Rebellion of a Kingdom by G.N. Wright

Epilogue

ELLE

Two months later…

The funeral was perfect, or as perfect as death can be. It didn’t heal the hole in my heart, but it allowed me to say goodbye. Goodbye. I fucking hate that word. It’s just so lacking for what it entails, but would any word ever be enough to let go of the people you love? To accept the fact that you are never going to see them again, talk to them. To hear them laugh or pull them in for a hug. They're just gone forever, and you're left behind to deal with the loss.

I stare down at the freshly tossed soil and think about how close I came to being in a box of my own. Not that I could ever forget. The scars and the dull pain in my side don't let me. The ache in my heart is a constant reminder as well. You'd think I'd be used to this feeling of regret considering this is the fourth funeral I've attended in the last two weeks.

First there was Mason’s. Max pulled out all the stops to ensure he was given the sendoff he deserved. One worthy of his bravery, commitment, and sacrifice. His death will always remain on my conscience. His loss is felt by all of his friends, but they know we are lucky there weren’t more. Owen escaped the same fate and it’s the only salvation for Max and his team.

Connor O’Sullivan was thrown an all-out Crow affair as his chapter said goodbye to him. His daughter Rebecca right there by his graveside. All of them paying their respects to their late president. I guess he's the ex-president now. Aiden was voted in a few days after everything went down. I'm not sure how successful the transition was, I'm not exactly high on the list of the Crows’ favorite people. If it weren’t for me, Connor would still be alive.

Sarah King’s funeral was the least emotional. Zack attended with me, but not for her, for me. Her last act doesn’t change a lifetime of betrayal for him. It doesn’t change it for me either, but I needed to go, needed to let go of everything she did and say goodbye.

There’s that stupid fucking word again.

Today is the funeral I had been dreading the most. A death that will forever both stain my conscience and break my heart.

Marcus' fingers are entangled tightly with mine on the left as Lincoln takes up his spot on my right. Both of them silently offering me comfort as we listen to the priest talk about a life cut way too short. I don't listen to his words. Instead, I think of all the things I never got to say, the things we never got to do and the friendship I am going to miss out on. Like my own internal punishment for the part, I played in her death.

I stay long after the service is over and even after her parents leave. Just remaining there to bask in my grief. I stopped by their house this morning, like I do a lot these days and they were almost fully packed up. They are getting ready to say goodbye to this town and all that has happened here. I didn't lie to them about their daughter. They know exactly who wielded the weapon that killed her and know I'm the catalyst for it all. I didn't ask for their forgiveness. I don't deserve it, just like I didn't deserve a friend like Taylor Kennedy.

The FBI received a large number of anonymous files right after everything went down. It was a mix between what we got from Elizabeth Donovan, what we had gathered ourselves, and what the guys stole from the compound. All of it telling a damning and compelling tale about the men of the elite families of Black Hallows. The investigations are ongoing, and we've all been questioned multiple times. We spun our own web of lies to cover our backs and no one seems to be questioning it. I guess with the number of bodies found at the compound and the fact Carter Fitzgerald is still missing after clearing out his accounts, it’s easy to not look our way. They are hunting what they deem to be bigger fish than the South Side Rebels.

Max and his team are still monitoring the situation in case anything changes. They aren't in Black Hallows anymore as they’ve moved onto their next job, but we still talk all the time. A lot more than we did before. I know I will always be able to count on them for anything.

Zack has finally returned to work full time and has even been commuting back and forth between his small office here, and his main office in New York. Logan and Lily have both gone back to college and Arthur and Helen have been extra manic about them checking in every day. They’ve chosen to stay in Black Hallows with us for the time being, they want to enjoy their retirement and be close to me and Cassie.

When I woke up in a hospital bed, Marcus was at my side, his face grief stricken. I waited for him to deliver the news that Asher was dead. That I had lost my best friend and my daughter had lost her father. What I didn’t expect was for him to nod to my other side where Ash lay unconscious covered in tubes. The doctors described his survival as miraculous. That the bullet pierced into his chest cavity and lodged itself against his heart. It took a fourteen-hour surgery to ensure he survived.

He is still recovering, much to his distaste, but that hasn’t stopped him. He still managed to successfully disband Donovan Enterprises. With Zack having zero interest in being the Donovan heir, everything went to Ash. Well, everything that wasn't seized by the cops. Asher was interviewed relentlessly about his father and brother’s crimes until the police were satisfied, he wasn't involved.

We are both still struggling with what happened and decided the best way for us to grieve is to work through it. Neither of us aspires to go to college, wanting to ensure we can be around Cassie as much as possible. So instead, we have almost finished setting up a charitable organization that will help victims of sex crimes. The Kennedy Foundation will be a place girls and women can come and get the help they need.

Lincoln continues to work with Zack and will be helping run things at the office here in town whenever Zack is in New York. He has been intense since everything that happened that day and I can see it haunting him. I know he’s got a dark past of his own and I think everything he saw that day dredged some things back up for him. He’s been more closed off than before and I know Marcus is worried about him.

Jace spent a couple of weeks in the hospital thanks to the injuries he sustained in the crash and from Greg’s men. He’s no longer my light and playful Rebel. Rachel’s death tainted him, but Taylor’s death ruined him completely. He’s a shell of the Jace he was before, and I don’t know if anything can save him now.

Marcus’ arm curves around my waist as his hand finds the now healed wound in my side. Just another scar that speaks a thousand words. Every time I look at them, I won’t think about Greg, that night or that day. No, instead I will think about my family, my future. A future I still get to have when so many others don’t.

“Time to go, baby.” Marcus leans down kissing my neck as he speaks the words directly in my ear.

I sigh, “I know, I was just saying goodbye.” I feel his nod against my cheek.

I lean forward and place the white rose in my hand across the heaped ground. “See you soon.”

Marcus guides me to the back of the black town car, and we head off. We are all going for a late lunch, choosing to skip the wake. We head to Big P’s diner to catch up with everyone else. Asher left to go pick Cassie up and Lincoln disappeared too.

Marcus and I are the first to arrive so grab a booth as Pam starts to fuss over us. We have become regulars here lately, bringing Cassie at least twice a week. She loves it and Pam adores her, like I knew she would. The freedom I now have to be able to take my daughter anywhere I want and not have to look over my shoulder, it’s indescribable. We can now live the life she deserves, the life I deserve.

“Usual?” Pam asks and I smile.

“Of course.” She nods, shouting off our orders and making her way to the kitchen.

“Did you see Jace?” I ask, “he wasn’t at the funeral.”

Marcus sighs, “he was there, he sat in the back and left before the end. I saw him going to the graveside as we left. He just needs time, we all do.”

The bell rings and the sight that greets me takes my breath away. Asher Donovan steps inside with our daughter in his arms. He knows he should still be taking it easy, but nothing stops him from carrying Cassie wherever she wants to go. The ache I feel whenever I look at them never goes away. I came close to losing both of them and I won’t ever forget that feeling.

“Mommy!” She squeals when she spots us, and Asher puts her down so she can rush across the diner towards us. Marcus scoops her up before she gets to me, tickling her sides, “no, River. No tickles!” She cries with laughter, before he drops her next to me.

I pull her into my lap and snuggle her close and Ash slides into the round booth beside Marcus.

“How’s my Hell’s Bells?” He asks with that dark smile of his and I see Marcus smile with him.

“Better now you two are here.” The anxiety that fills me when I’m not around them is something I struggle with every day, but they all help me with it.

He shrugs in such an unlike Asher move, and responds, “because I’m your favorite obviously.”

“Always.” I beam at him.

We order for the two of them and then just talk back and forth and let Cassie tell us all about the party she wants for her upcoming birthday.

Halfway through eating the bell dings again and Cassie yells out across the diner. “Superman!”

He stalks toward us and gives her a big smile, “princess.” He beams at her and then nods hello to the guys before looking at me, “we need to talk.”

No good ever comes from hearing those four words. I force the swallow of my burger down my throat and wipe my mouth with my napkin. Ash nods that he’s got Cassie and I follow Lincoln to the corner of the diner. He hands me a file and when I open it there is a picture of a little girl. Her name is Sofia Decker and she’s seven years old.

“Should I know who this is?” I ask, my stomach curdling in anticipation and terror, wondering where he is going with handing me a file of a beautiful little girl.

“That is the adopted daughter of Gerry and Ava Decker.” He confirms. I frown in confusion and when I don’t say anything, he adds, “turn to page seven.”

I flip the pages and scan the words until I am a third of the way down and right where the birth parents are listed, I see a familiar name. Trisha Conrad.

"Jace's Mom?" I ask to pointlessly confirm, because he wouldn't be bringing it to me for any other reason. "Jace has a little sister." I whisper to myself in both despair and hope. Jace has a little sister. A sister he knows nothing about. A sister who looks well and cared for. This could change everything, change him. Bring him back from the path of destruction he's now on. This could be exactly what we need to save him.

I close the file and sigh, because as much as this could help him, I know he's not ready for it. At least, not right now. I look at Lincoln and I can tell he feels the same. He sees the way Jace is, barely sleeping, never eating, drinking, smoking, and taking God knows what. He's in a bad place and we need to handle this carefully.

"Get me everything on them…" I start, but he smiles, and I shake my head knowing he will have already done that, so I change course. "I want to meet with them, explain the situation and prepare them for what has to happen."

Lincoln’s nodding before I even finish speaking, "I'll reach out to the dad, he works for a charity for foster children born to drug addicted parents." He explains and all it does is remind me of Jace’s shitty past, and think how lucky his little sister is to have escaped it.

I feel eyes on us as he talks and when I look up, I find Asher staring at us. No. not at us, at Lincoln. Watching him like he is analyzing him. I flick my gaze back to Lincoln, but he must have followed my stare because now he’s staring back at Asher.

Breaking into the tension I speak, "Keep me updated." I flick the file back open and stare down at the picture of the little girl again. Now I know who she is, I can see the resemblance. She’s got his hazel eyes and her blonde hair is the same shade as his. I hope she can be reason enough to save him. I hand the file back to Linc and we walk back over to the table. We all finish our dinner listening to Cassie tell us about some ridiculous dinosaur game she played with Logan and we can't help but laugh.

Once we are finished eating, I have one more thing I want to do today, and I look at Cassie. "Baby, daddy is going to take you home okay. I've got to go somewhere."

She smiles easily, all that darkness from before Christmas forgotten. "Okay mommy." I lean down and give her a kiss and a cuddle before Ash scoops her up into his arms.

"Catch you at home, Hells Bells." He says to me, then nods to Marcus and then awkwardly lingers on Lincoln before just turning and walking away. Weird.

Lincoln watches them leave, then nods at us, taps the file in his hand, and goes on his way.

"And where may I ask, are we going?" Marcus flips me round and leans down to drop a kiss to my lips.

I smile into it before pulling back, "It's a surprise."

I slide in the back seat having already given my destination to the driver. Marcus slips in next to me and we go on our way. Marcus is silent until we make it to the road leading up North Hill.

"Ells, where are we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise."

I don't say anything else until we pull into the gates of Marcus' old house. His grip on my hand tightens and we move down the driveway until we are stopping in front of the steps.

I turn to him and squeeze his hand back. "Just don't say anything yet, okay?"

He looks between the house and me before nodding. I take a deep breath and step out of the car and he follows close behind. I lead him up the steps and quickly type the code into the security pad that Max had one of his guys set up, and the doors beep open. We step inside and I lead him into the middle of the foyer, so we can see into the rooms that surround it.

I've spent the last three months having the whole place restored and renovated, and I did it for him.

I turn so I can stand in front of him, but I can't decipher the look in his eyes, so I take another deep breath.

"I know you might not want to live here, after what happened to Michael, but that is just one memory. This place is filled with a million other good memories and someone deserves to make some more here." He looks over the entire place in silence, and I can feel the pangs of regret starting to circle inside of me. "This house was always more of a home to me and well, I just thought… I just wanted to give it the chance to create new memories. Even if they aren't ours."

He finally brings his eyes to mine and I see unshed tears dancing behind them. "Ells," he breathes out, "baby I don't know what to say. It looks beautiful. I never imagined… I never even thought." He shakes his head. "I love it. Thank you."

He cups my cheeks and uses his hands to tip my head so he can kiss me. The kiss is everything it always is. Passionate, heart fulfilling and completely and utterly soul destroying.

When he pulls back, he gives me that heartbreaking smile of his and my stomach rolls, like always, at the fact that he's mine. "That's not all." I manage to whisper out.

I take his hand and lead him through the house to the garage and once there I switch on the light. Standing in the center of the room is a black bike. An exact replica to the one he lost in the fire.

"No way!" He barrels past me like a kid at Christmas to inspect his gift. He walks round it smiling big, stopping to touch it and check out the things in it, before he steps back and looks at me, shaking his head.

I laugh a little and walk towards him and he pulls me in as soon as I get close.

"Just had to try and steal my thunder, didn't you, little King?" He whispers against my lips.

I laugh, as he pulls back and then he's dropping to his knee. I almost choke on my breath as he stares up at me.

“Ells, I knew the moment I first laid eyes on you that my life would never be the same." My eyes widen as he pulls out a small black box, opening it up to reveal a beautiful platinum band with six little diamonds in it. "I instantly felt this fierce protectiveness over you, I didn't know it then, at five years old, but I had met the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Now we have been through a lot,” he huffs out a laugh, “more than most people, and I know we are only eighteen, but that doesn't matter. I know you're mine and I'm yours. So, marry me, baby, today, tomorrow, next fucking year, I don’t care as long as we are together. I dare you."

The tears pour down my cheeks as I choke out my words "Yes, River, of course I'll marry you." I reach out my hand so he can slide the ring onto my finger, and it fits perfectly. "I’ve always been yours, Marcus, so what's forever?"

He smiles, curling my little finger with his. “pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." I whisper back.

He kisses me breathless until my heart pounds against my chest, begging for this to never be over.

He pulls back, smiling at me mischievously and I can't help but ask. Now what?"

He licks his lip. "Now, little King, I'm going to fuck you on this bike."

THE END.