Ashes

by Aleatha Romig

  “Armed…?” Ruby sucked in a breath. “Andros is dead too?”

  “He is.” Unexpectedly, tears came to my eyes. “We’re safe now. When we get back to Chicago, we can talk about your school.”

  “Andros died saving us?”

  That wasn’t completely accurate. “Ruby, he chose to eliminate Mr. Elliott for you. Andros was many things, both bad and good, but you were the one good thing he couldn’t turn bad. You were a light that I don’t think he realized….” I sucked in a ragged breath as fresh tears streamed down my cheeks. “…realized he loved until we were gone.”

  “You loved him?”

  I knew she couldn’t see me, yet I shook my head. “Not the way two people are supposed to love one another, not like—”

  “Patrick?”

  “Yes, but it’s okay if you loved him.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I think I do—did.”

  My lips curled upward. “That’s a good way to remember him.”

  “When are you coming home?”

  Home.

  The word made me smile.

  “I hope in the morning.”

  As I spoke, the door to the bedroom opened and Patrick’s handsome face appeared. “Ruby, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  Sighing, I hung up the phone and laid it on the bed. “I wanted her to hear it from me.”

  Patrick nodded. “I am so fucking sick of being the bearer of bad news.”

  “What?” I stood. “Is it Sterling or Mason?”

  “No, they’re here. Come on out.”

  Standing, I slowly moved toward the door, the sense of doom growing with each step. Beyond the doorway were all three men, their expressions solemn as they all looked my direction. “What more is happening?”

  “It didn’t happen,” Sterling said. “And only the managers at Boston Club know or saw, but fuck, if Elliott wasn’t dead, I’d take the sick asshole out myself.”

  My stomach twisted as Sterling handed a sheet of paper my direction.

  “You were right,” Patrick said, “about Elliott choosing this tournament for an alternative reason.”

  With trembling hands, I reached for the page. The top was blank, I turned it over.

  It was a draft of a flyer advertising the entertainment following tonight’s tournament.

  * * *

  MADELINE ELLIOTT AS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN HER.

  * * *

  The photo was of another woman with long dark hair, facing away. Behind her nude form, her wrists were bound with a red ribbon.

  “This wasn’t circulated?” I asked.

  Sterling shook his head. “I was only told because of what happened tonight. Apparently, after Elliott’s news conference about your mental instability, Boston Club decided to nix Elliott’s offer for his wife’s exhibition. They were concerned you weren’t competent to legally comply.”

  My head shook. “Well, look at Boston Club, one of the oldest gentlemen’s clubs in our nation, having a more ethical standard than a former senator.”

  “The climate is changing,” Patrick said. “Madeline Kelly, they’re gone. You’re safe.”

  “I am, but what about so many others?”

  Sterling shrugged. “That’s what the Sparrow Institute is about.”

  I nodded. “Maybe one day I can face the world as I’m facing you three—with nothing but the truth.”

  Patrick pulled me to his side. “One day…the future is open. Let’s go home.”

  “Now? I figured we’d be staying overnight.”

  “Fuck no,” Sterling said. “The sooner I tell Araneae the lockdown is over, the sooner she starts talking to me again.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

  Mason laughed. “Don’t be sorry, Madeline. You’ll pick up on it soon enough. Sparrow and his wife live for disagreements.”

  “No, asshole,” Sterling said, “it’s the making-up part.”

  I turned to Patrick. “Does that mean we’re going home?”

  My husband reached for my hand. “Yes, Maddie girl, home.”

  Madeline

  Six months later

  Patrick squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “It’s a little late to turn back now.”

  His face tilted as concern shone in his eyes. “Araneae would understand.”

  “I know,” I replied with a smile. “I will probably be a blubbering mess by the time I’m done, but I want to do this. There aren’t many in this room…” I looked out from behind the stage-left curtain to the room of chairs, filled mostly with survivors and friends and family who had somehow had the good luck of coming into contact with the Sparrow Institute. “…who I haven’t spoken to individually.

  “Ruby was my biggest fear, and now she knows everything and is here too, sitting out there with Sterling, Araneae and her parents—all three of them, the others, and Mrs. Sparrow.” I smiled. “The woman hates me.”

  “It’s okay. She hates all of us. She’s only here because Sparrow made her attend.”

  “At least she’s civil to Ruby.”

  Patrick peered beyond the curtain. “I don’t think Sparrow has given her a choice in that matter either.”

  There she was, our daughter, now Ruby Cynthia Kelly. The court had made it official, granting Patrick paternity. Her beautiful blue eyes and smile glistened as she sat among her family, supporting her mother. She had always been my lifeline.

  I turned and looked up to Patrick. “I’m alive today because of you.” When he started to protest, I lifted my finger to his lips. “We made Ruby, and she’s a part of both of us. I don’t know if I would have made it if I didn’t have that part of you—her—to fight for.”

  “You’re here because you’re strong. I’ll be right here as you share.”

  We both watched as Araneae nodded and reached over to her husband. A few moments later, Sterling stepped up the stairs to the stage of the auditorium within the institute. With a glance our way, he stepped to the microphone.

  “Good evening. You may not know me. I’m Sterling Sparrow, the proud husband of the Sparrow Institute’s founder, my wife, Araneae Sparrow.”

  Applause.

  “While we wouldn’t be here tonight if it wasn’t for my wife’s dedication, our reason for this evening’s gathering is for someone else.” He turned our direction with a smile. The audience couldn’t see us, but Sterling could. He looked back out at the crowd. “Tonight, we’re here for a kind and compassionate woman I have recently had the pleasure of getting to know. If it wasn’t for her generous donation, this auditorium, dedicated and named Cynthia Doe Auditorium, would still be under construction.”

  Applause.

  “Many of you know her story and some of what she will share this evening. For others, it will be new and shocking. And for some, it will be hauntingly familiar. While it’s easy to get lost in the hows and whys, the message she will share is one of hope, hope for a future that can only occur if more people like Madeline come forward, tearing back the veil of secrecy and exposing a world the Sparrow Institute hopes to one day bring into the light. Because only by revealing it, can it one day be eradicated.” He turned our way again, this time lifting his hand.

  With a kiss from Patrick, I stepped onto the stage.

  Applause.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, my sister, Madeline Kelly.”

  More applause, led by Sterling.

  My fingers blanched on the podium as I looked out over the crowd and the applause stilled. I lowered the microphone to my lips. “Good evening. Let me start with the name of this auditorium within the Sparrow Institute. While my journey began alone, I soon found myself surrounded by others. Forced sexual slavery is a scary place that can only be made better when you find a friend. My friend’s name was Cynthia. I don’t know or remember her last name or if we’d even shared last names. I wish I did. Therefore, we needed a last name. We here at the institute decided on
Doe for the hundreds of thousands of Jane Does lost forever in a world they never dreamt existed, a world where nightmares never end…”

  Epilogue

  Patrick

  Spring of the following year

  “You know this isn’t necessary,” I said to my friends as we all stood within the confines of the home office in Madeline’s oceanside resort.

  It wasn’t truly a resort. It was Andros’s retreat on Padre Island.

  During the negotiations with Sasha Bykov, Sparrow agreed to help him retain the bratva and regain control of Detroit. Sometime during those discussions, the retreat became a subject. I wasn’t privy to the conversation, but the end result was that the retreat was officially signed over to Madeline with provisions that it would not be sold but would eventually be transferred to Ruby.

  A $5.8 million-dollar gated and reinforced retreat was quite a gift to a now-seventeen-year-old, but luckily, she had parents who would maintain it for her until she was older—much older.

  The first order of business was a complete remodel. Madeline didn’t want the retreat to conjure memories of Oleg’s death but to be a place to relax and rejuvenate. The project gave Madeline an outlet as she worked with counselors and our friends to regain what had been lost or stolen.

  “Just shut the fuck up,” Sparrow said, “and do this for Ruby.

  “I’m not saying I won’t do it.” Looking down, I adjusted the flower pinned to my linen shirt. “But why can’t I wear a suit? It’s a vow renewal, not a barbeque.”

  All four of us were wearing what Ruby called formal beachwear—loafers, shorts, and linen shirts. They were quite possibly the only pair of non-nylon shorts I owned. And judging by the whiteness of Sparrow’s and my legs, he could say the same. For obvious reasons, Mason and Reid’s appearances fared better.

  “Ruby is calling it a wedding, not a vow renewal,” Reid said. “She said your first one counts, but it wasn’t a wedding, just a signature at the justice of the peace.”

  Walking to the highboy, I poured myself two fingers of bourbon. As I lifted the amber liquid to my lips, I stilled and looked at Mason. “Fuck, tell me you didn’t forget the ring.”

  “I didn’t forget it.”

  The liquid burned as it slid down my throat.

  A few minutes later, the four of us were standing on the secluded beach with an officiant as music began to play. The cement stairs that wound down to the sand from the infinity pool above were dotted with rose petals leading to where we stood.

  There were no guests, only our family, both those by blood and those by devotion.

  Laurel was the first to appear—with a smile on her face—wearing a white sundress and carrying a bouquet of bright flowers. Next was Lorna, dressed the same, with her bright red hair blowing in the breeze. Following Lorna was Araneae, also wearing the white sundress with flowers in her hair.

  We all smiled as Ruby stepped upon the sand, her white sundress blowing in the breeze, carrying flowers. She truly was her mother, petite and beautiful with flowing dark hair. It was as she came closer and looked up at me with a grin and a wink that I saw my eyes. Our daughter was both of us.

  The music became louder, competing with my heartbeat as the thump grew in my ears.

  With a longer dress than the others wore, one that included a sheer train, Madeline appeared.

  Her dark hair was styled up with wisps of curls hanging down and flowers pinned about. Her dress accented her curves, including her visibly swelling midsection holding Ruby’s brother or sister.

  No, this wasn’t planned.

  It wasn’t exactly a medical miracle. Perhaps the cause could be found in the water of our tower. As it turned out, we weren’t the only couple expecting. That, however, was a story for another day.

  Madeline’s bouquet matched those of her friends, no bigger or smaller. She was the bride, but she claimed that without the love and support of everyone here, her happy-ever-after would never have occurred.

  After she passed her flowers to Ruby, I took Madeline’s hands in mine.

  The sun glistened on the Gulf of Mexico as the official spoke about love, understanding, and second chances. When it was time to put the rings on our fingers, we used the same ones I’d given to Madeline nearly a year ago, with one exception.

  Together, Madeline and I turned to our daughter as Araneae reached for Ruby’s flowers.

  “Ruby, we love you,” I said.

  Her cheeks filled with pink. “This isn’t part of the ceremony.”

  “It is,” Maddie said. “Your father and I want you to know you’re an important part of our family and lives. Honey, you kept me alive. We’ve been dealt some unusual cards and lived in the center of the flames. Now that the ashes have cleared, we’re still here, better than before, because we have Patrick and family.”

  Ruby’s head tilted. “Okay.”

  I turned to Mason who handed me a slim platinum band encrusted with diamonds and rubies. “This is for you,” I said, reaching for her right hand and sliding the ring over her fourth finger. “In one more year, you will graduate high school. The world is yours, but if it ever gets to be too much, look down at this ring and know you are loved and your family is waiting to be whatever you need.”

  Tears were falling from Madeline’s eyes, yet her smile beamed. “Wings or roots, Ruby, you will always have them.”

  It was Ruby’s turn to cry as she lifted her arms and embraced Madeline. Next, she turned to me. Her arms went to my shoulders as she whispered the word I’d been waiting to hear, “Thank you, Dad.”

  “With that,” the officiant announced, “I proclaim you family.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading Patrick and Madeline’s story, Web of Desire. If you enjoyed Web of Desire and want to know more about our other Sparrow men, Web of Sin, Sterling and Araneae’s story is complete with SECRETS, LIES, and PROMISES. Mason and Laurel’s story is also complete in Tangled Web, with TWISTED, OBSESSED, and BOUND.

  And coming in September of 2020, Dangerous Web, Reid and Lorna’s story, beginning with DUSK. Turn the page for the blurb.

  *Click on the title to learn more

  Keep turning the pages for a sneak peeks at Web of Sin, SECRETS, and Tangled Web, TWISTED.

  Human trafficking resources

  *Sneak peeks to Sparrow Webs following this important information.

  * * *

  Human trafficking is a real and horrible crime happening throughout our world today. Madeline’s story was not meant to portray her experience as romantic.

  * * *

  If you know or suspect someone is a victim, or if you yourself are a victim, please call:

  National Human Trafficking Hotline: Call 1-888-373-7888 (TTY:711) or Text 233733

  The National Human Trafficking Hotline connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and supports to get help and stay safe. The National Hotline also receives tips about potential situations of sex and labor trafficking and facilitates reporting that information to the appropriate authorities in certain cases.

  The toll-free phone and SMS text lines and live online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English or Spanish, or in more than 200 additional languages through an on-call interpreter.

  * * *

  If you would like to help in the fight against human trafficking here are but two recognized organizations:

  * * *

  Durga Tree International

  Mission: Durga Tree International’s mission is to raise funds that support global initiatives to heal, protect, educate, and economically empower survivors of Modern Slavery. We bring together qualified partner organizations in the spirit of collaboration to support their individual and collective strengths, create a support network for modern abolitionists, foster a variety of programs around the globe effectively dealing with the many facets of modern slavery, and educate local US communities about their relationship to Human
Trafficking and how it effects every person’s life.

  * * *

  Donate today: Polaris Project

  Mission: Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S., Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom. Our comprehensive model puts victims at the center of what we do – helping survivors restore their freedom, preventing more victims, and leveraging data and technology to pursue traffickers wherever they operate.

  Dusk Blurb

  “When your whole world is shaken from all the risks we have taken, dance with me. Dance with me into the colors of dusk.” ~ Ben Harper.

  * * *

  How long will victory last?

  * * *

  Over the centuries, kings have fallen, their courts executed, and their realms ground to dust. And yet each new ruler believes him- or herself to be infallible, unable to be dethroned. The day is long and such as with an attempt to change the earth’s rotation, we cannot stop the dusk.

  * * *

  Chicago has never before faced such a foe.

  * * *

  I’ve served my country, a man, and a cause. I’ve given my whole being while at the same time finding its true meaning. There was no way for me to know the day I met the men who were to become my best friends that they would introduce me to the love of my life.

  * * *

  Fiery red hair and hypnotizing emerald eyes caught my attention.