No assassins come for us this night, nor the next, nor the next. It seems the few who wanted us dead either gave up or lost track of us.
The Syndicate is truly behind us now.
It’s just me, Matt, and the future ahead of us.
Epilogue
Cinder
“Maria! Maria, come downstairs right now! We’ll be late for your competition.”
Watching my adopted daughter bound down the steps reminds me of a day when I was younger and more flexible, when I could take out men twice my size with ease. I still have the knowledge and the skills, but my body’s slowly getting worn out. I wouldn’t give up a second I’ve spent with Maria, though. Motherhood may have made me soft, but seeing the smile on her face every day is enough.
My wife, Gia, hands Maria her bag, which I know is already packed with everything she needs. Gia never misses a thing, whether it’s scanning a crowd for threats or stuffing a duffel bag full of dance gear and warm-up clothes.
Maria tucks a loose lock of dark brown hair behind her ear with a grin. “Thanks, Momma Gia.” She grabs the bag and hefts it. “Is my water bottle in here? It feels light.” Her sapphire blue eyes sparkle, highlighted by the silvery makeup, glitter, and sequins she’s already applied around them.
I, for one, think the makeup is a waste given her naturally long, dark lashes and plump red lips, but the dance academy she enrolled in requires it for all performances.
“Water bottle’s in the car,” Gia says with a laugh. “Now get out there, load your bag in the trunk, and buckle up.”
Our daughter gives Gia a mock salute and skips out to the driveway.
“She’s growing up to be such a stunner.”
“Yeah,” Gia says, “and I’ve already had to terrify three potential boyfriends just this week. She needs to slow down.”
I pat Gia on the shoulder. “She’s sixteen. Boyfriends come with the territory.”
“They didn’t for us.”
“Have you seen her look at any girls the way we did at that age? Try as we might, I think we’ve raised a straight girl.” I laugh at the irony. “Given who her father is, her uncle … if her genetics didn’t make her queer and being around us didn’t, then I hate to say it, but she’s not meant to be. And that’s okay, too.”
Gia sighs and shakes her head as we head out the door. “Maybe she’s bi?” she says hopefully.
“Honey, give it up.” I lock the door behind us and pocket my keys.
“Does this mean I’m driving?”
“Look at the time, Gia. The only way we’ll make it there before rehearsal starts is if you drive. You’ve got a sixth sense when it comes to traffic patterns and shortcuts.”
“You mean I speed and weave in and out.”
“Yes. And you somehow never get caught.” I plant a kiss on Gia’s soft lips. “Now let’s go. This is the finals, you know. If she wins here, she’s going on to State. Maybe even Nationals. It’s a big day for her.”
I don’t finish my thought:If only her father could see her.
Maria’s pretty well-adjusted for the child of a mafioso and his psychopathic half-sister, but I think a large part of that adjustment comes from being raised away from all that.
At first, Gia and I had to move around a lot to avoid discovery. We worried that Emily would eventually come searching for her daughter, or that maybe Aron would change his mind about giving her up. After the first ten years, though, we finally relaxed enough to settle down. No one came for Maria. No sign of Syndicate or Empire activity anywhere nearby. Now, maybe we didn’t really have to move clear to the other coast to get away from it all, but it’s been a nice change.
Every once in a while, Maria asks about her parents. We tell her as much as we can without giving her information that could put her life in danger. News reports of a new Syndicate head came out just days after we vanished with her, but I don’t always trust the news to be accurate where the Syndicate is involved.
There was never anything on the news about Matt and Aron. Did they disappear? Were they murdered in an overthrow attempt? I hate to think about it. They were good people. I hope they found a way out. Maybe they escaped in the dead of the night, with no one the wiser.
Rehearsal goes off without a hitch. There’s some stiff competition in the auditorium, but no one who’s quite Maria’s caliber. I suppose it helps that Gia and I know some more …unconventionalmoves, things that we convinced her choreographer to add to the routine. Twists and jumps that might seem odd for a dancer but fit well in self-defense situations. Since Maria refused to take a martial art, it was the only way we could sneak that kind of training into her schedule.
The result of those additional moves, plus Maria’s natural grace and physical prowess, is phenomenal. When she’s on the stage, it’s like the rest of the auditorium melts away, like all eyes have to be on her because her presence commands it.
