Last Chapters before the Epilogue are always the hardest to write for me. Everything is over, there's no more major twist or moment that's going to happen. It's just wrapping everything up in a bow.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story, I appreciate it more than you know.

Enjoy.

|| ✨ ||

The gates to the manor were shut when the car arrived to drop me off. No one exited the little guard station to the side and it was so dark out that I couldn't see any movement across the long dark driveway.

The FBI Agent that drove me here looks over his shoulder uncomfortably. He's scared to go through. "I'll walk from here," I informed him and waited for the back doors to unlock before climbing out. I tossed him a look over my shoulder. "Thank you."

He dipped his head but didn't put the car in reverse. The summer air stuck to my skin, causing sweat to form without me even moving.

I stared up at the ten-foot wrought-iron gates. My lips pinched together at the side and I thanked myself for still being in athletic clothes. With one hand on a bar, I pulled my body up, lifting my foot until I could grapple onto the middle bar that went across the bars.

Pulling my body up, I reached again for the second half, holding onto the base of a spiked bar, and hauled my body up, my shoes working double to grip onto the sleek vertical bars.

Releasing a short breath I stared at the spikes, carefully thinking about how to navigate over them without impaling myself. Using my foot, I slid it between two spikes, rested it on the bar there, grabbed the two spiked bars on either side, and vaulted myself over the gate.

Keeping my grip on the bars, I felt the metal bite into my skin, no doubt drawing blood. I hissed, and jumped to the ground, careful not to roll my ankles.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the FBI car reverse into the street and pull off into the night taking the light with him, leaving me in darkness.

With a disgruntled groan, I started my walk toward the mansion. I wondered what happened in the moments I was taken away from here hours ago. Did Elijah attempt to start a breakout mission? Did Jasper shut him down hard? Did Finn think he would never see me again?

A shadowy figure stepped onto the driveway gravel, their footsteps making themselves known. I tilted my head to the side trying to decipher the figure. They were tall and bulky, short strands of hair could be made out from their silhouette.

"Lorenzo?" I called out.

The figure paused. "Love?"

My footsteps crushed the gravel beneath me as I ran to him, wrapping my arms around his bulky shoulders. He stiffened for a second, unused to the physical touch but soon he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tightly.

We stood in silence, our arms wrapped around each other. The emotion built up in my throat, so I pushed out of the embrace, clearing my throat. "I'm glad you're okay," I stated, my voice gravelly.

I couldn't see his face clearly from the darkness. "I'm sorry, about Harvey, I should have been there," his voice gave nothing away about the guilt and sadness he must be feeling. Harvey was his work partner for twenty years.

Gripping his bicep tightly, I shook my head. "No, you shouldn't have, otherwise you may not be here."

"If I did, he may be here."

I tugged on his arm, twisting him so we could walk in the direction of the manor. "Let's not dwell on the 'what ifs', it'll only depress me," I joked, offering a smile I knew how couldn't see. "How has everyone gotten on since this morning?" I asked in an attempt to switch topics.

He cleared his throat and it took me a moment to realize that in the last minute, he's said more in one go than I'd ever heard from him before.

"Jasper stopped Elijah and Amari from storming the FBI headquarters." I snorted, shaking my head. "Finn was stuck in surgery with Franco, the bullet ruptured his spleen so it's been a long few hours for them both." My smile disappeared, worry etching across my face at the thought of Franco being injured. "Finn said he was going to be okay," he added.

Of course, he would be fine, Finn was the best of the best. Our footsteps shifted the gravel underneath us as we continued walking at a slow pace. "And my mother?" I asked quietly, unsure if I wanted to hear the answer or not.

Lorenzo angled his head to the side. "She's fine, she was sitting with Atticus for a while in her room but she didn't seem in shock or even surprised by what happened."

I nodded my head absentmindedly. My mother wouldn't have been surprised today because she was prepared for it. The day she spoke to me in the bathroom at that lunch, she was prepared to lose my father in any way I saw fit.

The manor came into view as we rounded a curve in the driveway. Every single light had been turned on from the inside to the sconces on the outside. The bright lights made the whole place look warm, and inviting.

"They're all in the conference room, discussing their next steps," Lorenzo informed me softly as we got closer. Theo and Aaron stood at the foot of the steps, their jaws slack.

Theo stepped forward, his hands in his pockets. "You got out," he said, eyes wide as he looked me up and down.

I sent him a cocky smirk. "I'm just that good." They both chuckled. "Come on in, boys, you don't need to stand out here."

They looked at each other in confusion but didn't argue, following us inside. The house was quiet. No one bustled around the foyer or through the visible hallways. Feathers still littered random spots on the floor along with some chips of wood and marble. The puddle of blood where I found Harvey had been cleaned up. Just that one space. Spotless.

I swallowed thickly and averted my eyes, unable to banish the image of him lying there, staring at the ceiling with a lifeless gaze. Lorenzo glanced at me over his shoulder, his jaw was taut. I gave him a grim smile in return.

Loud voices interrupted the silence as we walked down the hallway that held the offices and the conference room.

"We can't just sit and do nothing!" Amari yelled out, followed by a fist banging on the table.

A loud sigh echoed into the hallway. My steps slowed. "Amari, we can't just walk in there and demand they release her, that's not how this works," Jasper explained in an irritated tone like he had tried to explain this a million times before.

She scoffed and I found myself grinning. My little sister was ready to blast down the doors of the FBI Headquarters to save me. Adorable.

Lorenzo squared his shoulders and knocked on the door. The voices quieted once he opened the door.

A chair squeaked. "What is it, Lorenzo? Is something wrong?" Elijah asked.

I clasped my hands in front of me and waltzed in. "I'm arrested for a few hours and you've already lost control of them?" I asked Jasper with a smirk on my face.

His jaw slackened as he stared at me. I raised an eyebrow in question, refusing to look at anyone else in the room.

"What the fuck?" Elijah demanded. A body crashed into me, their arms wound tight around my back and crushed me against their hard chest. I opened my eyes and met Elijah's shocked gaze, his jaw dropped. "I repeat—what the fuck?"

Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around Jasper's back, unsure of how to proceed. He's never hugged me before. This has never happened before and I don't know what to do. I patted his back awkwardly.

Isla appeared in the corner of my vision with a pout on her face as she stared at us. Oh, bother. Amari stood with a shocked smile on her face while she cut off the blood circulation to Luca's arm, she was gripping it so tightly. Atticus and my mother were missing.

Jasper froze, his arms retracting from around me. He stared, questions running through his head. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, in case I didn't want the others answering.

"I'm good," I said with a relieved smile. "It was fun." I shrugged.

Finn stepped into my view. "Only you would call getting arrested fun," he teased as I threw my arms around him. He pressed a kiss to my temple. Once. Twice. Before I pulled back and claimed his lips for my own selfish reasons.

He nipped my bottom lip before breaking the kiss. "Missed you," I said with a smile. He squeezed my hip.

Amari and Elijah threw themselves into my body so hard that Finn had to hold me up before I fell to the floor.

Amari buried her face in my neck before taking one sniff and retreating her face scrunching. "You smell like burgers and crime," she said in a disgusted tone. I narrowed my eyes at her while trying to push Elijah away. She grinned in reply.

He gripped me tighter. "Let me have this moment," he whined in reply.

I shoved him back, holding my arms out in front of me. "No more hugging," I ordered, staring everyone down. "I need to talk to Jasper and Elijah privately." My brothers nodded their heads and moved to sit. "In my office," I added.

Finn brushed his hand over my waist and I kissed his cheek. "After I'm done here, you and I are not leaving my room for the rest of the night," I tilted my head at his raised eyebrows, "You better make it the next day or two actually."

I shivered and he pulled off his hoodie, slipping it over my sports bra. He chuckled. "You were gone for seven hours."

"I know but interrogations turn me on," I said with a wink as he shook his head. My smile wavered. "How's Franco?"

His lips thinned. "He's stable, my mother is downstairs watching him now."

My face paled. "She's here?" I said in a small voice. Crap.

"I was distraught when you left, there were tears and everything," he informed me with a cheeky smile. I gave him a flat stare. He sighed. "I needed a second opinion, I haven't had to deal with spleens in a while." I punched him in the arm.

I left the room swiftly, marching after my brothers, who leaned against the wall opposite my office door. They didn't say a word as I entered my office and took a place behind my desk. They sat in the seats they usually occupied and waited patiently.

"First," I began, lacing my fingers together and resting them on the wooden surface, "I'm sorry that I didn't include you in my plans regarding our father, it's nothing personal, I didn't have much time to execute the plan and it was safer for you both to play along as clueless with everyone else." Both their jaws shifted, showing their obvious frustration at being excluded. "Secondly, thank you for trusting me."

Jasper watched me quietly.

"Thank you for trusting me with Isla," I said sincerely before turning to Elijah, "And thank you for coming to me on your rough days, it's meant more to me than you know." Elijah's eyes shuttered at the mention of his weakest points whenever he came back from a particularly rough errand.

"And our father?" Jasper asked roughly, uncomfortable with the emotion in the room.

"It's over for him," my cheeks hollowed as I spoke, a wave of emotion crashing over me after the adrenaline rush I've been functioning off of for the whole day. "There's going to be a closed trial, and he will go to prison."

Elijah sat forward. "What about you? And the list?" Jasper leaned back in his chair, resting his ankle on his knee and fiddling with the silver chain around his neck.

"I'm cleared, I was arrested to throw everyone off of it being me," I said, brushing a hand through my unruly hair. "I couldn't afford the other Four Families to find out that I betrayed our father, they'd never do business with us again." Not that I planned on doing much business with them knowing I had Maddie and Tessa Hayes breathing down my neck on the legality of my underground casino.

They nodded in silent understanding.

Unlocking my drawer and pulling out two folders, I slapped them on the desk. One in front of each brother. They stared at the folders cautiously. "The reason I brought you in here," I nodded to the folders.

Elijah handed Jasper's to him before sifting through his own. Each paragraph caused their eyebrows to furrow, leaving deep lines on their faces. Jasper's head lifted first. "What is this?"

I smiled sadly. "Your choice." Looking at each of them in return, tears threatened to gather in my eyes. "I never got a choice, and with our father gone I never will," I trailed off my nose twitching, "but I'm giving both of you the choice. If you leave, I won't shun you like Father promised would happen. I'm giving you the option of leaving this lifestyle and creating your own, no strings attached."

Elijah looked distraught as he stared down at the papers. Jasper's expression was pained.

"You keep your trust funds, you're welcome to take more if you want but I want you to live a normal life." My fingers started turning white from how tightly I clasped my hands. "I promise I won't be offended if you leave," I said with a watery chuckle.

We've been unwillingly stuck together since Elijah could walk and it would break my heart for them to leave but it's what's best for them. They need a better life than the one we've lived. They deserved it.

Jasper clutched the papers in his hands. "Where do I have to sign?" He asked, numbly.

Elijah whipped his head to face him. My heart cracked but I covered it up with an encouraging smile.

Scratch out sex tonight, Finn's going to have to hold me while I cry for the next week.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and handed him a pen. "At the bottom of the last page." My hands shook. "You just sign it and then you're good to go," I whispered, fighting the tears.

Elijah didn't move a muscle as he watched our brother. Jasper nodded his head as he stared at the pages.

With the pen still outstretched in my hand, Jasper closed the folder and promptly ripped it in half, tossing the two pieces on the desk.

I stared dumbly at the ripped folder. "What did you do?" I asked stupidly.

Jasper once again leaned back in his chair. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not abandoning my family when we've finally gotten rid of the disease that was our father."

"Go ahead and give me a heart attack while stealing my thunder, why don't you," Elijah mumbled, throwing the folder back on the desk and rolling his eyes.

My gaze drifted between the two of you. "Are you insane?"

Jasper shrugged. "Probably."

Elijah nodded. "Definitely." He flashed me a grin. "Who wants a normal life anyway? Losers, that's who."

I placed my head in my hands and rubbed my face, trying to stop any tears from slipping down my cheeks. Jasper angled his head to the side. "You gave us a choice and we made it, don't feel guilty."

A loud sigh left my lips as I leaned back in my seat, my mind reeling. "I don't feel guilty," I snapped, brushing off the relief crawling up my throat, "I'm crying over the fact that I'm stuck with you two."

Elijah grinned. Jasper kind of smiled. It was a step, that's all that matters. "Since you've decided to stay it's probably a good time to tell you that we're going straight with the business." Jasper's head turned in curiosity. "No more illegal maneuvers, no more law enforcement, and no more special jobs."

Elijah slumped in his seat, shell shocked. His eyes glistened.

"And if you're staying then I'm giving you each a piece of the business," I stated, swaying from side to side in my desk chair, "I need to have a life too."

My younger brother moaned. "My brain is going to explode from the overload of information right now." He rubbed his temples, causing his curly hair to fall on his face.

I grinned. "We can discuss more later, go do something else."

They both nodded, their postures more relaxed than I had ever seen, and left my office.

Not a minute later the door opened again and Finn slipped through, his white hair shining with the moonlight. "I've never seen Jasper so happy, he even nodded at me without glaring," he said, slipping a hand in his pocket and strolling towards me.

"Well aren't you lucky," I murmured, watching him through my eyelashes.

Finn rounded my desk and perched on the corner. "So do I get to hear about all the badass things you did without telling us?" He asked with a teasing grin.

I lifted my feet off the ground and laid them over one of his thighs, using it to pull me closer to him while still sitting down. He chuckled, skating his fingers along my legs. "I'll tell you every dirty little secret as long as you don't rat me out."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because that's exactly what I'm going to do," he said sarcastically.

His touch sent shivers up my spine when he started massaging my calves. My nose twitched as a frown pulled at my face as certain thoughts ran through my head. "You know I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave," I blurted out, "As you can tell by today's events, my family's a lot to deal with."

Finn's hands froze on my leg. "Are you saying you don't want me here?"

I sat up straight, my legs thumping to the hardwood floor. "No, but I am giving you the option," I twisted my fingers together, "I don't want you to be around me because you work for me—."

Finn grabbed one of my legs, yanked me closer, and leaned down to my face. "I'm around you because I'm in love with you and I know that word doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does for me but—." I gripped the back of his head and kissed him, cutting off his words.

My fingers trailed across his stubbly jaw, holding him closer while he deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue across mine. Even though I'd only been gone for half a day, it felt like years had passed between this morning and now.

"It's enough for me," I mumbled against his lips, "It's always enough for me." We lost ourselves in another kiss, each of us wanting to take control but me ultimately relenting because I'm a sucker for him.

By the time he pulled away, I could barely string a word together let alone a sentence. Somehow, I ended up off the chair and on the desk with him standing between my legs. "So?" He began, running a hand over my curls, "What happens now?"

A genuine smile lit up my face. "Now? I do whatever the fuck I want."

|| ✨ ||

And there we have it. I'll try to get the Epilogue out before next week just so that you don't need to sit in torture for too long.

It'll take place over a year later.

I'll also be explaining my next series and what's going to happen there.

Until next time,

Sammipott xx