Page 95 of Violence and Vice

I nod as I look back at him. “More than okay. I feel relieved. We’re making the right move. I feel it down to my bones.”

He kisses my knuckles and rests our hands on his thigh. “I feel it, too.”

Outside the window, New York recedes. The skyline fades into mist, then disappears entirely.

As we make the three-hour flight, I think about what life in Chicago might look like. We still have to find a place to buy. But what will our day-to-day look like? What new friends might I make? What secrets about Chicago will we get the answers to once we’re residents?

I don’t have all the answers, but I’m okay with it. I feel delusionally confident that everything is just going to work out.

Chicago rises to meet us like a story unfolding. The lake is vast, stretching endlessly, reflecting the sky like glass. The buildings are bold, angular. There’s a rhythm to the streets, a kind of heartbeat I can feel even from above.

My pulse picks up.

This is it.

The plane touches down smoother than I expect. The moment the wheels hit the tarmac, I feel it in my soul—this is real. We’ve really done it.

Holy shit.

We taxi, shuffle off the plane, and make our way through the terminal. I’m surprised that it doesn’t feel too foreign. Chicago is still the third largest city in the country, behind New York and Los Angeles. It’s not like I’m moving to some small, rural town. We collect our luggage, and finally, we step out the doors to the pick-up area.

Juliet stands there in black combat boots and ripped jeans. She flashes a warm grin the second she sees the three of us, and steps forward. Roman stands beside her, stoic as ever, but there’s warmth in his expression.

I grin as I close the distance between us. “Homecoming committee?”

Juliet throws her arms around me. “You’re here. It was kind of hard to imagine you’d actually make it.”

“We’re here,” I breathe into her shoulder as I hug her tightly.

She smells like night air and sandalwood. Like Chicago.

Ares and Roman greet each other with a handshake and a shoulder clap. Men of few words, but the camaraderie is solid.

Sysco loops an arm around Juliet’s shoulders. “So, where’s the welcome party?”

Juliet smirks. “First stop: food. You haven’t lived until you’ve had a deep dish from our spot.”

I take a deep breath as we step outside. The air is colder here, sharper.

But it tastes like a beginning.

Like possibility.

Like freedom.

I grip Ares’ hand as we drive into the city, and he glances over at me, his thumb brushing mine.

And I know.

We’re exactly where we’re meant to be.

Chapter 23

Four Months Later

Ismooth my hands over the black satin dress clinging to my body and glance at the mirror.

I look… different.