A smile breaks across my face with the thought of Raze sending Hero out. “We both know he’d defy you if you ordered that anyway. It’s not him I need to talk to you about, Raze. It’s about something Mikey said in the cabin.”
He squeezes my hand at the mention of him. It’s likely a knee-jerk reaction from him, but it’s comforting.
“What about that cocksucker? You know you’re safe here, doll. Voodoo took care of your missing person’s report. No one is looking for you now.”
“I know I am, Raze. I need to thank Voodoo properly for everything he’s done. Without him, I’d be dead in that cabin.”
“We’d have found you, Dani. Do not for one second think we wouldn’t have torn this state apart to find you.”
“I know, Raze. I just need to tell you—,” I say hesitantly. Raze scoots closer to me on the bed and caresses my hand again.
“What is it, Dani? What is so important that you need to tell me alone? Why are you hesitating with me, doll? You know you can confide in me about anything.”
Tears well in my eyes as the words flow from my mouth. “I don’t know how to fucking say this, Raze, because it will change everything. Everyone will be affected by it, but it will hit you the hardest.” Sighing deeply, I force myself to reveal my horrendous secret.
“Mikey didn’t just track me down. Maj told him where I was. He had a bounty set on my head and she called in to collect it. I was found because of your wife.”
He sits silently as coldness fills his eyes. He looks away from me and releases my hand as he abruptly stands from the bed, heading for the door.
“I don’t want to cause trouble, Raze. I even debated on telling you for days, but I decided it was best you knew.”
“Dani, I knew what she did,” he surprisingly admits.
“Wait. You knew she turned me over to that bastard? Why didn’t you fucking say anything?” I yell at his turned back.
“Calm down, doll. I found out after we brought you home,” he says, pivoting to face me again. “I asked Maj for a divorce after the night at the club. She slept around behind my fucking back and what’s worse is I let it go on. She bolted the day Mikey’s crew came for you. I found a bank statement the day after we brought you home that had a fifty thousand dollar cash deposit listed. I had Voodoo track the account number and it linked back to Mikey.”
“Does anyone else know besides us, Raze? Does Hero know?”
Tears streak down his face and slide down onto his shirt, one drop at a time in quick succession. Seeing a man like Raze cry sends me over the edge. I begin to bawl into my hands as Raze scoops me up into a hug, cradling me against his warm body. He holds me as we weep together before slowly pulling away.
“No one else knows besides myself and Voodoo I don’t want to tell you how, but Maj will never be seen again. I took care of it as soon as I realized the truth. “
“You didn’t,” I exclaimed. “Please tell me it wasn’t you, Raze.”
Shaking his head, he wipes away his tears. “That’s the fucked up part about all of this with her, Dani. I couldn’t do it. I loved that fucking woman for twelve years, and she gave me two wonderful kids, but when it came down to punishing her, I couldn’t fucking pull the trigger and kill the woman who I trusted the most.”
I rub my hand across his muscled back, but he jerks away from my touch instinctively before settling against the stroking motions of my hand. He’s just as broken as I am and his heart was ripped apart and left in a shattered mess around him. He deserves to be happy just as much as I did.
“You don’t always have to be the strong one, Raze. You just have to be the man these men need to lead them. You damn well know this isn’t a switch you can flip off and walk away from. Hell, you are preaching to the broken life parade queen right here, but we have to pick up the pieces and glue them back in a way that makes us happy again. We’ll get there, but even you know it will take time. Hell, it may not even be tomorrow, but it sure as fuck won’t last forever.”
He smiles at me as he releases his hold, placing me gently back onto my spot in the bed and just walks away. Deep down, those words were more for me than him, but he needed them just as much as I did. Settling back into bed, I pull my new Kindle off the nightstand and flip open the book I’ve been reading the last few days. Apparently, Hero had purchased it for me during my confinement period at the clubhouse but had forgotten to give it to me. He even loaded his credit card onto the account so I could one-click any books that I wanted. I’m pretty sure he’ll be pissed when he gets his statement next month. I’ve spent two hundred and fifty dollars in books the last few days. Reading has become my new relaxation technique. It helps me forget about everything just for a few hours and gives me a break from reality. It is a temporary fix, but it does the trick. I lie in bed reading for hours before another soft knock comes from the door.
“Dani?” a soft feminine voice calls from the door. The voice is so familiar, but I know it’s not one of the club girls. Hero made sure that they weren’t to even step foot in my presence until I specifically asked for them. As the door slides open, my heart stops. It’s Ricca. Her face is cut up and her arm is in a cast. She hobbles into the room, struggling and limping with each step. Throwing the sheets from my body, I slide my casted leg out of the bed. Pulling myself up with the crutches Doc gave me, I make my way to her. As we meet in the middle of the room, I grab ahold of her and pull her into a hug. Her ribs are poking out of her skin as I grip her tightly. We stand silently, embracing each other. Never once letting go. She’s a survivor just as I am. I don’t need to know the details of what happened to her. The anger I held against her for being homeless fades with each passing minute. Like Raze and I, the woman I hold in my arms was beaten, battered, and likely left for dead judging by the looks of her.
Life may have dealt us both a shitty hand, but knowing that I have an entire group of people standing with me dampens my anger. Life is too short to worry about the past. It’s the present and future that we need to learn to live for. Together and with this club, we’ll find our way again without anything stopping us from living happy lives. I had to win my freedom and pay for a life of peace with blood, but I will spend every single fucking day living my life the way I want it to be. Free and in love.
Two Months Later
“For the last time, Hero, I said no. Just drop it,” Dani yells at me.
“Why the fuck not, angel? You know it’s inevitable,” I retort in return. She keeps putting me off about my question, and I’m sick of waiting. Patience has never been a virtue of mine. Who am I kidding? I have no virtues. I’m still the bastard she fell in love with that night at Red’s, even if she did take her sweet ass time figuring it out that she wanted me.
“Because I fucking said no, that’s why. It’s two letters, Hero. Even you should be able to understand them.”
God, this woman is the most frustrating person on the fucking planet. I just need a fucking answer, and she thinks this play coy shit is cute. It’s not cute. It’s the most nerve-wracking fucking game she’s ever played with me. I thought for sure that bringing her out to the beach on the bike would set the mood for her to change her mind. A beautiful view that paled in comparison to the beautiful woman lying next to me in the sand. The only thing that could make this day better was her being naked underneath me and a fucking goddamn answer to my question.
“Just give me a reason why you won’t answer. There has to be some fucking crazy ass reason why you won’t fucking marry me.”