Page 9 of Her Reckoning

9

Epilogue

Enzo

Two Weeks Later

“Remembering someone is the best way to keep them alive.”

Staring at the official police report about the bombing, they concluded that Josh had planted it and burned the house down, but miscalculated and got trapped. Her death was ruled a murder, just when we were getting started. Now I have Potato to take care of since it is what she would want if she were still here. Less prevented me from losing my mind on the day it happened, and stayed with me as I wallowed. He is now staying in what would have been her office to ensure that I keep choosing to get out of bed every morning.

“How is your hand healing?” His voice breaks me out of my self-pity and I look down at my left hand. The freshly tattooed wedding band sits as a constant homage to the woman who willforever hold my heart. A soft meow grabs my attention as Potato leaps from the floor onto the counter, seeking out attention.

“It’s faring better than I am. I appreciate you not letting me fall completely off the deep end,” I say, the gratitude leaching into my voice. I moved all of her stuff from her apartment and will eventually donate some of it when I am ready to let things go. Before I do anything else for the day I need to go visit her grave. She did not want a funeral or an event. Instead, she asked to do a donation drive for the local animal shelter where she adopted Potato.

I turn on the light in the garage and see her bike sitting there taunting me with the memories of her in leather and the first time that we met. There is no point in letting her bike sit here unused when she loved it so much. It was her freedom, and now it’s just another thing that brings me closer to feeling her. Pulling my helmet on I open the garage door and take off to the graveyard. The feeling of the wind flying through my hair reminds me of the whirlwind of us. Parking the bike and leaving my helmet, I walk over to the fresh grave and sit down next to her.

“Kitten, I miss you so much it feels like I can’t breathe sometimes. Potato is getting used to the house and really likes the cat tree that I bought as a surprise,” I utter into the wind, wishing she was here to respond to me. The cool breeze and chilled grass keep me here on earth, as close and as far as I will ever be from her again.

“I can’t bring you back, but this was Fabbri and the other men who knew you were getting close to uncovering the truth. I will bring them all to their knees in your honor, no matter how long it takes me. I dedicate my life to you, my one and only, my would-be wife, and my partner in crime.”