Chapter 8 - The Empire We Built
Six months later.
The sun shone brightly over the private beaches of the Caribbean.
The cold rain of New York was a distant memory.
I sat on the white sand, watching the crystal-clear waves gently crash against the shore.
A few yards away, Posie was giggling hysterically as she built a sandcastle, her dark-blonde hair catching the sunlight.
"She has your focus," a soft voice said behind me.
I turned and smiled as Mave walked up, holding two glasses of lemonade.
She looked radiant. The exhaustion and fear that had shadowed her face for three years were completely gone, replaced by a healthy, glowing peace.
"She has my stubbornness," I corrected, taking a glass and pulling Mave down into my lap.
She laughed, resting her head against my shoulder.
A lot had changed.
With Victoria in federal prison and the Ashford syndicate dismantled, the criminal underworld of New York had fractured. I had taken the opportunity to legitimize the remaining Hail assets.
We were completely clean now.
A normal family, with an obscene amount of money, but no blood on our hands.
"Sarah called this morning," Mave murmured, kissing my cheek. "She's enjoying her new apartment. She says thank you for the security detail, even though they cramp her style at college."
"Better safe than sorry," I chuckled.
Posie suddenly abandoned her sandcastle and came running toward us on her chubby little legs.
"Daddy! Mommy! Look!"
She held out a beautiful, intact seashell she had found by the water.
"It's beautiful, princess," I said, kissing her forehead.
She beamed, those icy gray eyes filled with nothing but warmth and happiness.
Mave leaned into me, her hand resting over my heart.
"We did it," she whispered.
I looked at my wife, the woman who had survived everything my world threw at her, and the daughter who had brought me back to life with a single glance in the rain.
May you like
I wrapped my arms around both of them, holding my entire world in my embrace.
"Yes," I said, looking out at the endless horizon. "We finally did."
