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Our love might have started as a scheme, a plot by evil people to do bad things, but the strength of what we have, the undeniable force of our attraction, broke through their plans. What started out as forbidden, dissolved under the strength of two lonely souls searching for family, for belonging, for the missing piece.
We found it in each other. We’re silent yet strong, wounded, but still fighting, and we earned our happily ever after. I didn’t believe I deserved it. I thought it wasn’t mine to have, but he changed my destiny. We’re magical yet real, healing and transformative. From the ugly and the cruel grew beauty and life, and we made it ours.
EPILOGUE
Dirk
Nine Months Later
A cool summer breeze surrounds us as we descend from the private jet onto the tarmac of the small airport in Minsk.
“It’s colder than Hamiltown in the summer.” Pepper leans into Rainey’s side.
“It’s probably the same as Minnesota,” Rainey whispers back.
The two of them have been tight since Rainey taught Pepper to drive last fall. It was when she was still recovering from the gunshot wound, and they started on the golf cart, ostensibly so Rainey could jump out if Pepper tried to wreck it.
The only problem with that plan was Rainey couldn't have hopped out to save her life. Fortunately, Pepper caught on quicker than Carmen’s predictions, and by the end of the week, she was driving Rainey to all her physical therapy appointments.
They became such good friends that Rainey insisted Pepper come with us on our trip to meet with the man from Minsk, who we now know as Dmitri Usmanov, who has been helping piece together what happened to their father and track down Scar and Rainey’s official records.
“Oskar, my friend.” The older gentleman shakes Scar’s hand with both of his. “Is this your beautiful wife and son?”
Hana is beside him holding eight-month-old Lourde, who is wearing a little blue beanie over his jet-black hair. His pale blue eyes are alert, and he smiles at Dmitri. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. Usmanov.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” He turns to look up as we reach the bottom of the steps. “And you are Reanna?”
“I am.” Rainey takes the hand he offers, and I hang back with Pepper. “Of course you are. The resemblance is remarkable.”
“Funny how we never saw it,” Scar notes.
“To be fair, I wore a disguise most of my life,” Rainey replies.
Dmitri frowns. “Why would you do that?”
She glances down and shrugs. “I was alone. It felt safer.”
Stepping up behind her, I take her hand in mine. “She’s not alone anymore.”
The six of us climb into a waiting limousine, and Dmitri fills in the blanks. “With the help of local investigators, we located your father’s body, and using the DNA sample you sent, we were able to establish a clear identification. It was as you said, Reanna. Your father was murdered near his home. However, as you know, the killers took a page from the Bolshevik handbook, which is why we needed the DNA sample.”
Rainey’s eyes move from mine to Scar’s, and her brother answers in a low voice. “They destroyed his body, covered it in acid, and burned his clothes to prevent a positive ID. Without our DNA, it would’ve been impossible.”
Her lips tighten. I cover her hand with mine, but she keeps it together. “I saw them shoot him. I knew what they did.”
“Yes, and it’s interesting they allowed you to live. In your brother’s case, they gave him a new name and a new birth certificate. He could have lived his whole life never knowing the truth. Perhaps because you were a little girl, they didn’t see you as a threat.”
“I’m sure that’s what it was.” An edge is in her voice, and I give her hand a squeeze.
“They didn’t know you very well.”
Dmitri takes a large brown envelope from his case and hands it to Scar. “In any event, here are your official documents, your passports, and the deed to the house. All of the bank accounts are now in your name, and you are the legal owner of all your father’s properties as well asAurora.”
“Aurora?” Scar opens the envelope and two small, crimson booklets slide out. They’re printed with gold lettering, and I recognize them as Russian passports.
Scar hands one to Rainey.
“Aurorais the super yacht that belonged to your family. It's a two hundred and fifty foot luxury liner currently off the coast of Spain.”
