Fallen Empire (Dirty Empire)

He groans. “Of course.”

Gabriel’s phone rings, and his body instantly tenses against mine. I’ve come to know the different phones and their ringtones. This is the phone he uses for calls he doesn’t ever want traced back to him.

He promised me that my father would be safe, and yet I hold my breath as he answers, as he speaks in a low murmur to the person on the line, as he turns away from me. As he finally ends the call.

Caleb and I are both watching intently—I think, for very different reasons.

“That was Donny,” Gabriel confirms after a moment.

My stomach drops. “And?”

Gabriel swallows, his eyes flipping to his brother. “It’s done.”

“Done,” Caleb echoes, his complexion paling a few shades as the shock of the news that their father is dead hits him. “Wow. It’s really… For real?”

Gabriel slides his phone into his pocket. “Yeah.”

“How?”

“Does it matter?”

Caleb seems to consider that. “No. I guess it doesn’t. Not tonight, anyway.”

Silence hangs over them as they process the news that the man who has caused them—and countless others—so much grief and fear will never harm anyone else ever again.

“Are you okay?” I ask, because I don’t know what the hell else to say.

Gabriel tips his head back and releases a long exhale. “It’s finally over. We’re free.”

“Ready for takeoff when you are!” The pilot hollers from the open door.

“Yeah, we’re ready!” Caleb heads for his seat as the blades begin to churn.

Gabriel reaches for me. “Let’s go home.”

I don’t hesitate, diving into his arms.

Epilogue

One year later…

The front door shuts with a thud, announcing Gabriel’s return home. “Caleb’s flying in early. He’ll be here in an hour.”

“What?” I shriek, nearly dropping the Betty Crocker chocolate cake I’ve been icing for the past hour. “No! We had a deal! He’s not allowed here tonight.”

The second Gabriel rounds the corner and I see those dimples on display, I know he’s joking. “That’s not funny!” I toss an oven mitt at his head.

He dives to the right, barely missing it. “I’m sorry, babe. I couldn’t help it.” He’s laughing. “But he is coming in tomorrow, for a few days.”

“Doesn’t he have a hotel and casino to run?” I mutter. A month after that tryst with Merrick and Ava, Gabriel got a call from Bruce Cohen, asking if he was still interested in buying the Mage. I don’t know if it was a visit from a Mexican cartel boss or the fact that Cohen landed in bed with a sixteen-year-old call girl and Merrick “conveniently” captured video footage of it, but the deal went down, with Merrick and Vince buying up the other partners’ shares. Since then, Caleb’s been spending most of his time in Vegas, bickering with Merrick and trying to screw his manager. But every few weeks, I’ll come downstairs and find him stretched out on the couch in our living room, usually dressed but not always.

Gabriel shrugs. “He misses us.”

That or he needs a break from the stress of running a Vegas hotel and casino. Either way, he’s still a pig, but he’s become an endearing one to me.

I sigh. “Tomorrow, I can deal with. But tonight has to be perfect. Which means no Caleb.” It’s my father’s first night free of Fulcort since Jason DeHavilland had his conviction overturned. It’s taken nearly a year and he’s not completely free and clear yet, but Jason’s confident that by the time he’s done with the justice system, Dad will never have to see another day inside any prison walls.

Gabriel leans in to kiss me and I inhale his delicious woodsy cologne. He left early this morning for Empire so he could get urgent work done in time to be home for the drive to Fulcort. Finding a suitable replacement for Mike hasn’t been easy, even now that the club runs fully legit—no laundering of anything but VIP tablecloths. “Come on, how bad could it be? Your dad’s finally coming around with me.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’d call it that, exactly.” By the time I sat down across from him and fessed up, he’d already heard. Apparently gossip runs through a prison faster than it does in a high school. What he hadn’t heard—what no one knew yet—was that he now had a son-in-law.

To say he wasn’t pleased would be an understatement.

Thankfully, Dad’s never been one to hold a grudge.

“Well, he’s stuck with me for good.” Gabriel drops to his knees to press his lips against my swollen belly—a daily ritual he has with his daughter that makes my heart ache with adoration. She was a surprise that we certainly didn’t plan for, but now that she’s coming, I already can’t imagine life without her.

“Marsha got the check.”

“Oh yeah? What’s she putting in? A pool? Sauna?”

I snort. “Shut up. She’s actually looking at building a small addition so they can have a yoga and meditation studio.”