EPILOGUE

MAXWELL

I stopped reading the headlines a few days after the story broke. They were all the same. Bullshit lies told to unsuspecting people with just the right amount of spin that made them believable. My mother was hailed as the loving wife to her sickly husband, so overwrought with sorrow she made the ultimate sacrifice. The senator was praised for being a man of the people, who served his constituents with grace and unfettered honesty. I had to hand it to Jeremy; slimy little douche bag made out like a fat rat and probably landed a new job in the process. He was the nation’s new golden boy and next in line for the vacant senator’s seat. A perk, for years of service to the now deceased Senator Lancaster. What a bunch of bullshit. I could ruin him. One strategically placed email, and his shit would be fucked up forever. Why bother? The rich took care of their own; if it weren’t him, it would be some other prick with a firm handshake and crooked-ass smile. Jeremy hadn’t implicated us in his made-up suicide story, so for now, I’d allow his climb to the top, until I chose the time to make him my bitch. Having a senator in your back pocket was a nice commodity depending on the situation, especially when he was a pussy who wouldn’t last a single day in prison if the real story ever got out.

The first week back at the junkyard was hard. I’d be the first to admit it was a struggle to compartmentalize everything that had happened at the mansion. I’d missed the junkyard so much, and it welcomed me back with open arms and forgiveness. It didn’t care what happened in the past, that I’d been a complete asshole and abandoned it; the yard was like an old shoe whose fit was perfectly comfortable every time you put it on. I took much-needed time to soak it all in, reacquainted myself with every square foot of the place and the lessons that Buck had taught me about living life to the fullest. Those memories kept me grounded when the anger became too much to handle, especially during those first few days. I had a lot to atone for, shit that needed to be dealt with, starting with getting my business back in order. Instead of lashing out at the people around me, something I had done far too often before I met Heaven, I chose worthier targets as outlets for my wrath. I struck hard and fast, just the way Buck taught me, until the underserving finally got what they rightfully earned and I felt satisfaction knowing that I was the one who made it happen.

Cousin Richard lost his publishing contracts and was hit with several lawsuits, each siting copyright infringement. His wife, Abby, was fired from her position when thousands of dollars in missing profits mysteriously showed up in her bank account. She was currently behind bars pending charges of embezzlement, while Richard was homeless and living in a men’s shelter. I celebrated that victory by teaching Heaven the joys of multiple orgasms, yet there was more work to be done. She confided in me about the little boy who’d been in the basement the night of the party and how badly she felt about not being able to do something about it. I assured her that I would look into it and that she needn’t worry. The child, as it turned out, was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Fair, who had been granted custody after a court battle with their ex-daughter-in-law once she filed for separation from their son. They used their money and power to influence the judge in their favor, but they couldn’t worm their way out of the child pornography charges filed by the state of Virginia. Photos were published by the local newspaper that depicted the couple in compromising positions with minor children, and since led to their indictment on multiple charges. Heaven stumbled across a follow-up newspaper article and couldn’t believe the child’s good fortune when he was returned to his mother, along with half a million dollars from an anonymous donor. She was so overcome with relief that she had a permanent smile on her face for days. Her joy gave me the feeling of contentment that I’d failed to achieve when I lashed out and hurt my family. Heaven’s smile replaced that vile song in my head, the thing I’d reached for most when the days were dark and the shadow fought to consume me.

Time heals all wounds, or does it? I wanted to dig my mother up from the ground and force her to tell me about my real father. I cursed her for taking the coward’s way out and ending her life before she revealed more of her fucked-up secrets. Some of that anger was directed towards Buck for not trusting me enough to fill in those missing pieces of my life. Maybe he’d thought I was too much of a pussy to handle the truth, or that it somehow would have made things a lot worse instead of better. In the end, I forgave him for those decisions he made years ago. He deserved nothing less than my loyalty, no matter what. Buck had given me a life to look forward to, and for once, I wasn’t afraid to dream about the future.