Page 58 of Carved Obsession (The Sanctum Syndicate #4)

Epilogue

Carter

Six months later

“So? What do you think?” Scarlet claps her hands, bouncing on her feet as glee sparkles in her coffee-colored eyes.

Arms crossed against my chest, I cock my head and take a step back.

I inspect the giant triceratops skeleton sitting proudly in the middle of my church, as if I hadn’t made up my mind months ago, long before the fossil stepped foot in here.

I know now that I would agree to anything as long as it puts that mesmerizing glint in her eyes.

“You have to admit, it looks amazing! The stained-glass rainbow of colors bouncing off of it, the way it fills all this empty space perfectly, fitting in with everything old you have around here...Come ooon. Please like it.” Her bratty moan stirs my cock beneath my trousers.

With a deep sigh pumping my chest, I step next to her, eyes trained on the dinosaur. “I think it—”

“You like it!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I will not accept any negativity toward Tabitha, so I’ll make up your mind for you.”

She crosses her arms against her ribs, distracting me with the cleavage spilling from the deep V-neck of her dress.

“Is that so, kitten?” I step into her space, dropping my head as she cranes hers, meeting her defiant gaze.

“Yep. It’s decided.”

I tangle my fingers in her hair and hold her firmly as my lips meet hers. Swiping my tongue over their seam, I demand entrance. She moans softly into my mouth, arms unfolding as she grips my sides and aligns her body with mine.

I break the kiss with soft, peppered pecks and feed on the hum of satisfaction vibrating low in her throat.

“You do like it,” she murmurs.

When I pull back, she’s all smiles. Victorious, with a hint of lust woven through.

“I think it fits perfectly.”

She bounces up and down like an excited little pixie, the strands of dark-green she dyed on the underside of her brown hair flowing around her pale skin.

“Shall we go?” I reach for her hand.

“Hell yeah! Are you excited?”

“Intrigued, I think.”

“Intrigued?”

I nod as we head out, hand in hand. I’m not entirely sure what I feel about our new speakeasy. Maybe the memories of Midnight are holding me back. If I ever cared for an inanimate thing, that was it.

It’s no longer burned to a crisp. The building has undergone consolidation work, and renovations are on the last stretch. But Midnight and The Fightclub are gone—officially, due to a gas leak. We’re keeping the space for the apartments our people live in, and everything else will be training space.

“I bet you’re a little happy that you’re doing this in the building Duval snatched from you all those years ago,” she says.

I lock the heavy wooden door and head to the dark SUV parked right up front. She climbs up when I open the door and offer her my hand, and then I walk around, mulling over those words.

“I am. Funny how things come around.”

She snickers as we set off through the wrought iron gates and ease onto the streets of Queenscove.

That building put him on our radar. He was supposed to be a rising-star politician, all straight and rigid. But he was just another criminal in disguise.

Now that he’s dead, with no heirs or wife, his estate went on sale and the old Duke’s Lodge is ours.

It’s just off the main boulevard that cuts through the city, on a parallel street to Loreley’s building, where she and Morrigan have Metamorphosis.

Right behind them, actually; only a small alley separates our back gardens and parking lots.

The four-story building’s intricate, period features and beautiful facade come into view. I pull around back, gaze flickering to Scarlet beside me.

She inches forward in her seat, leaning in, likely trying to understand what she’s looking at.

“What is that?” She shifts forward fully, barely waiting for the car to park before she rips her seatbelt off and jumps out.

I chuckle as I climb out and follow, watching her circle her precious dark-green Mercedes.

“Carter, is this . . . ? It’s the same number plate . . . Is this—”

“Your car, love,” I confirm.

“I don’t understand. It was totaled.” As she walks over and wraps her arms around my neck, that addicting happiness in her gaze gleams.

“Almost. After I had it towed, I sent it to my garage and had them repair it for you. I know you missed it, and I hoped it would have been ready sooner, but I didn’t realize it was a special, limited edition, and some parts required custom orders from the manufacturer.”

“Oh my god! I knew you had it towed, but this...Carter, it’s too much.”

I shake my head, dropping a kiss to her parted lips. “It’s not nearly enough. I know you like driving my cars now, so I hope this is still...umm...useful.” I don’t know what this sensation I’ve been feeling for the last few days is, but it seems to have bloomed now.

I kind of second-guessed my decision to do this for her when I realized she might not care about her old car anymore.

“Useful? Carter, I love it! Yes, I like your cars, but this baby is mine. I worked hard and greased a few hands to get it.” She peppers my face with kisses, holding me to her like I might escape. “Thank you, thank you so much for this.”

“Get a room, you two!”

We both flinch at the disruption and turn to find Finnigan and Evelyn pulling in, the man shouting out the window of his car with a stupid grin on his face.

I groan and Scarlet chuckles, but we untangle to join the two and walk into the building. The women are hand in hand, snickering to each other as we join the rest of our group inside. They’ve become close fairly fast, especially with their love for the more morbid side of art.

“It’s beautiful!” Evelyn exclaims.

It looks great, yes, but not all that different from Midnight.

Same old-world vibe, mismatched wooden chairs, and armchairs upholstered comfortably in leather or tweed.

All tables have been sourced from antique shops, as I wanted all the wood to be beautifully carved and weathered.

Mismatched lamps are dotted around the space to keep the atmosphere low and intimate, perfect for all the secrets that will be shared here.

The bar is my favorite piece in this space; its whole facade is carved in an Art Deco design. A thick, light-colored marble countertop weighs the whole thing down.

One thing survived Midnight—our metal starburst emblem within that golden circle that was fixed on the wall behind the bar. Only the realistic eye within it required replacing. We put that back in the same spot, behind the bar. Above it sits our new name in brushed gold lettering.

“It’s going to be hard to get used to it.” Maddox appears beside me, staring at the same spot. “But it’s a good name. It fits.”

I nod in agreement. I’ll miss Midnight and what it represented, but a change was necessary, regardless of the fact that we were forced into it.

“Dusk is a good name—simple, short, and fitting,” I say.

“New beginnings and all.”

I turn to him, noticing the blonde woman standing by the bar. I’ve seen her with him before. “For some, newer than others.”

He glances over his shoulder. “I’m trying out something.”

This is not the direction I thought he would follow, but he does deserve to let loose. He’s not one to indulge, definitely not publicly.

“Is she going to come to your first match in the new club?” I ask, knowing full well he’s never brought a woman before.

“She will. It’s opening night, after all,” he answers, but his gaze narrows on me. “You look like you’re about to ask me if I’m sure about this, and that’s so not you, Pierce. Don’t disappoint me.”

“No, it’s not, and I wasn’t going to ask that. You’re a grown man, Severin. You should already be aware when you’re making mistakes.”

His eyes bulge, but I don’t wait for any reply or further reaction as I turn away to inspect the space.

Customers are already arriving at Dusk’s opening night—a night that could decide our fate.

We weren’t sure how many of our old customers would believe the gas-leak story we fed the press.

We suspected most would presume something more nefarious went on.

Which is why we were curious if they would return, considering the danger they could be in.

But, so far, things are looking good. Hopefully, I’ll feel the same way a few hours from now.

* * *

“Gentlemen.” Scarlet appears next to the table I’ve been sitting at for the last half an hour or so.

“Darling, don’t you look ravishing. That dusty pink looks wonderful on you.” Jonathan gives her an appreciative once over.

“Thank you!” she exclaims, twirling once so she can soak up all the admiration.

My sexy, mad pixie.

Even if he wasn’t exclusively interested in men, I would still feel the same pride at that compliment. She looks good enough to eat in that pink, flowy dress that just about touches her knees. The fabric hugs her waist and breasts so damn nicely.

“I need to come over to your shop soon. I heard a rumor that you brought some interesting pieces in.” Scarlet wiggles her brows.

“Please do. I see you’re enjoying decorating your new home.”

She laughs, and that melodious sound strokes behind my ribs.

“I am! We installed Tabitha today,” Scarlet says. “You must come see her.”

“Tabitha?” Cillian asks from his seat next to Jonathan. These two are getting along surprisingly well since the business partnership we facilitated for them.

“My triceratops,” she says with a wide grin.

Cillian frowns, lips parted as he shoots me a look like he wants to ask if she’s being for real. I nod at him, quirking my lips.

“Scarlet, I must say, you’re slowly becoming my favorite customer. You keep me on my toes with your unique tastes.” Jonathan chuckles. “And yes, I would love to. I’ll come by for coffee this weekend.”

“It’s a date!” She claps her hands, then turns to me. “Can I borrow you, please?”

“Gentlemen.” I nod toward the table, then rise and follow the kitten.