Chapter 16 - The Birth Beneath the Starlight
Four months later,
far away from the blood-soaked streets of Chicago and the burning mountains of North Carolina,
the world had finally grown quiet and peaceful.
We were in a secluded coastal villa overlooking the cliffs of Big Sur,
California,
where the Pacific Ocean crashed endlessly against the ancient,
sun-baked rocks.
The Calloway syndicate had fallen in a single,
devastating night of coordinated underworld justice across the Midwest.
Savannah Calloway and her father were locked away permanently in maximum-security federal custody,
their empire dismantled piece by piece by Declan’s loyal captains and federal RICO indictments.
No one in the underworld ever dared challenge the Voss name again.
I sat on the veranda in a comfortable white linen chair,
watching the golden sunset paint the ocean waves in brilliant shades of amber and rose,
my hand resting gently against my full,
heavy stomach.
Suddenly,
a sharp,
familiar contraction gripped my lower abdomen,
making me gasp softly.
I dropped my porcelain teacup as it shattered against the stone patio with a sharp crack.
Declan stepped out through the French doors instantly,
dropping his paperwork onto the table with lightning speed.
“Is it time?” he asked,
his voice a mixture of absolute panic and overwhelming,
radiant joy.
“Yes,
” I breathed out,
gripping his warm arm as another wave of pain washed over me.
“It’s time,
Declan.
” There were no hospitals,
no blaring alarms,
and no hit squads this time to disrupt our peace.
Just Declan,
a trusted midwife he had flown in weeks prior,
and the warm ocean breeze blowing through the open villa doors.
Four months later,
far away from the blood-soaked streets of Chicago and the burning mountains of North Carolina,
the world had finally grown quiet and peaceful.
We were in a secluded coastal villa overlooking the cliffs of Big Sur,
California,
where the Pacific Ocean crashed endlessly against the ancient,
sun-baked rocks.
The Calloway syndicate had fallen in a single,
devastating night of coordinated underworld justice across the Midwest.
Savannah Calloway and her father were locked away permanently in maximum-security federal custody,
their empire dismantled piece by piece by Declan’s loyal captains and federal RICO indictments.
No one in the underworld ever dared challenge the Voss name again.
I sat on the veranda in a comfortable white linen chair,
watching the golden sunset paint the ocean waves in brilliant shades of amber and rose,
my hand resting gently against my full,
heavy stomach.
Suddenly,
a sharp,
familiar contraction gripped my lower abdomen,
making me gasp softly.
I dropped my porcelain teacup as it shattered against the stone patio with a sharp crack.
Declan stepped out through the French doors instantly,
dropping his paperwork onto the table with lightning speed.
“Is it time?” he asked,
his voice a mixture of absolute panic and overwhelming,
radiant joy.
“Yes,
” I breathed out,
gripping his warm arm as another wave of pain washed over me.
“It’s time,
Declan.
” There were no hospitals,
no blaring alarms,
and no hit squads this time to disrupt our peace.
Just Declan,
May you like
a trusted midwife he had flown in weeks prior,
and the warm ocean breeze blowing through the open villa doors.
