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And we made love. As the minutes passed, he took me once again, eradicating any man from my past. Healing the scars my body had endured, and burrowing his heart inside mine.
As our breathing became labored and we followed the blinding lights of our pleasure, I let the tears fall thick and fast. Healing tears of joy, washing away all the shame and guilt remaining in our hearts. And as AK laid his head against my shoulder, I held him close, vowing to never ever let him go.
“I am forever thankful for the day you tied me to that tree.” I felt him still.
AK lifted his head and smiled a sweet, confused smile.
“It was the first act of grace I had ever been given. And as I stared into your eyes, I saw myself. My reflection looking back at me . . . my wounded soul.”
“Yeah,” he rasped. I knew he was telling me he had felt it too.
“The devil’s man with the angel eyes.”
I breathed. He breathed. We kissed. Broke apart. “The damned souls who together found grace.”
“Red,” he whispered and held me close to his heart. And I closed my eyes and smiled. Because for once, there were many things to feel happy about.
At last.
Epilogue
AK
Two weeks later . . .
Ky and Styx sat awkwardly in their seats as we waited for them to speak. Church had been called.
“That wasn’t the first time we’ve encountered Garcia in Mexico.” Ky shifted in his seat, and Styx nodded at him to continue. “Y’all didn’t know I had a sister until I got hitched to Li. Elysia, or Sia as we call her.” He shrugged. “She wasn’t brought up in this life, so we never talked about her.” He paused. “But when she was seventeen, me and Styx had to get her out of some trouble . . . trouble caused by Garcia.”
“What kind of trouble?” Hush asked. The brother was tense. Fuck, so were we all.
Ky’s jaw clenched, and I could see he was one second from losing it. “She got involved with him. Then he took her. Y’all saw what he deals in. Trafficking motherfucker. Me and Styx got her out before it was too late.”
“He’s been looking for her ever since,” Styx signed, then took a shot of his Jack. “Sia’s been in hiding all this time. That’s why she ain’t here often. We can’t risk it.”
“He wants her back,” Ky said, and I had to give the brother credit, he kept his cool.
“Diablos have been in touch. Garcia’s sniffing around again since our little trip to Mexico. Trying to get intel on us.” Styx paused, then met each of our eyes. “He’s looking for her again.”
“What does that mean?” Cowboy asked. Ky’s eyes narrowed on our two Cajun brothers. Fucker didn’t like them sniffing around his sister either.
“Means that fucker’s not done with my sister.” Ky leaned forward, eyes fucking flaming. “And if he comes back to Austin for her, I’ll be slicing the prick’s dick off and making him eat it whole.”
“Graphic, brother.” Vike wiggled his eyebrows. “I like it.”
“For now, we protect her. Watch the situation and see how it plays out. But y’all needed to know what could be coming our way,” Styx signed.
“We ever gonna get the full story on what went down years back with him?” I asked, and Ky sat back in his seat.
“Eventually. But not fucking today.”
“We should know,” Hush said. “I wanna know what she went through.”
Ky’s suspicious eyes were back on Hush and Cowboy. Neither brother even flinched. “I said not the fuck now.”
“Any other news?” Styx signed, stopping Ky from castrating the Cajuns for their interest in his sister.
No one said shit, so I lifted my hand. “Going to my lodge this weekend for a cookout. Y’all are welcome. Bring tents and shit if you wanna stay over.” I heard their silence. I hadn’t mentioned the lodge since Dev died. I straightened my shoulders, ignoring it. “My nephew is coming. Zane. Wanna introduce him to y’all. He’s . . .” I cleared my throat. “He’s a good kid. Loves bikes. Looks like me. Fifteen.”
“Future fucking Hangman!” Vike said. I smiled, wondering what the fuck Claire would have to say about that.
“Then we’ll be there,” Ky said. “Grace is at yours almost as much she’s at ours anyhow.”
I laughed. Her and Sapphira were attached at the hip. “Saff ain’t met none of y’all either. Gonna try and get her to come out too. She’s kinda fucking shy. Hasn’t dared meet no one yet.”
“We’ll all be there.” Styx signed, and I saw all my brothers nod their heads. I fucking loved this club. Fucker was getting married in a couple of weeks, probably didn’t have the time, yet he was making it for me.
Didn’t matter when you needed the club, it was always there.
“One more thing,” I said as Styx went to slam the gavel down. “I’ve invited Rider too.” The silence was thick. “Fucker did wrong. I get it. But he saved my bitch and her daughter. Wouldn’t have either of them if he hadn’t stepped the fuck up. He took out Klansmen at the shootout and, fuck, Phebe likes him, and Bella.” I met Styx’s hard, hazel gaze. “I get he ain’t a brother, but I vote for him being allowed back onto the premises for cookouts and shit. He’s a good doc, saves us from having to go to the hospital and raise the suspicion of the cops, and he can fight. Don’t patch him in again as a brother, couldn’t give a fuck. But that’s where I’m at. Thought y’all should know.”
Styx rolled his lips together, pissed. “Second it,” Smiler said. No surprise to anyone.
“Ah, fuck. Me too,” Vike said, shrugging.
“And me,” Flame said. I hid my smile. The fucking Psycho Trio never failed to have my back.
“Us too,” Hush said, pointing at himself and Cowboy. Cowboy rolled his head toward me, lifted his Stetson and winked.
Styx slammed the gavel on the table. Church was done. No decision would be made anytime soon.
I didn’t care.
I’d said my piece.
*****
The lodge
A few days later . . .
“Will they all stare at me?” Sapphira asked Phebe. Phebe paused in brushing her daughter’s hair. They were in the second bedroom, with the walls now bright white and a new bed just for Saff. Vike and Flame had helped me get this place together. New paint, new staining. New everything.
We had to start again.
“They are eager to meet you.” Phebe wrapped her arms around Sapphira’s shoulders from behind. I saw Sapphira’s eyes duck at the gesture, a fucking small smile on her mouth. These two fucking killed me on a daily basis. “No one will judge you. And Lilah, Mae, Maddie, Bella and Grace will be there too. We are all of the same background. You like them, feel safe with them. And we will all be there with you.”
“Okay,” Sapphira said. Phebe stepped back and turned Sapphira to face her.
“You are so beautiful, sweetheart,” Phebe said with tears in her eyes. Sapphira was dressed in a long purple dress. Phebe was in her white off-the-shoulder dress that I fucking loved. Both bitches were stunning.
Both mine to protect.
“Thanks, Mama,” Sapphira said. I took that as my cue to go. But not before I saw the fucking blinding smile that came on Phebe’s lips.
She never got sick of that word: Mama.
I entered the living room of the cabin and stopped dead. Zane was looking at the pictures above the fireplace. I walked beside him. He didn’t move. Didn’t think he could speak even if he wanted to. “Had that fucking photo with him every time he went on tour,” I said and heard Zane’s slow release of breath. I fought back the tightness in my chest. “Would stare at it for hours. Missing you.” My gaze moved to the one beside it.
“I remember that day,” Zane said.
“You do?”
“I remember the moment the shot was taken.”
I stared at the picture, as did Zane. I reached into the pocket of my cut and pulled out what I wanted him to have. When I looked at Zane, he was already watching me. And he’d
seen what was in my hands. “Ain’t sure if you’d want them.” I felt the cold metal in my hands. “It’s a fucked-up situation we got. And ain’t sure if you’d want anything of his like this. I just wondered, because he was your dad—”
“I want them,” Zane said quickly.
I nodded and dropped the dog tags into his hands. The kid had me fucking choked up. His eyes watered as he ran his fingers over Dev’s name and number. “I’m . . . I’m proud of him, you know?” He ignored the tear that rolled down his face. “I’m proud of what he did for our country.”
I nodded, because I couldn’t fucking speak.
“I’m proud of you both.” He lifted his eyes to mine. “I get it didn’t end well. But . . . but Claire told me how proud Mom was of you both, you and Dad. And I remember her saying that what you were doing was important. That you were both brave.”
“He’d be proud of you too, you know?” I said.
Zane smiled. “You think?”
“I know it. You were his life.”
