His Revenge (Smoke & Mirrors Duet #1)

Epilogue

LEO

“There is more to me than my title and getting revenge. She is my new purpose and the work has truly begun.”

One Week Later

S taring into the mirror, I can see the fresh butterfly tattoo covering my neck, the splash of color popping against my dark memorial attire. Today is the day in which we memorialize my best friend. Only family in our community center. Rome’s estate was very explicit about what he wanted, and the least I could do was follow his wishes. We made a sizable donation to the center in his name and memory. After a minute I finally collect my emotions enough to leave the bathroom and find my wife.

When I enter the main room, she is at the door greeting everyone who comes in to make sure they feel welcome. I may be the proverbial king since my father died, but she is the queen that I bow to. In the short time that she and Rome got to know one another they bonded and she was able to work through parts of her trauma. It hurts so much more to know how much he had an impact with his life and now he won’t be here to see the effect that he has.

My wife is kind and compassionate, offering small smiles and help to each person as they come through, lifting the overall weight of the room. I find my way to her side and we finish greeting the guests together before grabbing food. Claire is here and sitting near his urn, staring at the pictures of our lost.

We all are missing pieces of who we could have been with him still here. Rome was always a jokester, and the man was not going to go down without a pun. The DJ was given a special setlist of his favorite songs that revolve around dying, death, heaven, and hell. Our instructed meals are variations of caesar salads, because he was not going to go out without at least one more romaine joke.

The rest of the service passes in a blur of sad stories and re-told jokes for hours until everyone goes home. I make sure that every person who is unfit to drive has a safe ride home before taking Ella and Claire back to our house.

From the moment we walk into the living space, Claire heads to what used to be my office, where I replaced the desk with a comfortable bed for my sister. Ella offered her reading room, but she has spent her whole life without a safe space designated for her and I would not take that from her unless it was the last resort. Potato hears us and comes pattering up to us. He has been settling into the space with lots of extra love and plenty of accessible litter boxes. Ella looks emotionally drained, but now that we are home I can curl up with her on the couch and just watch true crime and unwind.

“Beautiful, can you go change into comfortable clothes and then meet me on the couch to relax?” I ask, hoping she will take me up on the offer. My wife deserves every ounce of support I can provide to her, and we will start by hunting down the people who abused her under the care of her father as soon as the funerals are over.

“Sure, I'll be back in five,” She responds, walking back to our room. Seeing her be so at ease is the best thing to happen since the wedding. Claire comes out and walks up to the espresso machine in the kitchen. She starts to prepare hot chocolate using the frother to steam the milk when I walk up next to her.

“Sis, can I get you anything?” I ask, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the weight on her heart. Rome dying has brought up all of the memories of her mom and how she died. For obvious reasons, she didn’t want to be alone until the dust settled.

“Not today, Leo, but I think I need to follow what Rome said in his letters and spread my wings. This weekend, I will book my flight. I’m going to Seattle for a while,” She responds with a determined edge in her voice. Breathing out, I nod at her, agreeing to this since it is far enough away for us to settle things down here. If there is anyone left who deserves a break from this life, it is my sister. There are two people that she has loved with her whole heart, and even though neither of them told me, he was her Daffodil.