AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But you also broke out of prison to protect me,” I say. “That’s gonna count for something. No. The way I see it, you just have a lot of explaining to do. And I’ll help you. Chance and Hunter will too. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
He sighs and doesn’t say anything for a while. I don’t either, because I’m hoping he’s thinking about it. And starting to see it my way.
The pink of the mountain face has turned to dark purple by the time he says, “I wish it were that easy. But there’s also the pervasive problem of my lack of discipline and not following orders. And just riding off from time to time.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he beats me to it.
“Though to be fair, to me, a lot of that had to do with seeing you,” he says and glances at me, smiling and squeezing me tighter. “Because you never take no for an answer. You want what you want when you want it.”
I laugh and it’s finally the way it’s supposed to sound. “So what makes you think I’ll take no for an answer now? From you or the Devils? I won’t.”
He finally looks at me properly and his eyes are showing me none of what I feared and all of what I wished to see.
“All right, let’s try it your way then.”
And those are the best words he’s ever said to me.
I cup his cheek, kind of wishing I could feel his skin and that the beard wasn’t covering half his face, though I kind of like this rugged look too. I was right about his eyes reflecting the gorgeous purple of the sunset, and all the green and blue around us too, but I wasn’t ready for the look in them piercing me right through. It leaves me breathless, almost prevents me from speaking.
“It’s good that you agree because I couldn’t stand it if you cut up that gorgeous face of yours,” I whisper to him.
He rolls his eyes. “If all else fails, I’ll do that. And you could. You can stand anything.”
Then he leans down and kisses me before I can tell him he’s wrong, that there’s at least one thing I can’t stand and it’s being away from him. But by now, I’m sure he finally knows that.
His lips taste of berries, sweet clear waters, and all the endless possibilities that have opened up for us now that he’s finally agreed to fight for us.
18
Scar
It’s been almost a week since Harper disappeared. Intel of the Renegades gathering and fraternizing with every MC every club that ever had a problem with us has been reaching us like a flood since then. There’s no doubt that they’re planning a move against us. And there’s little doubt that Harper is somehow in the middle of that move. Jax is the reason for that. He must’ve sold her out to escape from prison. And why my brothers don’t see that as clearly as I do is not something I understand.
She could already be caught, abducted, hurt or worse and they just haven’t told us yet.
But every time my mind goes in that direction I lose the ability to breathe and want to kill everyone that dares say a word to me. So I’ve been trying not to let my mind go there.
No news is good news.
For decades now, we’ve only been running guns and no longer working as mercenaries, hired to fight in and finish club wars, among other killers-for-hire jobs. But we had crossed many men in those days, gave them all very good reasons for hating us and yearn for revenge, but they all left us alone. Clearly, going after and eradicating the Riders didn’t so much remind everyone of the killers we can be when challenged, it gave all our enemies the excuse to band together against us.
And now my daughter will pay for my sins. Just thinking that is almost enough to make me puke. And I’ve never been a man easily fazed by anything.
“No news is good news,” Hawk told me this morning when I went to ask if he’d located her yet.
I blew up at him, hard not to. How can he just lose her if she switches off her phone and destroys the sim card? He’s our intel guy and supposed to be the best.
He didn’t take kindly to being called out. Told me in no uncertain terms to chill the fuck out, go home and wait.
I wish that would help.
But Lynn’s been so worried she hardly speaks. Just cleans incessantly and cooks mountains of food that no one eats. And if she’s not doing that, she’s up at the ranch with the horses, which tells me it’s complete bullshit when she insists Harper’s with the man she loves and just fine. She retreats to be with the horses whenever she can’t handle life. And I can’t even comfort her, because I have to be here, ready to ride at a moment’s notice.
I’ve been pacing around Sanctuary for the majority of this last week, waiting for news and driving everyone insane.
When I get my hands on Jax it won’t be pretty. I’ve been thinking a lot about that, and planning it. It helps. This whole thing’s that little delinquent upstart’s revenge for me telling him to stay the fuck away from Harper.
The fact that my brother, Reggie, the piece of shit who cut up my face when we were children and made me who I am, has been sighted with the Renegades is not helping my mood. I should’ve killed that asshole the last time he threatened Lynn. And now I will. I’ve waited for this revenge long enough.
