Cannon
Six months later
Benny passed peacefully in his sleep four months after the shootout with the Rossettis, and we gave him a wake that would have made him happy as hell. The entire family toasted his life and his death at Andre’s, all wearing Hawaiian shirts in his honor.
Before he died, Benny and Memphis turned his journal of a manuscript into a book, and with Dom’s blessing, he published it. Benny told us to make sure we addedauthorto his epitaph. Every single person who came to the wake received a copy, and given how things are going with the book’s sales, there’s a damn good chance we’ll be addingbestselling authorto his epitaph instead.
Even though Cole got his arrest with Dom, he didn’t get his conviction. Once again, Dom walked free. Cole was pissed for a second, but it didn’t last long since he got his big promotion with GTR’s conviction. The entire Rossetti organization fell apart, and its pieces were gobbled up by the other crime families.
Randi got a promotion too, and she’s now a bona fide detective. She even assisted in reversing the official report on Leander Lockwood’s death. Now the world knows the truth about Memphis’s father, and justice has been served. After the insurance policy paid out, Memphis donated it to start a scholarship to journalism school in her father’s name.
Dom, true to his word, officially retired shortly after he was released from police custody. He handed me the reins and told me to do whatever I thought was right. Then he seduced the nurse, Judith Maria Hansen, bought a place in Boca, and convinced her to run away with him.
Cynthia went to rehab, terrified that the Rossettis were able to so easily grab her because she was hammered at the bar of the Plaza. She and Memphis are taking it slow with their new relationship. Even though they don’t share blood, they share a bond that they’re carefully rebuilding.
Teal graduated from rehab as well, and she and Grice are now in a happy, committed relationship. Tanya has never been happier either, since she has taken over a large portion of my management role at the club like she was meant for it.
I stand in the brownstone in Hell’s Kitchen, consulting with a design team as we create a brand-new vision for the building Dom gifted me—affordable housing for single mothers, complete with a day-care facility that’s included in the cost of rent.“I owe it to you, but also to your mother. Do something with it that she’d like.”We’re still working out the details, but Creighton is consulting on the project with me. As a matter of fact—
I glance down to check my watch. We’re going to be late for dinner with him and Holly if we don’t get moving soon.
I thank the team and go find Memphis in the library, the one room that won’t be altered because she made the request. She got her DNA test, and she is indeed Alessandra Rossetti, but she’s decided she won’t ever use the name. Memphis was given to her by Leander, in honor of his hometown, and for that reason, she’ll use it forever. With one change, though—she’s not going to be a Lockwood much longer. Soon, she’ll be Memphis Freeman, my wife.
I stand in the doorway, watching her work, hunched over a laptop at a wide wooden table she’s turned into her desk. She’s so engrossed in what she’s doing that I don’t want to break her concentration, so I take a step back. A creaking floorboard gives me away, though, and her head pops up. When she sees me, she slaps a hand over her chest like I almost gave her a heart attack.
“Holy hell, Danger. Sometimes I forget how quietly you can move.”
“Lifetime of practice,” I tell her with a laugh. “I was going to let you keep working, but ...”
She checks the clock on her computer and shoots up from her seat. “Oh shit. It’s time to go, isn’t it? And you were going to let me keep working and make us both late?”
“When you’re in the zone, I’m not going to be the man to pull you out.”
A flash of sadness flits across her face before she says, “I just got through a tough part, so I’m ready.”
Memphis writes true crime now, having given up being an on-air reporter for good, but her investigative spirit is still fully engaged. Her first book untangles the story behind the murder of Regina Rossetti. It’s been hard on Memphis, but she’s determined to get the truth out there for everyone to know, because her mother deserves the honor.
I hold out my hand. “Then let’s go.”
* * *
“Have you set a wedding date yet?”Holly asks Memphis, checking out her ring once more.
I proposed three weeks ago, over Italian food and wine. Well, not actuallyover.I snagged an extra-small pizza box from Geno, filled it with notes with just a few dozen of the reasons I’m madly in love with her, and settled the ring on them. When Memphis opened it, her aqua eyes shimmered with tears. Then I read her every single note before finally popping the official question. Thankfully for me, she said yes instantly.
Memphis glances at me. “Not yet. We’re still talking about what we want to do.”
“Knowing Cannon, he’ll try to talk you into running away and doing the deed somewhere in secret,” Creighton says, like he lives in my damn head. The man still knows me better than anyone.
Memphis tries to hide her smile because she and I have been debating whether we want to do it up traditionally, or if we want to keep it small and intimate. As in just the two of us on a remote beach somewhere.
“But if they do that, we won’t be able to be there,” Holly says, her mouth forming a small moue.
I shoot her a look. “I didn’t get to come to your wedding.”
As Creighton’s laugh booms in the restaurant, Holly narrows her eyes. “Different situation, Cannon, and you know it.”
“If you’re looking for somewhere exotic,” Creighton says, “we’ve got friends in Ibiza. The Forges own an island.”