Epilogue
Both men were nervous as they waited for their guest to make an appearance. Noah because he was out of his safety zone and Zachary because he was about to see his father again for the first time in years. Zach held Noah’s hand tightly and chose to ignore all the hateful glares and disgusting remarks the other inmates and their visitors were sending their way. He didn’t give a fuck one way or the other what any of them thought. They should be so lucky to find the kind of love he and Noah shared.
“This sure the hell isn’t the carnival, Zachary,” Noah whispered playfully while his blue gaze, twinkling with excitement because he was damned proud of himself, skittered across the room and then back to Zach.
Zach smiled. “I’ve taken you to the carnival six times already, babe.” And, just to provoke him, Zach added, “Anyway, I told you that you didn’t need to come with me. I’ll be fine facing my father alone. Holding your hand is fun, but not necessary.” He and Noah had visited the carnival six times, but all in the last month. It’d taken longer than either of them hoped to get Noah where he needed to be mentally to find the courage to leave his safety zone. Nearly a full year had passed since Dante Moretti kidnapped Noah—two hundred and ninety-seven days since Moretti stopped wasting perfectly good oxygen and cashed in on his one-way ticket straight to hell.
Noah finally made it through their rooftop dinner about six months ago. It’d been endearingly cute and hilarious at the same time. What Zach planned to be a romantic repeat of their one month anniversary, this time with food for the two of them, had quickly turned into Noah so terrified he’d gotten sick all over the place, but he’d been too stubborn to go back to their apartment until the dinner date ended. He’d been green the entire time—not so romantic. That night, however, was Noah’s first big achievement with many more to follow behind it. More rooftop dinners, short walks to the dog park across the street, car rides to nowhere, ins and outs to the mall, the movies, and finally, the carnival. He grew more confident each time he crossed the threshold of their apartment building. Zach would have preferred flying to Texas to visit his father, but Noah nixed the airplane ride without a second’s hesitation. Of course, being trapped in a car with Noah hour after hour had its perks. Because Noah was nervous but full of excess energy, Zach cashed in on one blow job after another. He might never fly again.
“Don’t say shit like that,” Noah growled. “You know I would never let you do this without me. I might be ape-shit crazy, but I’m yours. There’s no way you were leaving me behind.”
“You realize I’m going to punish you for the crazy comment, right?” Zach asked Noah.
Noah grinned from ear to ear. “That’s what I was banking on, Doc. Maybe you could try some medical torture on me. I bet I’d hate that.” He blinked innocently as he gazed into Zach’s eyes.
Yeah, not so innocent.
“I think that can be arranged, smart mouth.”
Before Noah had a chance to come back with another smartass comment, Zach’s entire body tensed when he saw the guards lead Nathaniel Meadows into the visiting area. Zach wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but he hadn’t thought his father would look so…healthy. And happy. As soon as he’d made eye contact with Zach, a huge smile spread across his face.
Prison looked good on his father.
Zach also noticed the entire room grew respectfully quiet when everyone else noticed which prisoner they were bringing in. There were a few ‘oh, shits’ from people who’d made rude comments to him and Noah before they realized which inmate they were there to visit. Obviously, some things never changed. His father appeared to rule the prison the same as he’d ruled the club.
“Is that him?” Noah whispered. “If that’s him, he looks fucking scary, Zach. He’s huge.”
“That’s him,” he answered quietly and squeezed Noah’s hand reassuringly. Zach didn’t know what he should feel as he faced his father for the first time since he’d sent him to prison. He’d expected hate, anger, maybe even pity, but he hadn’t one time thought his heart would be happy to see the man that’d nearly ruined his life. Yet, he couldn’t deny the cartwheel his heart did inside his chest.
Nathaniel whispered something to the guard escorting him inside the room, laughed, and then turned his attention back to Zach. Slowly, he made his way across the room. When he got within a couple of feet, Zach stood. He needed to face his father eye to eye, man to man.
“Hello, son,” Nathaniel said when they were mere inches apart. “Thank you for coming. I’ve missed you.”
The physical distance between them wasn’t much, but in reality, they were miles apart. The silence between them was uncomfortable. Zach didn’t like it and wanted it to go away. Finally, his father stepped away and sat in the chair on the other side of their table. His eyes turned to Noah and he said, “So…is this the infamous Noah? The boy who won my son’s heart?”
Naturally, Noah’s pouty lips formed a beautiful smile. “That would be me, Sir. He made me work hard for it, but it’s all mine now.” Noah reached his hand across the table and offered it to Nathaniel. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Nathaniel laughed as he shook Noah’s hand. “I seriously doubt my son has said many nice things about his old man, but then again, I didn’t give him many nice things to remember about me.” Gray eyes identical to Zach’s flickered back to his son. “You did well, son. I’m glad you’ve finally found happiness.”
Zach’s ass hit the seat with a thud. He was in the twilight one. This wasn’t the man he’d grown up with. He wasn’t the same man involved with every horrendous crime known to man…with human trafficking being at the tip-top of the list. No, this was the man who’d raised him when his crack-head mother had disappeared. This was the man who’d taught him to ride a bicycle and then a motorcycle. This was the man who’d taught him everything he knew…just all the wrong things.
“Why?” Zach demanded. “Why are you acting like this? You can’t go from being an arm’s dealer one day to father-of-the-year the next. What kind of sick game are you playing with me? What’s with the club protection and fatherly bullshit, Dad?”
“Calm down, babe,” Noah coaxed from the seat next to him. “You came here to talk to your father, not jump down his throat for past sins. Remember? We talked about it.”
“No, he has every right to jump down my throat, Noah,” Nathaniel interjected. “I wouldn’t trust me either. Hell, I’d be disappointed in my son if he did. I taught him better than that.” He smiled at Noah and then turned his full attention back to Zach. “Listen, son, I know I fucked up the whole father thing. That failure doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’m not cut from the father mold. The thing is, I did the best I could. I taught you the things I knew, not the things you needed to know. I tried turning you into a man like me instead of the man you could be. Thankfully, you walked away from all my bullshit and turned yourself into a real man. I’m sorry, Zachary. Sorry for lots of things. I’d like to say I’d do it differently if I had it to do over again, but I wouldn’t. The club…the lifestyle…it’s all I knew. Do I regret it? Hell, yeah. I regret so many things. If I got out today, would I change? Hell, no. I’m not capable of being the man you are, son.”
Zach’s stomach tumbled. A part of him wanted to believe his father meant well but simply fell short over the years. There was plenty of evidence to back that claim up. Nathaniel’s father had raised him in the club, teaching him the same things Nathaniel had tried to teach Zach. When his father had said it was all he knew, the words rang with total honesty. On the other hand, he’d done bad things…many, many bad things. Did Zach want that kind of influence in his life again, even if it was just letters and occasional visits?
Noah squeezed his leg beneath the table.
Looking at his father, Zach said, “I don’t agree with the club’s lifestyle. I never will.”
Nathaniel nodded. “I would be disappointed if you did, son. I’ve followed your career. I know what kind of man you are now. I’m fucking proud of you, Zachary. You turned out to be good, honest, and kind, even with my genes mixed in your body. I’ve done a hell of a lot of bad things in my life, but I look at you and know I did one damned good thing, too.”
The three of them talked for over an hour. Nathaniel staying mostly quiet unless he asked Noah or Zach questions about their lives. Either he was an excellent actor, or he was truly interested in what they had to say. Noah, as always, was animated and fun, making them laugh if things started to creep toward the dark side again. Zach might not know everything about his father, but he knew him enough to know Nathaniel Meadows was smitten with Noah.
Yeah, he could join the crowd.
When it was time for them to leave, Zach promised another visit soon. Noah vowed to Nathaniel that he’d make Zach keep his word. Zach shook his father’s hand. It was the best he could do for now. As Nathaniel turned to leave them, Zach asked, “Why did Gabriel…help me? My friend simply said he owed you a favor.” Zach tried to be careful with anything he said, knowing people were always listening.
“He did owe me a favor,” Nathaniel answered slowly. “In my world, Zach, people always repay their debts. I did something for him, so he kept you safe for me.”
“What about the other?” Zach asked, unwilling to leave it alone, even when he knew he probably should.
Nathaniel paused and Zach could tell he struggled with his answer. Finally, he said, “I would assume the favor he asked of me was very important to him. He felt obligated to move ahead and do something that needed to be done without waiting on me to issue the request.” His gaze flickered to Noah. “I believe we are all in agreement that we’re glad he was so appreciative of my favor…yes?”
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t ask.
“What was the favor?” Zach asked.
Nathaniel remained silent for several brutally long minutes, and Zach could see the battle waging inside him. When his gray eyes met Zach’s questioning stare, he answered, “I delivered a very important package to him years ago, Zachary.” Quietly, he added, “It has ended exactly where it all began.”
Without another word, Nathaniel walked away from Noah and Zach, never looking back.
A very important package. Zach darted his gazed over Noah. Fuck.
In that moment, Zach understood—the little blond boy the club had abducted, the one who’d caused Zach to turn his back on his own father… That child had been the package delivered to Gabriel. But why? Zach shook his head. There was more going on than Zach could decipher from his father’s cryptic words, and he vowed to figure it out at some point.
But for now, he took Noah’s hand in his, feeling a contentment course through him at the simple touch. A contentment he had never experienced before meeting this amazing man. When Noah smiled up at him as they left the visiting area, Zach knew…whatever information they learned, wherever the clues led, they’d handle them together.
The End