Ashes

by Aleatha Romig

  Patrick scoffed. “Follow me.”

  The next room contained regular bedroom furnishings with a queen-sized bed. It also appeared unused.

  “Why do you have so much space for one person?”

  “Sparrow had this floor divided evenly for the three of us. All of our floor plans are similar, the furnishings vary. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Lorna, I’d have empty rooms. The truth is she probably got bored, especially before Araneae and Laurel moved in. Letting her decorate filled my empty rooms without thought or effort on my part.”

  “Maybe it was more than that. Maybe she cares and didn’t want you to live in an empty apartment.”

  “I was happy to let her do what she wanted,” he said as he opened the door to a hall bath. For a moment, he turned, taking in the surroundings. “I guess it’s been my home base but never my home.” His blue eyes met mine. “I hope it will be now.”

  I knew what he meant. My apartment at Andros’s home was where I resided. After tournaments, I felt a sense of relief at my return, and yet it wasn’t a home, not in the Hallmark sense of the word.

  Next, Patrick opened another door to a second spare bedroom and then one to an exercise room.

  “Oh, I like this equipment.”

  A glint came to his blue eyes. “I have other places and ways to get you hot and sweaty, but by all means, you’re welcome to help yourself.”

  The last door opened to the master bedroom.

  “This wouldn’t be the place you were talking about?”

  “This is the one.”

  Masculine colors dominated the bedroom with varying tones of brown. The king-sized bed appeared larger than normal—a California king. A fireplace was within one wall near the windows, creating a comfortable setting with a small gathering of overstuffed chairs and ottomans. The windows were more of the floor-to-ceiling variety, showcasing the darkening sky.

  It wasn’t the furnishings or even scattered clothes—because the room was immaculate—that made this feel like Patrick’s personal space. As I stood within this room, it was the scents: fresh bodywash and clean yet fragrant cologne. Closing my eyes, I inhaled those aromas that reminded me of the man at my side.

  I stepped into the attached large bath. Not even a towel was out of place. “Does Lorna clean up after you too?”

  Patrick came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as we both stood before the large mirror over a double vanity. We were a dichotomy, dark hair and light blond, petite and broad, green eyes and blue. And yet with him, in his arms I was home in any sense of the word. A hole in the wall or a million-dollar apartment—the location didn’t matter. The man behind me did.

  Relishing the scents and sounds, I leaned the back of my head against his chest.

  “I clean up after myself,” he said, his chest vibrating behind me as he spoke. “I’ve never been one for mess, and what I didn’t know when we were married, the army taught me.” He lowered his chin to the top of my head. “In full honesty mode, I keep things neat. Lorna comes once a week and cleans.”

  I spun in his arms, no longer looking into our reflections but up into his blue orbs. “Is this real? Do you want me here in your home?”

  “I’ve never wanted anything more.”

  He tugged my hips closer as his fingers splayed over my behind.

  “It seems like a dream.” I allowed my smile to grow. “So which room is mine and which is Ruby’s?”

  “Sorry, Maddie girl, that’s one stipulation. You don’t get your own room.”

  I feigned a frown. “What? I’ve always had my own room, well, mostly. There was a time after Ruby was born...” I let my words trail away.

  “Too bad,” he smirked. “Not anymore. From now on, you’ll have to deal with a roommate. More than that, a bedmate. The good news is that I’m not messy. The bad news, I may snore.”

  “And what will be required of me to maintain my roommate status?”

  “Be you.” Taking my hand, he tugged me back into the bedroom. Beyond the windows, heavy clouds settled on the horizon, washed in shades of red with the setting sun. It was winter in Chicago and while the solstice was last month, the daylight hours were still short.

  “And while right now,” Patrick said, “I’d love to christen the bed, we have one more pressing matter. I promised our daughter that when I returned, I’d have you with me.”

  My eyes opened wide. “Please go get her.”

  Patrick’s lips came to mine in a soft and reassuring kiss. “Ruby first,” he said. “And later, we have seventeen years’ worth of time to make up for. I plan to make love to you until we can’t stay awake any longer, sleep with you in my arms, and when we wake, begin again.”

  “I can’t believe you still want me…here…with you,” I said honestly.

  Before Patrick could respond, a knock came from the living room.

  Patrick

  “Visitors?” Madeline asked.

  “One thing about our living arrangements, there aren’t many options.”

  Together we walked back into the living room. A step ahead of her, I opened the door to arguably the most beautiful sixteen-year-old I’d ever met. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked up.

  “Hey, you,” she said with a grin.

  “That’s me.” I opened the door wider, seeing Araneae a step behind her.

  “I heard a rumor…” Ruby began until she saw her mother. “Mom.”

  Madeline came up behind me and pulled Ruby into her arms. “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  “Mom,” Ruby’s muffled voice came from Madeline’s shoulder.

  My gaze met Araneae’s over the embracing women between us. “Thank you.”

  Madeline looked up as if she hadn’t noticed anyone else was present.

  “I talked to Sterling,” Araneae said to all three of us. “Once your reunion is complete—say, in an hour or so—we’d be honored to have you all upstairs for dinner. Everyone will be there.”

  “You talked to him?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  Madeline released Ruby and stepped beside me. “Mrs. Sparrow?”

  “Yes,” I interjected. “I’m sorry. Araneae Sparrow, this is my wife and Ruby’s mother, Madeline Kelly.” I beamed down at Madeline. “I do like saying that.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sparrow,” Madeline said, offering her hand.

  Araneae’s brown eyes shone. Bypassing Madeline’s hand, she wrapped Madeline’s shoulders in a hug before stepping back. “I’m so happy to meet you. Please call me Araneae. Mrs. Kelly, your daughter is a joy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around anyone her age.”

  “Please call me Madeline, and thank you for looking after her.”

  “Anytime.” Araneae spoke to Ruby, “Your room upstairs is always available. Of course, it’s up to your mom and…” She grinned at me. “...Patrick. But if they approve, I find it nice to have a place to get away sometimes.”

  “I didn’t think your husband was…open for visitors,” Madeline said.

  Araneae’s nose wrinkled. “My husband, like yours, is a busy man. They multitask so much that sometimes they don’t know what they want. Take Ruby, for instance. We’ve both enjoyed her company.” Her brown eyes focused on Ruby. “Please know I meant what I said about the room upstairs.”

  “Mom, you should see it,” Ruby said. “Have you looked out the windows? We’re so high that sometimes we’re in the clouds.”

  Madeline and I turned toward the living room windows, now dark with the early nightfall.

  “I really haven’t had the chance,” Madeline responded.

  Ruby tugged Madeline toward the sofa. As she did, I noticed a change in our daughter’s expression. “Do you know what happened?” she asked.

  Madeline’s gaze found mine as if to say, where to begin?

  “Tell me,” she prompted.

  “Oleg.” Tears came to Ruby’s eyes. “Mom, I saw him die.”

  Araneae’s hand landed on my arm. �
�I’m so glad she has her mother,” she whispered.

  “Me too.”

  Madeline reached for Ruby’s hands. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”

  “It was Mr. Hillman,” Ruby said. “He was acting so weird, saying things about Andros that didn’t make sense. I was scared and then…” She looked across the room. “Patrick and his men saved me. There was shooting.”

  “Shooting?” Both Araneae and Madeline said at the same time.

  I feigned a smile. “Granted, I can think of better ways to introduce myself to my daughter. But that was before. We’re all here now.”

  “We are,” Ruby said. She looked back to her mother. “But I’m still confused. What’s going on? Am I going back to school, and are we going back to Andros?”

  Madeline shook her head as I fought the urge to answer, to tell her no, that she’d never go back to Ivanov.

  “Honey,” Madeline said, her tone reassuring, “there’s a lot happening. Right now, the safest place—”

  “Is here,” Araneae interrupted.

  My gaze went from Madeline and Ruby to Araneae. Sparrow’s wife grinned and nodded her head toward the entryway. Taking a step through the doorway, she and I moved near the sofas in the entry by the elevator.

  “Thank you for everything,” I said.

  “She really is amazing. And…” Araneae’s smile grew. “…you have to be the best secret keeper ever. Married for seventeen years? You’d think at one point that may have come up in conversation. Are you two…” She shrugged. “…good? What happened? This is like some movie or crazy-plotted book.”

  “Madeline was the best thing to happen to me. I thought she’d died, and as you know, I didn’t know about Ruby. Are she and I good?” My mind went to the woman I loved. “I hope so. We have a lot of time to make up and obstacles to overcome, but I believe we both want what we were denied. Thank you for keeping an eye on Ruby while I was away.”

  “Patrick, she’s not a kid. And yet she is. At sixteen, I lost the woman I thought was my mom and was sent out into the world. Ruby is lucky to have Madeline. I don’t know your wife’s story, but from what Sterling has said, she has devoted herself to Ruby.”

  I nodded. “That she has.”

  “That makes her a great mother. I mean, I’ll always be grateful to the woman who raised me, now that I know the truth.”

  Would Madeline ever want to tell Ruby the truth?

  When I didn’t respond, Araneae went on, “Well, I should get upstairs and help Lorna. Can we plan on having your family for dinner?”

  “You’re positive Sparrow knows?”

  “I’m positive that your wife is welcome in my home.”

  I inhaled. “Is that the same thing?”

  “Are you questioning me?”

  A smile curled my lips. “I’m not, I’m clarifying. At no point during this decision was it influenced by a call or discussion initiated by me.”

  Her brown eyes shone and her grin grew. “No, this wasn’t you. It’s me. I’m making the call. If I learned anything moving in here, it’s that it can be lonely and scary until…”

  “Until?”

  “Until you learn that we aren’t a bunch of strangers—we’re a family. No one, not Madeline or Ruby, will ever feel unwelcome in my home.”

  “I think I referred to us as misfits.”

  Araneae nodded. “You did. I heard you and you’re right. We all have our own stories. One day, if Madeline is willing to share, her friends and family will listen.”

  “You know,” I said, thinking back to a warehouse on a hot Chicago night, “I’m glad I helped.”

  Araneae’s head tilted. “Make Ruby?”

  “Yes, but not that. I’m glad I played a part in ambushing you a couple years ago. You’re the best thing to happen to Sparrow.”

  “I know I am,” she said with a wink. “It goes both ways. Now, go get reacquainted with your better half and acquainted with your daughter. Then, come upstairs in an hour or so.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Sparrow.”

  Araneae squeezed my arm before she walked toward the elevators.

  Pushing open the door, I stood for a moment, staring at the two women on the sofa. Though their voices were low, I could hear what they were saying to one another, yet I wasn’t listening. My attention was on the way they leaned into one another, touching without hesitation, and the way their eyes were focused on the other’s. Observation was my forte and what I saw between Madeline and Ruby was an unmistakable connection—a bond that doesn’t come with blood but with time and commitment.

  How difficult was that to form in the Ivanov bratva?

  I didn’t know, but I knew that despite the obstacles, Madeline had done it.

  Madeline turned my way, her green eyes meeting mine as a smile came to her face. Lifting her hand, she wordlessly bid me closer. Tears glistened in her eyes as our hands connected. For the first time ever, she had her daughter and husband both within her grasp.

  I cleared my throat as emotions I rarely entertained bubbled within me. Due to people and circumstances out of our control, this moment was occurring nearly seventeen years too late.

  There should have been a hospital room and a baby. That reality of lost time could sour this moment, but I wouldn’t allow it. There was no reason to concentrate on what we’d missed. That would give those who had wronged Madeline and me too much credit. No, looking into the eyes of these two amazing women, my mind was on our future.

  A tear trickled down Madeline’s cheek as she turned to our daughter. “I’m sorry, Ruby, that I never told you about Patrick.”

  Ruby’s blue eyes came to mine. “You did. You told me he was a good man and you loved him.”

  My smile widened. “The love part is real. Never doubt that you were conceived in love.”

  Ruby’s nose wrinkled. “Too much information.”

  I lowered myself on my haunches. “I’m a little out of my element here. I know it will take time, but I hope one day the three of us can consider ourselves a family.”

  Madeline nodded. “I can’t believe this is real.”

  “I can stay here with you two,” I said, “or disappear for a bit to 2. It’s a floor below, where we do what we do.”

  Madeline looked from me to Ruby and back. “Maybe it would be best if you could give us some time?”

  “Time is the one thing we have in abundance. Going forward, we have all the time.”

  “Are we staying here?” Ruby asked. “In Chicago?”

  “I hope so,” I replied. Standing straighter, I added, “And not to be that man, but for safety purposes, the elevator doesn’t work. Currently, neither of you have the ability, but by the sound of Araneae, I believe Ruby’s status will soon change.”

  “Do you think it is all right for me to join them tonight for dinner?” Madeline asked. “Mr. Sparrow said—”

  “The queen has spoken,” I interrupted, recalling my talk with Araneae.

  Madeline’s forehead wrinkled. “How will the king feel about it?”

  “If he has an issue, the two of them will work it out,” I said. “The invitation stands. Besides, I want to introduce you to Lorna and Laurel.”

  “They’re nice,” Ruby said. “It’s really weird here.”

  “It is?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “Not a bad weird. It’s real. They make you feel welcome. It’s not like at home—I mean there’re no servants. Everyone works together. It’s like a TV family or something.”

  “No,” I said. “We’re real. I’ll be back in about an hour to go upstairs.”

  As I stepped out into the entry, I couldn’t stop my smile. A dream I never thought possible was happening.

  Taking the elevator, I rode to 2. Scanning my hand, the steel door opened to three sets of eyes. As they turned my way, my smile dimmed. “What’s happening?”

  “Men on the ground in Detroit have some new information,” Mason said.

  Madeline

  “Are you sure?”
I asked Ruby as she, Patrick, and I stood near the elevator in the Sparrows’ penthouse.

  “For tonight,” Ruby replied. “Araneae wants to watch a movie and besides, it will give you and…” She looked up at Patrick and lifted her hands in a sign of surrender. “For the record, I want no information, but seriously, I think it’s not terrible that you two found each other again. And, Mom, you seem relaxed with him. I like it. Having me with you will cramp your style.”

  “Never,” Patrick said. “Maybe I can be in on the next movie.”

  Patrick summoned the elevator with his palm.

  “Okay,” I said, kissing my daughter’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. You’ll have to come to me.”

  “See you tomorrow,” Ruby said with a wave.

  Together, Patrick and I stepped into the elevator.

  “Seeing the two of you together,” he said, “is like watching two versions of you at the same time.”

  “She’s so much more confident than I was at her age. She’s lived more.”

  As the doors closed, he wrapped his arm around my back and tugged me to his side. “You’d done a lot of living by her age. I’m glad hers wasn’t on the streets. You’ve given her what you couldn’t have.”

  I looked up as the elevator began to descend. “I didn’t know if I should say anything, but Andros and Marion made it sound like Allister was responsible for the car crash that took my parents.”

  Patrick’s body tensed.

  “I don’t know,” I went on. “They said men like him don’t want bastard children running around. I was supposed to be in the car. They even hunted me, but I changed foster homes too much.”

  The doors opened and we both stepped into the entryway to the apartments.

  “There’s nothing I wouldn’t put past Allister Sparrow. I’d say killing a child—his child—is low even for him, but I can’t. He also ran trafficking like McFadden. Together they provided the city of Chicago with any sick, perverted fantasy.”

  My father?

  “I can’t say that Allister wouldn’t do that.” Patrick reached for my shoulders. “I can say that Sparrow, Sterling, the man upstairs wouldn’t and hasn’t. It was the first thing he stopped when he took over from his father.”