AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You came back on your own,” she says, not that I need another reminder of my stupidity.
“Yeah, I did, and it was a mistake. You got what you wanted, and now all I want is to bounce.”
“It’s not safe, Maggie.”
“Nowhere is safe for me, Letty. At least, out there, I know I can’t trust anyone. Being in here fucks with my head. Nova is fucking with my head. He tells me I can trust him, but I know I can’t. If it comes down to me or the Reckless Souls, he will choose them. So, thank you for the food, but I’m not hungry.”
“I’ll leave it just in case you get hungry.”
“You do you, but I won’t be hungry until Angel Harbor is in my rearview fucking mirror.” Literally and figuratively.
Letty nods, but her eyes fill with pity like maybe she knows that I offered my heart to Nova on a silver platter, and he tossed it against the wall and then shit all over it.
“Suit yourself,chica.” She bounces outta the room, locking that door like it’s gonna keep me in, leaving the plate like it’s some kind of peace offering.
How in the hell a woman like that ended up with a biker, I’ll never know, and I won’t be around long enough to learn the answer. Not that I got the time or the care to learn.
The door creaks open again, and I’m ready to give Letty a piece of my mind. Only it isn’t Letty. It’s Nova, wet-haired and looking like a snack, his eyes burning blue and his jaw all rough and rugged. He’s staring at me like I’m the only thing in his world, and damn, under any other circumstances, this woulda been a jackpot. But this isn’t a normal situation.
“Good,” I snap, trying to keep any warmth out of my voice. “‘Bout time you showed up. Now tell your boys—”
“—My turn, Maggie.” His voice cuts through, deep and in charge, and I wanna fight him, but my mouth’s got other ideas, just snapping shut.
I throw my arms over my chest, trying to look defensive. But inside, I’m all twisted up. I want him. No doubt. But wanting him isn’t enough. Not this time.
“Spill it.”
He lets out a breath like he’s been holding onto something heavy. “I’ve been fucked up since I got back from the war, Maggie. Post-traumatic stress ain’t no joke.”
“And?” I say, tapping my foot.
“It’s not the shit I saw and heard in the desert that fucked up my head, Maggie. It’s what I couldn’t do.” He takes a few steps forward, kicking the door shut behind him.
“Shit, so much blood. So many injuries. Men and women I couldn’t save in time. I didn’t have enough hands or enough tools on site to save them. It eats at me,” his voice cracks, turning into a bitter laugh. “Hell, sometimes it’s like they’re right here in my head, you know.”
My eyes go wide, and my heart starts dancing in my chest. “Like for real, Nova?”
He looks at me like he’s handing over a piece of his soul, and all I want to do is take it. But how can I? There’s so much bullshit standing in the way.
“Yeah,” he barks out a laugh, bitter and cold. “I still see ‘em. Every last one. They haunt me, Maggie, every damn day and night.” His face is all twisted up like he’s carrying the weight of the world, and I can feel my heart ripping into pieces.
I say, “I’m sorry,” but the words don’t feel enough. What can I say to a man who’s given so much, who’s been through hell?
“No, Maggie, I’m the one who’s sorry.” He shakes his head, dropping down on the bed with his back to me like he can’t even face himself.
“After I got back from deployment, I was wrecked. My parents had a life all planned out for me, but I couldn’t go back to that. Maybe I never wanted it in the first place.”
“It’s your life, Nova. Your choice.”
“Yeah, but that choice cost me everything. My family, money, damn near my life.” His voice breaks, and something inside me aches to take him in my arms and soothe that storm raging in him. But I stay put.
“You’re still here.”
“I am,” he agrees with a slow nod. “I’m here because of Ace and Dix and Shades. My brothers. They took me in and gave me time to get my shit together, or as together as I could.”
I nod even though Nova isn’t looking at me. “They’re your family.” But not in the way the Bloodthirsty Devils were like family to me. No, these men were a real family. Through thick and thin, they have each other’s back. They might fight, but they trust in their bond and the loyalty that it brings.
“For years, they’ve been all I got.”
