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I know what he’s referring to instantly.
Totem.
My father.
The death that changed my life for the better.
I nod slightly in response, taking his praise before Luna comes to a stop beside him. “Thank you for this, for all of this, to all of you. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without you.”
She smiles at me and I feel like a different person standing before her. I’m not the same girl that I was when we met at Featherstone Academy, and I’m not even the same girl who arrived in New York to pay back my debt. I’m someone else entirely, and the way her eyes shimmer knowingly, she can see it too.
“Not a problem, it's the least we could do after everything else that has happened.” She pushes a loose tendril of hair back off her face as she turns to look at Matteo. “What did Totem promise you?”
I follow her line of sight, as does everyone else present, waiting to hear his response. He looks between Luna and me for a few moments, before shrugging. “He promised a war I no longer have any interest in. I want none of my operations running on US soil, not one. Not when we have Wren. Nothing else matters. Our business is thriving here, even despite the setbacks from the Russians. If you stay out of Italy, I will do the same in return.”
Vito nods in agreement beside him as I gape at the pair of them. Is it possible to give up something so easily? From the outside looking in? Maybe not, but after I spent my entire life following the plan my parents forced on me, only to shoot them and step away, I know the true answer.
Maybe we’re designed for this world, but not every aspect of this world is for us.
Roman steps forward to murmur in Luna’s ear, and I watch as she nods along at what he’s saying, before clearing her throat.
“Every bloodline in the Featherstone hierarchy has a role to play, no exceptions, not even Wren,” she starts as my heart rate increases.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Valentina interrupts, moving to stand at my side.
“The Ring believes that the right course of action is to end Totem’s bloodline within the structure of our business, along with the Dietrichsons.”
“I feel like we’re talking in riddles. What does that mean?” Matteo grunts, edging closer toward me as relief falls from my shoulders in waves.
“Without being able to think of a better word right now, it means I’m banished from Featherstone,” I state, looking at the other members of the Ring standing behind Roman and Luna, who nod.
I feel like I could drop to my knees and cry, my eyes welling despite my efforts to contain my emotions, but she just gave me Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving all at once.
“You deserve this, Wren. What you have here, it’s untainted, undeniable, and unbelievably possible. It’s a fresh start. Rafe asked me to tell you that if you ever need anything at all, you could reach out to him for aid from my father’s security company. That way, you’ll still be separate from Featherstone no matter what,” Luna murmurs, digging her hand into a pocket and revealing a card a moment later. “He said to ask for Ryan.” She smiles one last time, before turning in Roman’s arms and walking off with the rest of the Featherstone members. I hear orders being called for cleanups around me, but I can’t really piece anything together.
I fall to the ground in a heap and a small sob slips past my lips. I barely stay there for a second or two before I’m lifted into Vito’s arms. Looking up into his eyes, I speak the words that warm my soul and set me free from my past.
“Take me home.”
EPILOGUE
WREN
The sun beams down on me as I sit in the garden, a platter of food scattered around the table, all thanks to Nonna, as both her and Valentina continue to gang up on me.
“I’m telling you, a girly weekend at the spa with a trip or two to the vineyard is exactly what dreams are made of, Wren. Why aren’t you getting that?” Valentina asks with a gasp, running her hands down her stunning yellow flowy dress before reaching for her glass of wine for emphasis.
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head at them as they both offer me a pointed look. “I just don’t know if I can be away from them for that long. Besides, they’ve given me Torres’s role to fill, and those are some big fucking boots. The De Luca family business hires crazy men that are a complete handful.” My eyes widen as I point over my shoulder toward the operative building, but Nonna and Valentina still don’t give in.
“Puh-lease, girl, youknowwe fucking deserve it. You definitely can survive without them for like two days.”
I really don’t think I can. I’m as obsessed with them as they are with me. This isn’t what any of us expected to happen, but here we are. Learning this life together, learning our emotions and how to express them, but most of all, learning what makes each other happy.
“She definitely can’t.”
The blunt response has me glancing over my shoulder to find the De Luca brothers heading toward us. Matteo is in his shirt and pants, no blazer in sight, while Vito is in a pair of black shorts and a matching tee with sweat beading along his brow from working out in the gym. But it’s Enzo who has my attention, and the pleased smile on his face tells me he knows it.
He’s not wearing a top at all, but even better, there’s no bandage.
