Taming the Monster by K.J. Thomas

Epilogue

Avery

3 Months Later

I absentmindedly rub my belly as I watch through the window. For the last few months we’ve been pushing hard, getting the Romano estate back up and running.

The air conditioning systems had to be ripped out. When Asher slammed the wooden post inside of them, he destroyed them. Him doing that saved a ton of lives. We’re definitely not worried about replacing three air conditioning units. I think we can afford it.

What matters is I don’t know if he was thinking about it at the time, but him doing that kept the drugs from seeping into the house continuously.

They had a couple chemical engineers come in and test the amount of drugs that were in the air as opposed to how much was in the air conditioning. This whole thing was done really fast. The previous chemical engineer, who died, didn’t have enough time to come up with a good healthy and safe plan. Luca, Seth and all of his guards didn’t give a shit.

We’re just lucky, the engineer could’ve made it deadlier, not giving any of us a chance, especially the ones that were in the house at the time.

All I know is from what we’ve been told, and what they found, is if the drugs would’ve kept filtering through the system, most likely everybody in the house, even those currently unconscious, would eventually die. It’s just too much for any normal system to handle.

Asher saved everybody’s life and it ended up almost killing him in the process.

“Hey baby,” he says as he stands behind me and wraps his arm around my stomach.

While I was in the hospital, they found out that I was eight weeks pregnant. Eight fucking weeks pregnant. I was hell-bent on ending the life of Luca, not even caring if mine was taken, too. I never would’ve done this if I’d known I was pregnant. I never would’ve went after Luca. There’s a baby inside of me that is more important than my thirst for revenge.

I’m extremely grateful now, and I couldn’t be happier that Luca is gone. If he wasn’t, he would be an opposing threat to my child now. Thankfully, all of the Delano’s are gone. The world has gotten rid of some very sick and twisted individuals.

I pull Asher’s hands around me tighter, beyond ecstatic that he’s still here with me. He was just released from the hospital a month ago. They had to rehabilitate everything. Both of his femurs were shattered. My guy has metal rods in both legs, but it doesn’t slow him down.

Since the first day out of a coma, Asher has been working on rebuilding his strength. I feel like I want to say he’s stronger, but that’s not true, he’ll always have a little bit of weakness in his legs from what the gunshots did to them.

The bullet practically destroyed him inside and out. Almost leaving him wheelchair-bound forever, but thankfully he was determined.

When Asher found out that he was going to be a father, he upped his game ten times over, wanting to be everything he could be before his son was born without being wheelchair-bound. Even if he was in a chair, he would still be a great father. He almost killed himself again, by going through so much pain rehabilitating.

Asher was lucky, he was young and physically fit to overcome this. If this happened at another point in our lives, he might not be here.

I chuckle a little, but not too loud, not wanting to explain to Asher my thoughts. He went from protective to psychotically protective. I have a tracking app on my phone, on freaking everything. I probably have one implanted in my body somewhere, I better not!

We lost close to fifty guards. Unfortunately most of these men were killed while they were still sleeping and not from bullet wounds or anything, from the drugs in the air, the gas.

There were a couple men inside that were shot while they were sleeping, they must’ve woken up. That’s the only logical explanation I can come up with.

Thankfully Mac is fine. It still bothers him to this day because Vito was a father figure to him, he meant the world to him. He keeps running scenarios in his head. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same, but he just wishes that he would’ve slept outside like he normally does with the other guards. He didn’t want to be that far away from the house because of Luca.

We’ve all tried to help with his resolve, to help him get over this but it’s something he’s got to do on his own. It’s a long grieving process for all of us. Each one of us have to deal with it differently. Mac’s is one of guilt and revenge. I stole the revenge, and I’m not giving that back.

“Asher,” Carter yells from farther out in the grassy area. They set up a few practice football games to let off some steam. Asher bends down and gives me a kiss on the neck, then trails up to my cheek, finishing with my mouth, before he swats me in the ass and runs to play a game with his friends.

This is what I love seeing, this is what’s comforting. Happiness and family. The back of my eyes burn as I fight the tears that keep slipping down. I miss Vito so much. A lot of people do. Thousands were at his funeral paying respect. Other Mafia bosses were there somewhat saddened and heartbroken. He didn’t just keep us straightened out and doing well. He kept a lot of the families that way, too.

Even though he didn’t run the East Coast, he was the head of the family meetings. The main decision-maker when it came to all things connected to the bosses.

The pain is excruciating and I know I’m not doing my baby any justice by being upset so much. I would never take away my time spent with Vito Romano, he was a wonderful man. Even though it hurts every fucking day and second, it was worth it.

I straighten my posture and rub my belly again as I look out and watch the guys play football. They’re running and screaming at each other. They’re also kind of brutal. At least they’re not using guns and knives out there, shit can get messy, fast.

I watch Carter who seems to be a little bit down. My best friend Tate left for college a month ago. I pretty much had to kick her out of the fucking house. She didn’t want to go, especially now that I’m pregnant. With everything that happened to us, she wanted to stay here and make sure that we’re okay.

There’s nothing here for her, I glance at Carter. Not sure of the whole story with them yet, but Tate’s life is away at college being young and free. Not scared at every turn she makes, which is what she’s done for almost two years. Not afraid anymore that her brothers are going to attack her.

Even though Armani is still out there, Asher has an idea of his location. I think he’s waiting till the baby gets here, until he finishes his nephew once and for all.

Armani needs to fucking die, but at a different time when everything calms down. When the loss we’ve all experienced isn’t so daunting anymore.

I smile as I watch Mac join the team. Even though morning sickness has been a bitch, we’ve been strategically working every day. Getting everything up to date and making sure Mac has what he needs so that he can run the Romano Empire, keeping the family name alive.

Mac will have to keep in correspondence with me at least several times a week, but I like it this way, so does Asher. My right-hand man is really excited to step up.

I do feel content and at peace as I rub the family crest on my thumb, it wouldn’t fit anywhere else. I’m finally ready to start living the life that we deserve, one day at a time.