“But you are not your father. Just as I'm not responsible for what he chose to do. You walked through those gates as London—a brave, fierce, beautiful woman who fits into this club on her own merit. Not because of Fiend. Independent of him. The brothers respect you for who you are. The girls love you for who you are."
His forehead drops to mine. "I love you for who you are."
My breath catches. He said?—
“Yeah, I love you, London. And the club is your home. You belong here. With me."
A tear escapes down my cheek. He catches it without breaking eye contact.
"I want you to be my ol' lady." His voice is raw with emotion. "That means you're mine. Permanently. It means the club recognizes you as family—my family. Protected, respected, valued. Not a guest. Not a girlfriend. Mine.”
My pulse hammers in my ears. I think of what the girls told me—what an ol' lady means in this world. The weight of it. The permanence.
"Does that mean—" I start, and the expression on his face stops me mid-sentence.
He nods. One deliberate dip of his chin. "It means everything. It means forever."
I search his eyes for doubt. For hesitation. For any sign that this is pity or obligation or the heat of the moment carrying him away.
I find none of those things. What I find is certainty. The same certainty as when he told me my stepfather would never touch me again. The same certainty he had when he pulled that trigger minutes ago.
Christopher “Zeus” Petridis does not bluff.
"Yes." The word comes out steady and strong. “I’ll be your ol’ lady.”
His mouth crashes over mine and he kisses me the way a man seals a vow—deep, consuming, and claiming.
Epilogue: London
Three weeks later…
I'm curled in the armchair in our room, scrolling through job listings on my phone, when I get a text from Sarah—nothing but a thumbs-up emoji.
I know what it means. It’s our code to tell me my mother’s progressing well.
Doc and Sarah have been checking in on my mom regularly, because I just can’t.
Zeus says I don’t have to visit her until I’m ready.
“Maybe not ever, if that's what you decide,” he says. “Nobody's going to judge you either way."
Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. I imagine I will someday.
I pull my knees to my chest. The club set her up with everything she needs—rehab paid in full, an efficiency apartment waiting for her when she graduates the program, even a job lined up at a dry cleaners owned by one of the club's associates. Chaos assured me they’d keep eyes on her and make sure she stays clean and doesn't reconnect with her druggie contacts.
It's more than she deserves. I know that. But she's still my mother. And I'm glad she isn't dead in a ditch somewhere.
As for Kandi. She's gone—platinum hair, venomous tongue, and all. According to Rowan, as soon as Chaos heard about her loose tongue, he booted her out the door.
Good riddance.
"Get dressed." Zeus fills the doorway, freshly showered, smelling like cedar and clean skin. “I want to take you somewhere."
I look up from my phone. "Where?"
"It's a surprise."
His grin stretches wide—devastating, full-wattage. "Trust me."
