63 Epilogue (1/2)
Jessie
Six Months Later
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Sitting on the couch, I flipped through the stations, landing on the news. The camera was zoomed in on Virgo's face as he sulked in his chair. He was wearing the same jet black suit I had always seen him in, with his yellow handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket.
The camera panned the room, coming back to a closeup on Virgo's eyes. Even right then, knowing he was behind a screen, miles away, I still felt this sense of uneasiness, as if he could see me through the glass.
”Alleged mob boss, VirgoBerchello, was arraigned today on charges that range from money laundering to tax fraud, sex trafficking, and murder. Italian officials speculate he could be responsible for over two dozen disappearances between three different countries. Multiple women were removed from the dwelling, names of the victims are being kept private to protect their identities. Authorities are still looking for several names associated with the Canary. Vinchenzo Manziolla, Alfred-Blue- Fiozza, Dominic Bianchi. . .” Pictures of the men came across the screen, making my heart flutter with a stilling fear. 'If you see these men, they are considered armed and dangerous. Contact your local authorities immediately.”
They could come looking for me. . .
Virgo's face popped back onto the screen, causing the news anchor's voice to fade as I zoned out. It was unsettling to see his face again, to know that even after being imprisoned for months, he still had this halo of dark dust floating around his head. The way he glared at the judge as he read the charges, the way he held himself like he was an innocent man being wrongfully accused, it just made me sick.
The front door opened and Bentley stepped inside, carrying a plastic bag of groceries. ”Hey,” he said, glancing at the television, ”What are they saying?”
”Who cares, so long as he spends the rest of his life in prison. I can't watch this anymore, I hate seeing his face.” Hitting the power button on the remote, I tossed it onto the coffee table.
”What about your sister and brother? Were you able to find any information?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I furrowed my brows. ”Nothing yet. I'm hoping that as the trial moves forward there's stuff that comes out I can use. I don't even know where to begin.”
”Don't worry, you'll find them, I know you will.”
Forcing a smile, I pulled my gaze off of his. ”The thing I keep wondering is what happens if I do? Will they remember me? Hazel might, she was older, but Jonas was barely one. And what would I tell them?”
Tilting his head, Bentley softened his eyes. ”You'd tell them the truth because they'd be old enough to understand it.”
”Yeah, I just don't know if I'd want to tell them the entire truth, or if finding them would really do any good for them at all.”
It was hard to imagine exactly what I would say to them if I ever did find them. A part of me thought that they might just be better off where they are. From what Salt knew about that day, my siblings were adopted by a family who couldn't afford to go through all the legal loopholes, but that was it. He didn't know where they actually went if they stayed in the states or were sent someplace else.
Maybe it's better if I never find them?
If they had no memory of that day, no memory of me or the life they used to have, what good would it do for me come in out of nowhere and shatter their world?
I would take the bubble they had been living in and literally pop it with a hot needle. They would learn the dark history of their real family, and I couldn't even begin to think about how that might impact their future.
They could be living happy lives, with opportunities, education, loving parents. . . Inserting myself could destroy all of that. But I wouldn't really know what to do until I found them.
Once I knew where they were and how they were living, then and only then would I know. Until that moment, I was still going to look. It couldn't hurt to just search.
Shaking my head, I pushed the thoughts away. ”What do you got there?” I asked.
”Well, I have something that might brighten your day a little.” Smirking, he flashed his teeth as his brows bounced high.
”Oh yeah, and what's that?” I asked, pulling my feet up and tucking them under my legs.
Reaching into the bag, he rummaged around. ”Let's see. . .” Pulling out a large chocolate bar, he held it high above his head as if it was made of gold. ”I got you this.”
Throwing it underhand across the room, I caught it. Gripping the edges, I was about to tear it open when I noticed someone already had. Pushing the sides apart, I looked inside the wrapper and saw that there were a few squares missing.
”You ate some already? Seriously?”
”What?” he asked, shrugging a shoulder. ”I got hungry.”
”You couldn't buy two?”
”I thought chocolate was best for sharing.”
Giggling, I pressed the chocolate bar to my chest and pouted my lips. ”The rest is mine, so don't ask for any.”
For the past six months, I spent my time readjusting to a new world. One without permanent walls, without meaningless punishments, without orders and forced interactions. A world where the sky was the ceiling and the walls were where your vision reached the horizon and you couldn't see any farther.
There were plenty of sleepless nights, nights where I'd wake up in a cold sweat, expecting to be back in that room. But when my eyes opened and Salt was beside me, all my worries and fears would melt away.
Bentley had done nothing but support me through the transition from prisoner to freedom. He was there if I needed to cry, letting me shed the weight of all the years I held inside. He was there to calm me down when I thought I had seen one of Virgo's men following us or thought I heard someone outside the door.
But he kept pushing me, forcing me to take small steps outside my comfort zone so I could enjoy what I had been missing.
I had already tasted every different type of food I could my hands on. Salt would take me to a different restaurant every week. He'd have me close my eyes and he'd feed me something blindly.
We were slowly building a life together. A life that neither of us had ever had, one that was normal, one that didn't have dark secrets. We didn't have to hide anymore. . . I loved that part the most.
He wasn't worried about the men that got away. According to him, the heat was too hot for them to do anything, he said they were laying someplace, avoiding the public. It made sense, and I trusted him, so I refused to let those assholes keep me stagnant.
”So, what else do you have in that bag?” Popping a square of chocolate into my mouth, I left it on my tongue so it could melt a little before I started chewing.
Chocolate was my new addiction.
”Nothing special; a bottle of a soda, a book for you to read—”
”A book? I hope it's not a novel, I'm not that good at reading yet.”
”But you will be. You've been working really hard on it, I can already tell you're better than you give yourself credit for. Besides, we have a long flight in front of us, so it's the perfect time to practice.” Smiling, he pulled an envelope out from his jacket pocket and waved it back and forth.
”You mean—”
”Yup, I got them today. We are officially Mr. and Mrs. Jericho D'Angelo. We have everything we need; birth certificates, social security cards, passports—everything.”
”Oh my God, you really got them?” Dropping the chocolate bar, I jumped up off the couch and ran to his side. Salt was shaking the envelope above my head, just out of my reach, his eyes glinting playfully. ”Can I see mine? What's my name?”
Technically, we weren't actually married, we didn't run off and tie the knot on a whim. But we did get new identities from one of Salt's connections. We could finally go home without raising any eyebrows or suspicion.
”Uh uh, first I want a kiss.” Puckering his lips, he closed his eyes and leaned in. Pecking him quickly, I snatched the envelope from his hand and darted away laughing. ”Hey!” he called out, chuckling as he took off after me.
Running around the bed in our hotel room, I could see the Eiffel Tower out our big picture window from the eighteenth floor. The sun was setting in the background, the sky was this shade of orange with jagged purple and blue streaks as if someone had hand painted the colors in the sky.
I never thought in a million years that I'd ever had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower. My eyes were fixed on the incredible image Mother Nature had created, taken back by just how beautiful it was.