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EPILOGUE: FINN

S iobhan tucks into my side as I drape my arm around the bench behind her. It's been months since the end of Mick's trial. Things have moved progressively in a positive direction since we put Doyle in his place. He escaped that shootout at his safe house, but Hagen was arrested that day, found with a load of cocaine the Garda refused to overlook. Even the ones on his payroll have been scared straighter than they were.

Today is closing remarks at his trial, and Siobhan, while scared of what Cormac may do to her, insisted that we be here to support Mr. McVeigh for his kindness in helping her bring down the judge and the dirty Garda officers responsible for allowing Doyle to gain such a hold over the city's justice system.

McVeigh stands behind his table, waiting for the judge to address him. The entire trial has been very public. The entire city seems to have tuned in on the news and social media to find out if the justice system will have the backbone to convict the son of one of Dublin's most powerful men. Cormac himself is here, bathed in the most expensive suit he could find and surrounded by his family members who all await the end of this mess. I'm sure he's paid off several more court officials and Garda officers, but this judge is clean. And there is no jury to tamper with this time.

"Mr. McVeigh?" the judge says, nodding at him.

"Thank you, Your Honor." McVeigh buttons his suit coat and walks around his table. He only has the audience and the judge to address, so he faces the one person in this room who can place Hagen Doyle behind bars where he belongs.

Ronan was set to decimate the Doyle family and their business, cut off their trades, and kill them one by one, but Siobhan insisted we do this thing the right way. I don't blame her. She has a lot riding on this, and it's personal. We discovered Hagen Doyle is the one responsible for killing her cousin, and the judge who dismissed charges before Trevor's killer ever saw the back of a cruiser was none other than Brendan Callahan, who will stand trial next month.

"Your Honor, you've heard how eyewitness Sean McCarty saw Hagen Doyle kill Aiden Hughes in cold blood. You reviewed the video footage of the crime, recorded by an anonymous person who also saw the murder and who also saw Mr. McCarty there at the scene. With evidence from the O'Connor trial being thrown out, this is an open and shut case. We don't need to waste the court's valuable time with this anymore.

"Hagen Doyle is guilty of the murder of Aiden Hughes. The evidence proves it empirically. There can be no doubt in your mind that Mr. Doyle pulled that trigger. He has no alibi, and he had the motive and opportunity. The means was supplied to him when he stole a weapon from the glovebox of Mr. Mick O'Connor's car, parked only a few blocks away from the scene of the crime, also caught on video." McVeigh turns and glares at Hagen, who has a cocky sneer on his face.

Siobhan snuggles into my side harder. She's tense. She knows if this man gets off, he will not only continue to steal and murder people, but his family will retaliate against mine for harboring her. I pull her closer and whisper in her ear, "You're safe, baby."

Then I rest my hand on her growing belly, nearly thirty weeks now, and my child will come soon. I can't forget that because nothing else in this life even comes close to meaning anything without them. One year ago, I'd have told you I'll never be a father. The family was my life. My job was my world.

Now Siobhan is everything, and this child is my world. And I'm making this world a safer place by ensuring men like Doyle and his father go down. When Siobhan learned that Hagen was responsible for Trevor's death, even she wanted to kill him, which is also something I won't allow. She won't do that. I won't let her.

Siobhan has a vengeful streak, but she has a pure heart, and she wants what is good and right and pure. She quit working for McVeigh, and she has chosen to become the legal counsel for the O’Rourke family. She says even hardened criminals deserve a good defense, and I agree with her.

We listen to Hagen's solicitor give his final remarks, and the judge takes no time at all in offering his verdict. Hagen is guilty of murder, for which he will be sentenced next week pending a review of the case from the higher court. After such corruption being exposed, all cases are now being reviewed until further notice.

When the gavel smacks, every member of my family in attendance, including Ronan and Mick, stands and applauds. Cormac glares at us as he and his posse leave, surrounded by his bodyguards and the men who support him and his murderous son, but I pull Siobhan into my arms and kiss her like I haven't seen her in ages.

"It's done," I whisper against her cheek, and she squeezes me hard. Her belly is getting in the way now, but I still enjoy every inch of her body.

"I'm so relieved," she responds as her arms close around me more tightly.

Ronan slaps me on the back and squeezes my shoulder. "We're going to dinner. Join us?" His invitation isn't just for me. His initial hesitancy to accept Siobhan into my life is gone now. He knows what an asset she is to me and how I feel about her. Now she is part of this family.

"Of course we will," she tells my older brother, our Chief.

"This woman's going to be my wife, Ro." I grin at her as I pull her closer against my body, and she smacks my shoulder playfully.

"If you learn to propose correctly," she murmurs, batting those sexy eyelashes at me.

"I apologize for my brother. He's rough around the edges." Ronan chuckles as he walks away and starts the exodus of our family from the courtroom.

I lower my voice to a whisper in her ear. "Siobhan O’Rourke. It sounds really fucking sexy. What do you think?"

Siobhan props her hands on her hips and pretends to think it over. "I'm not sure about the O'Rourke part," she teases, and I playfully scowl at her before lowering my lips to hers in a slow, lingering kiss that leaves her breathless and blushing. "But I could get used to it," she whispers against my mouth after I pull back.

"Good," I growl against her lips. “Now let’s go celebrate the end of this trial, and my son.” I take her hand and follow Ronan out of the courtroom into the hallway. I’m not letting her out of my sight for a single second now. Just coming here had to be difficult, but this is about as happy of an ending as we could possibly imagine. The future is bright now, and I can’t wait for what comes next.