Page 438 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

He nods, leaning back in his seat. "Fully. The disciplinary committee accepted the mark."

Wraith doesn't move, staring.

"No one was going to touch it after the mic audio anyway, but it's formally dead now," Dad continues. "Nothing pending."

"And the lawsuit?" Ivy asks.

"Dropped two days ago." Dad picks up his wine again. "I wanted to wait a bit to make sure there wouldn't be something else before getting your hopes up. But once the audio was out and public opinion went the way it went, they realized they were going to have to put Wade on a stand and let a jury of people who'd already made up their minds listen to him run his mouth. So they didn't."

Ivy makes a small noise.

"It's over," Dad says again. "All of it. You're clear."

Holy fucking shit.

It's over.

I feel it hit the bond before I see it hit Ivy.

All five of us are wound together now, with Ivy at the center, and when something hits her, it hits us too. I feel her relief through it, and miles away, I feel Whiskey's answering blast of joy so loud it's practically fucking fireworks, drowning the others out.

He'd better not set off the real ones again.

The police came last time.

Wraith's arms tighten around her, his eyes closing with a long breath.

"There's one more thing," Dad adds, cutting into his eggplant hard enough to make the butter knife scrape on the plate. I wince at the sound. "Wade officially retired."

"He retired?" Ivy repeats.

"Well, the leg wasn't coming back. So it was inevitable." Dad shrugs. "I hear he's going into lifestyle content."

Ivy blinks. "Like… what, gym videos? Smoothies? Skincare?"

"Skincare," Dad confirms.

Ivy stares at him. Then she starts laughing in disbelief, and my mother, always one for contagious laughter, starts up too.

"My gods," Ivy says, wiping at her eyes. "I really dodged a bullet, huh?"

"You could say that again," I say dryly, grinning at her.

Wraith huffs his gravelly growling huff of a laugh, and nobody at this table jolts or looks away.

I lean back in my chair, still grinning, so much it hurts.

Gods, I'm happy.

I'm so fucking happy.

Chapter 92

Epilogue: Whiskey

There are only two rules when you learn to ride a motorcycle.

Rule one, respect the fuckin' bike.