Miguel won’t be a problem, either. Apparently, with both our dads on the run, the FBI considers him a possible target and has sent him into the Witness Protection Program until they are apprehended. One of the FBI agents promised me Miguel would get only the best of placements, like Backwater, Mississippi, or Freeze-Your-Nuts-Off, Alaska.
The hardest thing I had to do before we left town was to go to see Graciela one more time. I’m not ashamed to say now that I hate that woman. She made me miserable my entire life, and all because I was the living reminder that her husband had strayed. I’ll never understand why she agreed to take me in and raise me as her own. I wish they’d let Javier have me.
However, I didn’t get any satisfaction out of telling her that he’d left her while she was in a coma. She lifted her chin and glared at me. “He’ll come back to me. He always has. Even your slut mother couldn’t take him away from me.”
I turned around and left. I didn’t argue, yell, or slap her. Sure, I wanted to do all of those things, but she ceased to matter in that moment. My mother was none of those things. The only thing she was guilty of was believing the bullshit that came out of my father’s mouth. Graciela had friends; someone would help her, because I’d never voluntarily go near her again.
I opened my eyes and set the flowers down in front of the tombstone. Tracing the engraved letters with my index finger, I felt the first tear slide down my face. “Hi, Mom,” I choked out. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here before now. And I’m so sorry I forgot about you. I remember now, and Uncle Javi has been telling me stories. How is it possible to miss you so much when I only just started remembering you?”
I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and wipe away the tears falling steadily down my face. “It’s weird, but I feel you around all the time now that I’ve started to remember. I hope Leo is there, wherever you are. I wish I’d known him better, too. We found out the guy they thought was my dad was some poor guy working three jobs to take care of his family. He got trapped or something, and one of the other agents saw Leo run back for him to help him get away.”
“Leo was a great guy. You might have started out with the wrong man, but you settled on the right one in the end. I’m glad you knew love like that before you died.” I smiled and realized Javier was right. I was a lot like my mother, but hopefully Trent and I would get more time together than she’d had with Leo.
I kissed my fingers and placed them on the neighboring headstone. “I hope you’ve found her again, Leo. Thank you for saving Trent.”
A warm California wind blew against my face, and I could swear it felt like fingers caressing my cheek. I lifted my hand to my face and held it there, trying to hold on to the feeling for a little longer.
Trent walked up behind me and extended his hand. I took it, and he helped me to my feet.
“Are you ready, Wildcat? We’ve got a date at the courthouse.”
Epilogue
Toni
I stared at the document in my hand. It was going to be weird getting used to signing a new name, but I couldn’t say I was sad to get rid of the name Padilla. It had too much pain and death surrounding it.
“Are you sure about this?” Trent asked.
“Don’t try and talk me out of it, McKenzie,” I said in as stern of a voice as I could muster.
He smiled, and his gray eyes sparkled. “It’s forever, you know?”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s the idea.”
I signed my name, Antoinette Perez. Yeah, it was going to take some getting used to, but it made me feel closer to my mother to use the name she’d given me.
The buzz of the tattoo needle caused me to drop the pen I was using to sign the consent forms for my tattoo.
“Did you two just get married?” the artist asked.
I shook my head.
He cocked his head to the side and set down the needle. “Then why are you guys getting matching tattoos on your ring fingers? And now that I’m asking questions, why the hell are you getting three dots?”
“It’s an ellipsis, because what we have is to be continued,” Trent answered for me.
I smiled at him, and he laughed. “I fucking love you, Wildcat.”
“This isn’t over,” I repeated the phrase he used with me so often when we were first getting together.
“Never,” he said and held up his hand with his tattooed finger. “Did I ever tell you how sexy I think a woman with tattoos is?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Well, I kinda snuck out this morning while you were sleeping and got a surprise for you to find later.”
He licked his lips, flicking his tongue against his lip ring. His eyes looked like molten steel, and the moment the tattoo artist was done with him, I started to run. Of course he chased after me, but that was us. We were forged in fire, and we’d always burn for each other.
I didn’t care if no one else understood, or if our friends thought we’d lost our minds. We still hadn’t gone back home, and although we would eventually, I wasn’t in a hurry.
Leo had never married. I found that out the night before Javier went back to Washington. As far as Javi knew, Leo had never even dated since she was killed. I’m not sure what I think about it. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time. I think she’d have wanted him happy, though I just don’t think he knew how to be without her.
Does my story wrap up with a nice little bow? Not really. As long as my dad is out there free, there will always be a little bit of a dark cloud hanging over my head, but that’s life. What I do know is that Trent is my forever, my happily ever after, but even better, he’s my to be continued.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people that are involved in publishing a book. First I want to thank my readers. You'll never fully understand how much your dedicating to this series touches me. I love every argument about which of the Destroy men are the best, and hearing you all fight over which one is "yours" (I know Lisa, Trent is yours).
Next I want to thank Limitless Publishing for taking this series into your book family. Thank you Lydia, Lori, and Jo for all of your hard work. You are a dream team, and make me a better writer.
Thank you above all to my son Luke for inspiring me to be whatever I wanted to grow up to be. Thank you to my mom for giving me the confidence to dream, and thanks to my sister Cata for being a smartass or Toni might not exist.
About the Author
✦✦✦K.D. CARRILLO✦✦✦
I’m super normal.
I’m a single mom to one. Which is plenty, because my son is a genius. How many mothers have to tell their children to turn off the documentary about Einstein so they can sleep?
I suppose it was inevitable. My brand of rebelling in college was to minor in French when my advisor told me not to take it.
I’m a teacher by day, and wonder woman by night. Okay, not really, but how cool would that be?
I like long walks on the beach, and running in slow motion. Oops, wrong profile.
Seriously, did I mention I’m kind of a nerd? That’s in now, isn’t it?
I love books. Love isn’t a strong enough word. I think my first crush was on a Hardy Boy. Now I’ve moved on to rock stars and tattooed bad boys, as long as they’re fictional.
Talking about myself is weird, because I’m just me. So anything else you want to know hit up my author page on Facebook.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kdcarrilloauthor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/@authkdcarrillo
Website:
http://www.kdcarrilloauthor.com/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7084737.K_D_Carrillo
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Destroy You (Destroy #3) Page 28