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I shake my head. “No, she’s okay. She’s just in shock from everything that’s happened,” I explain, and Rolando nods.
“I take it we need a clean-up crew.”
“Yes. Do you mind calling one? I need them to keep this very quiet. We can’t have anyone know that Zoe Drakos is dead, especially by our hands.”
“Say no more. I’ll make sure discretion is crystal clear to the team.” Rolando doesn’t know that what he’s said has great significance right now, but my eyes lock with Xava’s.
I don’t think anything could be more crystal clear than it is right now.
Hopefully, with Zoe’s death, it means that our enemies are limited, and we can live in peace. Knowing how our lives go, I doubt the serenity will last long term, but I pray it does.
All I want is peace with Xava.
I know it’s all she wants, too.
Epilogue
Xava
Ten Years Later
“Phoebe!” I holler in my closed café. She’s running around like an absolute lunatic, chasing her little brother, Cosmo. Phoebe just turned eight, and Cosmo will turn five in two months. If they don’t keep me on my toes enough, I know the twin girls in my belly will. Ambros and I really wanted to have three children, but getting pregnant this last time was difficult. So, we went to a fertility clinic and did two rounds of IVF. The first round resulted in a miscarriage before six weeks. By the time the second round happened, I told them to put two eggs in to increase our chances. Little did I know that both of the eggs would actually stick.
Now, Eleni and Astra will be here a few weeks after Cosmo’s fifth birthday. I’m pretty sure we’re done after these two make their grand entrance, but knowing Ambros, I can’t be too sure. He’s always talking about wanting to have more children, but I think I will convince him that we should adopt. I might only be thirty-one, but this pregnancy has been the hardest on my body by far. It could be because I’m carrying twins, or it could be the mere fact I’m getting older. Regardless, it’s something the two of us need to discuss after the girls are here.
“Mom, Cosmo’s the one being a little turd. He won’t stop chasing me around or pulling on my shirt. Look, it’s going to get stretched out!” Phoebe reminds me far too much of myself. She has my hair color and complexion but her father’s beautifully captivating dark hazelnut eyes.
We’re currently in Grozny for the next couple of weeks, and my café has gotten its first major upgrade in about eight years.
I look right at my son and kneel down so he knows I mean business. “Why are you chasing your sister around like a little warrior, hmm?” If I approach him this way, I know he will react much better.
Phoebe huffs, likely not happy about how I speak to her brother, but she can get over it. I’m the parent here, not her.
“I… I thought it would be fun.” Well, his answer is good enough in his eyes.
“Well, it might be fun for you, but it isn’t for Phoebe. It’s also not very nice to be tugging on her shirt and antagonizing her, is it?”
Cosmo’s eyes flash with joy as I talk about what he just did, but at least he’s smart enough to agree with me. “No, it isn’t. Mama, I’m sorry.”
“You need to apologize to your sister, not to me,” I state.
“I’m sorry, Sissy,” Cosmo murmurs and looks down at the ground.
“It’s okay. You’re a brat sometimes, but I still love you.”
The door to the café opens, and I’m about to turn around and tell whoever it is that we’re closed, but to my surprise, it’s my husband. “I didn’t know you were going to stop by,” I say with the biggest smile on my face.
“Yes, well, I wanted to check in and see how our little heathens were. To see if they were driving their mother up a wall yet. To me, it looks like they have been.”
“Papa, I haven’t done anything. I promise. It’s all Cosmo!” Phoebe’s quick to point the finger right at her brother.
Ambros chuckles, and I have a hard time hiding my smile. “See, my intuition is always right.”
The door to the café opens again, and I whip my head around to see who it is. Surprisingly, it’s Karim and Adlan with Nika and Sasha, who are their younger sisters. Nika just turned eight, and Sasha’s second birthday party is this upcoming weekend. I don’t see Amelia or Ruslan with them, but Danill walks in right behind the children. “Where are your parents?”
Karim shrugs. “I don’t know. They’re arguing in the car about something. Told us to come inside.”
I invited my brothers, sister, and all the kids over to taste the new menu at the café and let me know how they enjoyed everything. We open back up tomorrow, and I’m really excited. The business has never done as good as it has been. I’ve been able to open up cafés across the world in Grozny, Mykonos, Sicily, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
