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“I don’t regret us either,” I whispered, my throat tight.
He pulled me to my feet and his arms surrounded me in a gentle embrace. “You ever want to talk about this again, I’m here. Maybe,” he faltered, “Maybe in the future . . .”
He didn’t finish. It was left open. A tiny spark of hope we both wanted to cling to.
“Maybe.”
Grim tilted my chin up and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You’re never alone. I’ll always have someone watching. Until I finish Acid, you’re still under my protection.”
I needed that. “Thanks.”
When he left, I didn’t know how to process it. Nothing made sense in my world and it continued to deteriorate, crashing down around me with relentless waves of agony and torment. Gutted, I knew I didn’t want to lose Grim, but he was right. We needed a clean break. I wasn’t able to give him what he wanted. He couldn’t give me what I needed.
It was a stalemate.
Six months dragged by and nothing changed. Little by little, I learned to breathe again. My chest never lost the ache though and I wasn’t sure if that was because of Grim, Suraya’s death, or the knowledge that Acid was still out there plotting and planning his revenge.
My smile wasn’t quite as full as it used to be. The cause was a certain biker president that had severed all connection since that fateful night when Suraya lost her life. He said I could text or call, but he didn’t, so I never tried. It was like our love never even existed.
Sasha and I were both in danger and nothing changed that. In the months that followed, we still had to watch our backs on a daily basis and prepare for the worst. I kept those getaway bags stashed at the Blacktop. Probably wasn’t wise to keep the job there but I grew apathetic. Part of me just didn’t care and knew the end would come at some point. I was a loose end. Acid was a snake in the grass waiting for the right time to strike.
Sasha and I should have left this town a long time ago. Problem was, we were stuck in the past and trying to move on from our mutual loss, but it was far easier said than done. I kept hoping Grim would show up at the bar. I didn’t know what I wanted but I knew there was too much left unsaid between us. Sasha refused to leave the area until the murderous asshole who killed Suraya faced justice.
It was a fucked-up lose, lose situation.
I didn’t see anything changing in the immediate future.
That was why I decided I needed to leave. I wasn’t planning on telling a soul. A visit to my sister in Ohio was long overdue. I grabbed my duffle bag and dropped it outside the storeroom window. I didn’t want Sasha to see and have to answer a hundred questions. She’d figure it out.
The winter grew cold this year and I bundled up, heading out the back door at the end of my shift. Sasha was sitting on a bench, her gaze fixed on the stars that were popping up in the newly darkened night.
“You’re gonna freeze your cute ass off,” I joked.
“No more than you.” She tried to smile and failed. “You off?”
“Yeah. Want a ride?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I’ll go with Shelly. She’s closing.”
“You know you could stay with me. I don’t mind.”
“You’ve got enough to worry about,” she argued, refusing for the third time. “No unnecessary attention. Remember? We both have to lay low and it’s better if we do it apart rather than together.”
I leaned in and gave her a quick hug. “Stay safe.”
“You too, babe.”
Around the side of the building, I picked up my bag. The car was slow to heat and I waite
d for it to warm up, shivering the entire time. The airport wasn’t far. I needed a few things from home and a second bag that held the rest of my clothes and necessities. My key was in the lock of my front door when someone grabbed me from behind. A dark sack was thrown over my head as I was lifted, my body rushed across the yard before I was tossed into a vehicle. My ass landed on a flat steel bed and I didn’t say a word.
Death finally found me . . . and all I thought was that I was ready to be free.
Months had lapsed since I last saw my Trish. Every minute without her was pure agony. I made the decision that I needed to at the time. Keeping her safe was far more important than keeping her at my side. Acid and the Scorpions had to believe that Trish and I were no longer together. The best way to ensure that was to set her free and let her go. Didn’t change the fact that I let the one person who meant everything walk out of my life.
I was a miserable fuck, and everyone knew it. Short-tempered, I had a hard time sleeping. Trish’s scent was in my room and on the sheets. Her essence was everywhere, and it was the only way I could move on. When one of the club whores washed my sheets, I lost my shit. Trish was no longer lingering in the air.
All I could think about was the fact that I had fucked it all up with her. I promised the moon and gave her nothing but heartache. The last time I saw her she was so lost and broken, I didn’t know how to deal with it or make it better. I assumed leaving her life was the best way to set her free. Her aura was so altered I had a hard time stopping the tears that wanted to spill.
