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“Why yes we are. And how about you? You having a good time?” Cece replied, sensing I wasn’t ready to speak yet.

“Absolutely. You ladies know how to throw one hell of a party. The only thing that could make it better would be if I could get a dance with Beth.” His voice was gentle,but deep, and I found myself nodding. He smiled, brightening his whole face as a big hand enveloped mine, pulling me toward him. I heard the girls giggling and whispering behind me, but I ignored it, following Rome onto the dance floor.

“You look beautiful, darlin’. Been waiting to talk to you all night,” he told me, and I smiled, resting my cheek against his chest, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. After the first song ended, we stayed on the dance floor. Rome spun me around, and I caught sight of Reaper and Seph, standing close together swaying slowly, Reaper using his cane for help.

A smile spread across my face as I watched the dance floor fill up around me. Cece and Guard joined shortly after. Bash and Fee were still suspiciously absent. A quick look for Birdie, and I heard her happy giggle ring out behind me. Atlas was dancing with her, who was laughing and clapping in her uncle’s arms. Something suspiciously close to a smile was on his face as he indulged in his niece’s antics.

Charlie, Star, and Roxie were in one corner dancing with each other, their laughter and smiles wide and bright. Match stood off to the side of the dance floor with Dare, chatting animatedly with the new brothers.

A new song started. This one was slower, and Rome pulled me tighter, his hands around my waist as I stretched my arms around his neck. I smiled up at him before a flash of hot pink caught my eye. In honor of Charlie, Lilah had taken a break from her token blue streaks for pink.

Against her dark hair, the color popped, and she had it in thick curls for the event. Only a few feet away from us, she was wrapped up in Eliot’s embrace, their eyes locked on each other. It were as if no one else existed. There were just the two of them. The warmth, the love, the adoration seeping out of my son brought tears to my eyes.

“Beth? What’s wrong, honey?” Rome asked, as he gently tilted my chin so I was looking up at him.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, a large smile spreading over my face. “In fact, everything is absolutely perfect.” Looking back at Eliot and Lilah, I sighed.

It is a dream come true.

Epilogue

Scythe

A weekly Church meeting. One like any other—or so I thought. As we went around the table, brothers gave their individual updates. When it got to Rome’s turn, he looked around the room quietly. We had grown close since he transferred over to our charter. He was a quiet man, saving his words for when it counted, but he paid attention.

There was also the fact that he was sweet on Mom. He treated her well, spoiled her rotten, and waited on her hand and foot. He had been around long enough to help my mom on her good and bad days. When she was confused or disoriented, he was able to keep her calm and not exacerbate the situation, never treating her like she was broken or helpless. There was no reason for me to object to the relationship.

Rome loved to cook and had been working with Iron Maidens to expand the bar into a restaurant as well. He’d been working his ass off since the restaurant opened. It had been doing great. Did something happen?

“I’m not entirely sure this falls under club business, but I’d like to get y’alls opinion on something,” he finally said, wiping a hand under his chin before sliding his phone over to Keys.

“Been staying late at Iron Maidens. Always got security cameras rolling on the screens wired into the office. A few weeks ago, I noticed someone digging through the dumpster. Figured it came with the territory. We throw out a lot of food at the end of each night. When I went out to try to offer them some leftovers, they ran away. I left the bag outside in case they came back, and they did. They were back last night—same person.” He clenched his jaw, something about what he saw clearly getting to him.

“I had leftovers packed up, so I went out, hoping to grab ’em before he ran. Make sure he got the food before the animals. He almost ran, but when he realized I had food, he stopped himself. Tried to keep his face hidden, but I got a look. Black eye and split lip. But more importantly, he was a kid. Maybe a teenager? So scrawny, can’t really tell. He took the food, then basically ran away. Was afraid to spook him. I’ll keep leaving food out, but I don’t feel good about this.”

Looking around the room, almost everyone had matching expressions of anger and distress.

“I’ll handle it.” The words came out of my mouth, and everyone turned to look at me strangely. That was fair—typically, that would imply something of a grave manner.

“Let me update the security back there. Keys will tap me into the live footage. Next time he comes around, I’ll be there. We may not get to him right away, but I’m sure there’s a pattern. Just…trust me,” I said, and saw a look of approval on Reaper’s face.

“That sounds great. Rome, Keys, that sound good to you?” Reaper asked.

“Fine by me,” Rome said. Keys was busy typing away, nodding in agreement.

I spent the rest of the day working with the two brothers to figure out the best play, and we had everything set up before dinner service the following day.

It wasn’t easy or quick. The kid was fast. He didn’t stick to a schedule or a specific route, but everyone slips up. On Thursdays, the club started a trivia night and the trash and discarded food was abundant on those days.

Crouched beside the dumpster, I waited. It had been almost five weeks since that first sighting. It was after four in the morning, and the temperature had started to drop. The kid only ever wore a threadbare hoodie and worn-out pants.

Where the hell is he sleeping?

The scrape of the dumpster lid broke the silence. I’d positioned myself on the opposite side so he wouldn’t see me. Holding perfectly still, I waited until he’d climbed inside. I closed my eyes for a second, a memory washing over me.

“That’s awful. We have to do something.”

“I’m on it, Angel. We’ll make sure he’s safe. No matter what it takes.”