at him for a long time.
“Is this a thing you can live with? Be at peace with?” Ronan had asked him.
Finn had nodded.
“Then it’s over, and I’m proud of you.”
That had been that.
… We’re all monsters when you get right down to it. In the end, it had been those words that saved Finn — Achilles’ words.
They’d made him think of Elise, of her open heart and the softness she’d maintained in spite of all the things that had happened to her.
If ever Finn had a hero, an inspiration, Elise Berenger was it.
Staring at Achilles, surrounded by priceless artifacts and rationalizing his legacy of death and destruction, there had never been a bigger juxtaposition between who Finn might become and who he wanted to be.
Walking away had been easy.
They’d returned home and anonymously sent the amber sample to the American Museum of Natural History with a note detailing its origins.
The doors to the maternity ward swung open and Declan stepped into the waiting room.
Finn got to his feet with Elise and they crowded around Declan as he approached them. At first Finn was worried. Declan wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked downright serious, and Finn was almost positive he’d been crying.
“Dad?” Griff asked, slipping his hand into Declan’s. “Is Mommy okay?”
Declan ruffled his hair and bent to kiss the top of his head. “She’s just fine, bud. And your baby sister is fine too. In fact, she’s better than fine. She’s perfect.”
A cheer went through their group, followed by murmurs of congratulations.