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“They look like cats that got the cream.”
Kristoff grinned. “They’ve had their cream, all right.”
I squinted to read a sign in the background of the picture. It had a marijuana plant on it, a bicycle, and a city sign.
“Amsterdam? What are they doing over there?”
“Business, mixed with pleasure.” He nibbled on my earlobe before whispering, “That Veyron is mine.”
I didn’t have time to ponder losing that bet or what it meant for a certain hacker, because Tommie waved us over. It was time.
I looked at the people in our garden, and my heart expanded with joy. This was my chosen family, my best life.
I took Kristoff’s hand, and we walked up to the minister to renew our vows.
Epilogue II
KRISTOFF
Two weeks later.
I lazily leaned back in my chair and watched the screen from my desk.
Patience had never been my strong suit until I started to play the long game of destroying the man who had given me his genes. It had been a long and arduous journey, spanning over a decade. It still felt like yesterday every time I thought about finding my mother’s body on the kitchen floor.
And now, finally, the man who had been responsible for it—his life was going up in flames. I had been the one who had lit the match and poured gasoline over his empire. I was going to be the one to tell him to his face what his choices were: bad, and worse. To my surprise, Sokolov had handed over the much-needed dirt, with documentation and video and everything, on the senator.
The running commentary on the big screen showed the decline and fall of Senator Ryan. I enjoyed every second of it. You gotta love politics, one day you were a hero, the next you were basically public enemy number one.
I left my study and drove over to his house. A five-bedroom mansion that wouldn’t be the senator’s for much longer. The last of his staff had left two days before. No one wanted to be associated with a white-collar criminal posing as a family man. His wife had left to go to some spa in the Swiss Alps, his son was back at boarding school, and his daughter lived under my roof. The senator was alone, just as he deserved to be.
I didn’t bother to ring the doorbell or knock. The realtor had given me a spare key, so I let myself inside.
I made my way through the empty foyer, took a left, and walked straight up to his private study. As expected, the senator sat behind his desk, his head in his hands. He was the perfect picture of despair.
I slammed the door shut behind me, and he looked up.
He scowled. “Who are you?”
Senator Ryan looked the part—like a man plagued by scandal, whose life had been publicly destroyed. He had several lawsuits to look forward to for misusing public funds, and a string of affairs with members of his staff had been uncovered. So much for his clean image.
“I’m Kristoff, son of Yanina. She used to work for you, until you got her pregnant. That’s when you kicked her out.”
There was no recognition in his eyes, merely contempt. I wanted to put my fist through his face.
He scoffed. “And why are you here? If you’re going to blackmail me, get in line. I have other things on my mind right now.” He waved at the door, dismissing me.
I smiled, showing him my teeth, like a shark right before it attacked. Clearly, I needed to grab his attention.
I drew my gun and held it at my side. He immediately recoiled in his chair.
“You might not remember her as the woman who cleaned your house, but how about the escort you had killed?”
His eyes grew wide, and he drew up his lips into a snarl.
“I see I’ve jogged your memory.” I walked up to his desk and put the gun on it. “I found the man you sent after her, the one who killed her. I skinned him while he was still alive.” I shrugged. “But you are lucky. Recently, I’ve turned over a new leaf and I’m on a merciful streak toward asshole, absent fathers who basically have no redeeming qualities. I’m going to give you an out. Either you swallow a bullet and go straight to hell, or youdon’t, and your life becomes one, after which—you’ve guessed correctly—you will still go straight to hell.”
With a snarl, the senator grabbed the gun. He barely hesitated before pointing it at me.
