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“He said the key opened a special safe,” Guard says.
“I promised a safe containing a small treasure to the man who found my mother’s gift. Aldo has been acting strange for months, and Harvey was one of his drug runners. This is all too much of a coincidence. My issues with my men are my concern, but rest assured, he will no longer be a problem for you.”
Thunder moves to hand him the cash he still has in his fist. “This is yours.”
Raffaele shakes his head. “It belongs to Rose and her family.”
“No. It doesn’t belong to us,” I say.
“Then donate the money to a cause in your sister’s name,” Raffaele says, then adds, “I do not condone killing innocent women, and I am truly sorry that this ugliness seeped into your life.” He then turns to Reno and Nero. “Thank you for getting this back to me.”
“It’s all Reno who figured it out with his brothers,” Nero replies with a chuckle. “Now you owe him twice.”
“This one’s a freebie, as long as Guard and his crew are left in peace,” Reno says.
“You’ll have nothing to fear fromUltimo Morte,” Raffaele promises.
“Thank you, but Aldo may turn his attention to my parents out of revenge,” I say, coming to stand before Raffaele. “I love my family, as you do yours. Please! I need your word.”
“You have my word. I have never broken a vow, Rose, and I don’t intend to start now,” Raffaele says. Then he rises to his feet and bids goodbye to all, his friend Ivo following closely behind.
With everyone on their feet and satisfied that it’s finally over, I say, “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”
Thunder hugs me tight to his side, his bright smile beaming down on me. “It’s over, baby.”
TWENTY-THREE
Choices
THUNDER
Amonth later…
Things go back to normal, or as normal as they can be seeing that Satan’s Pride is never at a loss for excitement. Fortunately, the last bits of news include Abby and Ghost being pregnant with their first child. As always, the club rallied to celebrate the news.
To think that Ghost was a man without a name who remained that way for years and years before he made it home to his brother Guard is a miracle in itself. But that just proves how the love of a good woman can bring a man back to the land of the living.
Rosie has settled back into work. Her parents came to visit, needing to see for themselves that their daughter was safe. They stayed for the week, then made us promise to go back for the holidays before heading home.
“Take care of my girl,” Erik said to me before boarding the plane.
“Always,” I replied.
Erik and Penny are the parents I always wanted. They’ve suffered the loss of Clarissa, but they never stopped loving her. They encourage Rosie to follow her dreams and they pass no judgment on the Pride and how we run our lives. Erik was openly appreciative of the help Guard and my brothers jumped in to give. Penny told me I was a lucky man to have so many people who care for me. And then she made sure to say, “We do too.” She came up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.
Rosie and I are unofficially living together. Either I’m in her bed in her home, or she’s in mine at the club. With all that’s happened, I’m letting Rosie set the pace, although I’ve already started looking for a house for us, where we can build a family of our own.
After Clarissa, and a string of other women who pretended to be something they weren’t, I swore off women as a long-term plan. I rode free and wild and loved every second of it, convinced it was everything I wanted. Rose was an incredible surprise. A sweet girl, proud and strong, but also soft and caring, she’s the whole package.
As I’m walking out to the parking lot of the compound, I see Guard dismounting from his motorcycle and coming toward me.
“Heading out?” Guard asks.
“I’m picking up Rose. We’re meeting Saint and Izzy at Hanna’s for a bite. Wanna come along?” I invite. He shakes his head, but he has a shit-eating grin on his face. “What’s that for?”
“I told you, man,” he says, and I know exactly what he’s talking about.
When I made the decision to make the Pride my home, Guard and I had a heart-to-heart. It’s something he does with all the brothers. Every man in the club has a special relationship with Guard. It’s inexplicable, and each man keeps their conversation private.
