Fallon made it home five days later, looking a little puffy-eyed and tired from her long journey, but happy for the experience and even happier at being home. I'd never seen anyone so beautiful.

The reception at our home lasted well into the evening. In addition to Fallon's posse and a few of our mutual friends, Corey and his wife Merced were present, as was Special Agent Dani Gaudin. I toyed with the idea of inviting Detective Moreland, but I wasn't sure whether I yet knew the man sufficiently to make a social invitation. No, perhaps not. I would win him over, though. There was all of the time in the world for that.

In addition to our social guests, there was even a press contingent. Well, it wasn't much of a contingent. It was a single reporter from an online journal that dealt with society and the arts who claimed that Fallon's trip was more than worthy of widespread attention.

The fellow's name was Milgram, and I think his reason for wanting to cover Fallon's arrival from a trip to market luxury goods and to help the less fortunate was that he'd seen her many beautiful photos online and wanted to shower her with his attention in person.

Fallon seemed to like the man's adulation, and I didn't begrudge her that. Milgram was a very handsome young lad, and if, at some point in the future, she decided to have a wee fling with the fellow, I happily would look the other way.

And if, at some point in the future, she was so burdened by guilt at her infidelity that she needed to beg my forgiveness, I would feign ignorance of her indiscretions, shed a few tears at the realization of her betrayal, and then, in an appropriate amount of time, forgive her entirely.

Life for humans was so much about theater. Sometimes they needed to be scorned before they were forgiven, or the forgiveness simply wasn't proper forgiveness.

I didn't fault Milgram for his fantasies about my girl. She was charming and beautiful, and the next best thing to a goddess on this earth. As long as he made her happy, I would indulge him in any potential triste. As long as he didn't try to take what was mine, I would allow him to live a long and happy life.

Not long afterward, I laid out the evening's victuals and assured myself that Fallon, tired though she was, was ensconced comfortably with her posse in the living room, I had a short chat with Dani Gaudin. I'd continued to feed the woman drabs of information when I had them and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

The fire that had erupted in the Bronx the week before, an unholy inferno by any standard, had been the subject of much investigation by the police and the press. It seemed that the consensus among law enforcement agencies, or so my friend Dani told me, was that the local criminal underworld finally had pushed back against the new power players in the city. The bratva branch that had been growing in the Bronx and northern Manhattan in recent months all but totally had been extinguished. It was a level of gang violence unheard of even by the oversized standards of the Big Apple.

"We're living in legendary times," I told the young agent.

"I think we are. And I thank you for your help."

"I didn't do anything," I confessed. "But you stay safe out there. Fallon has already taken a liking to you, so your wellbeing is my responsibility now."

We continued chatting that way, on and off, for the rest of the evening, with me occasionally feeding her nibbles of food rather than bits of information.

There remained in me a haunting suspicion that I had not seen the last of my acquaintances in the bratva. My scorched-earth campaign in the Bronx guaranteed that their comrades back in Russia knew nothing about who I truly was. Not a witness was left alive, save my driver, Sasha. And I had plans for him.

No, I definitely would see more Russian gangsters. People like that didn't give up. And I hadn't forgotten what I learned from Dani and from the articles of journalist Brady McMyler. My enemies had allies and friends in American business and politics.

I'd handed off what I'd learned about the properties owned by my Russian adversaries to my lawyers, and they would keep me apprised of what they learned. Perhaps at some point in the future the Defenestrator might need to come out of retirement.

Until then, I would live my life.

The party was a spectacular success, an event to remember.

Afterward, I half carried my fatigued sweetheart to the broad couch on which we lounged while watching TV and flicked on the screen. She was bushed but not yet ready for bed. And she missed our evenings loafing on the sofa—as too did I.

Several days before, I'd had the queen stone placed into a necklace of rubies and sapphires and would give it to her when her jetlag finally abated. There was a very good chance Fallon would find the whole notion too extravagant and insist that we sell the precious thing and give the proceeds to charity. She was like that.

If that's what she wanted, I would do so without protest. I just wanted to see the exquisite jewels hung around her perfect neck once and afterward would happily chuck the thing into a volcano if she asked me.

Moments after settling into our sofa, my sweetheart and I fell into one another and dissolved into a pool of sensual delight. It was like I'd never seen her before, and my happiness in those hours was beyond compare.

When our lovemaking was complete, my friend had the sweetest things to say to me.

She'd been in contact with her friends and comrades while she was away, and apparently all had agreed in their raves regarding the help I had provided while Fallon was abroad. Regina's lawyer had asked whether I might be available to act as a companion in other negotiations. Apparently, she'd never met anyone so comforting and empathetical.

I nodded my agreement at that sentiment.

"I'll help you any way I can, darling," I told my sweetheart. It seemed a good time to feign jealousy. "But I saw the way you were looking at that news reporter. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Fallon gave an embarrassed laugh and swiftly changed the subject. "So, you're finished with all of your business?"

"For now, yes."

"How were things otherwise while I was gone?" she asked.

"Oh, dull. So dull. It's never interesting unless you're here, my love."

Every word of it was true.

The end.