Page 69 of KAI Tortured

Kai joins us again, too. “Congratulations.”

“Before I forget, let me print out an image of the ultrasound before we leave.” Logan hurries back to the machine and presses a few buttons, and an image comes out of the printer. He passes it to Maisy.

Maisy, still looking dazed, stares at the image for a while. Her eyes fill with a new sense of purpose and joy.

“Two babies.” She sighs. “Twins. Like Rosey and me.”

CHAPTER 19

MAISY

It’s a sunny afternoon, and I’ve managed to get away from everyone for a couple of hours. I’m sitting on the wooden bench, tucked away cozily in a secluded corner of the garden.

I love this spot. My boys couldn’t have chosen a better place for the bench.

I look around and see Emilio’s car in the distance. He’s the one who gave me a ride, in secret. Although I don’t need to be particularly smart to know that he’s in fact updating the others on every step I take. Which I get, given my condition. Meh. I like that, in a way. They’ve become stupidly protective ever since we learned I’ve been carrying their twins.

A beautiful butterfly flutters in front of me. I focus on the near distance, and its beauty sharpens in front of my eyes. I lift my hand, offering it a place to land. And astonishingly, it does. I gape at it in surprise, and dare not move. This is it. The wish I longed for so long to come true. I read something a long time ago, when I was a teenager: if a butterfly lands on you, it will represent rebirth, and renewal. A reminder that life is full of cycles and that you have the power to start afresh and embrace new beginnings. Just as the butterfly emerges from its cocoon, you too have the opportunity toleave behind old patternsand beliefs and embrace a new chapter in life.

This is what I wanted most of my life. Once I read that, I desperately tried to make it happen, until life took over. But look at this beauty now, telling me I’m ready to embrace the next chapter. I chuckle. Why did I need a butterfly to tell me that? I’ve been holding on for a speck of hope, giving in to superstitions, hoping life will magically get better. Only when I took things into my own hands did my life start to unravel. And it has unraveled for the worst at every step of the way, until now.

I pat my stomach gently and look around at the plot of land on which Milan’s house stood, what was once the Slav headquarters. All this is now mine.

At first, I didn’t know how to feel about it. This was a place where great atrocities were committed; people were tortured, raped, and killed here. My stomach churns when I think about what went on. Maybe even my father had a role in it. In fact, I’m sure he did. But as Rosey’s next of kin, all this belongs to me now.

Orion paid someone to knock down everything that was still standing and clear the whole plot of any debris. Once they did that, the land was turned into a beautiful green lawn filled with wildflowers. That’s when they put the bench in.

The back of the garden backs onto a park, and even though it’s a great location, I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with it. But it sure is nice having something to my name.

The butterfly flutters away from me and after a short detour, it lands on the square memorial stone in front of me. I gaze at the stone, letting the memories flood back, feeling the weight of them in my heart. It’s such a simple stone, with a clear inscription at the top: R.T. Underneath, my boys added more words, now sharply cut into the stone: Rest in peace now. Your three wolves are looking after you.

Here lies the remains of my boys’ mother, and my twins’ grandmother, Rebecca Trellis. I pat my stomach again as I think of the woman in that basement, and of her strength, her courage to try to amend her wrongs. She dedicated her entire life to vengeance, and yet love set her free.

Here I am, on land that I own, with babies in my womb, and three men who adore me. This never seemed possible in my world before.

From having no one for years, and living the life of an orphan, to having the biggest family anyone could ever wish for.

Orion, Logan, Kai, my twins, Maxim, Luca, Damien, and Mila. Lisa and Mia, too. From one to eleven family members in the course of a year.

That’s all I wanted. A family.

I smile and look up at the cloudless sky. “Thank you, Rebecca. I got your wolves together. I hope you can see them. I’m also keeping them, if you don’t mind. Someone’s gotta look after them.” I chuckle. “And please, please look after my babies. No matter what. They are the most important little humans in this world to me.”

I feel her; I feel her presence. She’s watching us, helping us.

I hope she won’t mind us moving her remains when the time comes. Orion, Logan, and Kai couldn’t decide which house we would live in, only because so much space is necessary for everyone, so now they’re building a new house for all of us. One with a backyard. That’s where we’ll take Rebecca. To be with her family, every day.

To remind us that love always wins.

And vengeance eats you alive.

EPILOGUE

This was my first time watching Kai box. And I made an effort. I wore red and red only. Heels, halter neck minidress – on the tight side – panties, the whole nine yards. I wanted him to see me, to be proud of me. To win for me. Orion said the win was guaranteed, not because of anything illegal, but because this was the final and Kai knows what he’s doing.

So maybe I shouldn’t have come. I ruined the match for him. Actually, he ruined it himself, although in their world, I know there’s a way around it. He is, after all, a mafia head. Everyone fears him. Everyone, except some young, inexperienced, and uninformed young man who, for the fun of it, wants to hit on the mother of Kai’s children. Me.

I didn’t want to come. Orion and Logan persuaded me. They insisted I leave my beautiful girls, Ava and Grace, with our babysitter and go out with them.

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