Marcus

 

I watch as the guys climb the building like stealthy ninjas, and I can’t believe the way Ghost and Justice are able to climb at the pace and agility that they’re able to. I’d need a ladder to make it up, they’re using the drain pipes to climb, no noise coming from their movements. I admire the way they’re doing what they are, I thought I had the best training available, but these two put me under the table. I move around the back with Wasp, we are in the team set to go through the back doors. Jensen is with Tic and they will be going through the front doors. I gave Jensen my key to the front door, and I’m thanking my lucky stars that there are two different keys for the front and back doors. Wasp holds his hand out wanting the key, it hurts passing it over to him, it’s as if I’m relinquishing the one thing I have to contribute to the rescue mission. Handing this key over to him makes me feel powerless, and that’s a feeling I’m not accustomed to or comfortable with.

I don’t have my own weapon, so I’m pushed to the back of the line. We’re waiting on a signal from Ghost to let us know that’s he’s fixing to drop down through the ceiling along with Justice. They have taken some sort of camera that is small, to stick through the ceiling tiles, so they can determine where exactly to land in the room.

From my understanding, they want to surprise the two and land directly on top of them, something they won’t expect and then they’ll be in a better condition to take the two out, lessening the chances of anyone getting hurt.

I hear Wasps’ phone chime, giving us the signal that things are going to happen, and happen fast. I brush aside that feeling of helplessness, and zone in on the plan of action. I hear a bunch of screaming and commotion, I watch in what feels like slow motion, as Wasp inserts the key and pushes the door open. At the same time that Wasp opens our door, I can hear the front door being opened, thanks to the bell that’s attached to the top. We all rush in the room, and I watch as the Rage Ryders all jump on top of Branson who is fighting Ghost with everything he has trying to get loose, Krista is laying on her stomach and I notice Justice’s knee planted in her back and he’s holding her hands in his. I watch as multiple club members jump in with Ghost and have tackled Branson to the ground. It’s a pile up, one that would be amusing if not for the fact that they were not helping to apprehend a murdering sack of shit.

I can hear him hollering out in pain from the bottom of the pile, and it causes the first smile in hours to cross my face. I hope they make him hurt, in a way that makes him regret the day his father didn’t use a condom on the day of his conception.

“Marcus! A little help here,” Emory hollers out at me. I jump into action and pull the knife I always carry at my hip off and start to slice open her bindings. Once I have her hands free, I grab them in mine and begin to massage them. They are blue in color which lets me know they were tied too tight and cut off her circulation for God only knows how long. “It feels like pins and needles are stabbing my hands and arms,” she cries out. I keep rubbing them, hoping to stimulate and help the feeling to come back.

“Give it a minute, baby,” I tell her.

“It hurts,” she whines as tears roll down her face.

“I know, I’m so fucking sorry, Emory.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Marcus,” she tells me.

I look at her as if she’s lost her mind, “It’s all my fault, this wouldn’t have happened to any of you if it hadn’t of been for me.”

“I don’t want to talk about this in a room full of people, Marcus, but we will be talking about this…soon,” she says, and I can hear the exasperation in her voice. This is a talk I’m suddenly not looking forward to, in the least.

Once the four of them are free from their restraints, we watch as Wasp makes a phone call to the authorities, we decided to turn them in and let the law determine their fate. Though I was promised, that if it isn’t a fate worthy of their crimes, there are other ways of making them pay. I’m sure I won’t know what those are until after the fact, but as long as it happens, I’m good to go. Not only are the local authorities going to be involved in the investigation, but so will the military. He escaped a military prison, and that is something that just isn’t done. I hope one day I’ll find out how Krista and he were able to accomplish such a feat. But I’m sure the embarrassment of the situation will keep this deep under wraps.

I’ll jump through whatever hoops I have to, but I won’t be able to sleep at night, unless I understand that they won’t be able to do it twice. Once the local authorities have taken them away, I can’t help but worry. I am assured, however, that they will be not only under lock and key, but will have an officer stationed at their cells, keeping a close eye on them.

 

 

Later on that evening, all of us guys are sitting on the back porch, beers in hand and trying to destress the day away. I mention my concerns to them, thinking that maybe I should stake out the jailhouse when Wasp tells me, “No need, I already have prospects covering all possible exits. They won’t get away, not this time, my men know that if they do manage to escape, to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Well, there’s a concept I can personally live with,” Jensen states.

“You going to go help them escape so Wasp’s men have a reason to shoot?” I fire back at him.

“Not a bad idea,” he says.

“I can understand why you guys would want them dead, but let’s see how this plays out first,” Tic says. Fuck, leave it to an outlaw to be thinking one step ahead.

“They’ll get theirs if they step even an inch out of line,” Wasp reminds us.

“Fine,” Jensen grumbles. I’m sitting on the proverbial line, I want them permanently gone, but at the same time, I understand why the law had to be brought in on this one. We’d be under a microscope of suspicion until the investigation hit a wall, but even cold cases get solved, and none of us wants to be in prison and away from our families.

“Not even a pinky toe crosses the line before they’ll be taken out, that’s a promise,” Wasp tells us, and I believe him. He’s not the type of man who lies or lets others down. He may be a family man, but he still wears that president’s hat first in all aspects of life.

I hear the sliding glass door open, and Emory is standing there. “Are you guys ready to eat? Pizza was just delivered, better get it while it’s still warm,” she says. Like a herd of elephants, the guys get up and leave the table. I sit here, playing with the label on my beer, still lost in thoughts.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Emory says, sitting in my lap. I put both arms around her and pull her close to me.

“I almost lost you today,” I tell her.

“But you didn’t, babe. I’m still here, breathing and loving you.”

“No matter what,” I breath out huskily.

“No matter what,” she copies my statement. Something that we’ve become accustomed to saying to each other when times get tough.

“I love you, Emory.”

“I love you too, Marcus,” she says, leaning over and gifting me with an intimate kiss. These are my favorite types of kisses. They’re light, but full of love. I’ve always dreamed I’d find this type of commitment, the way she lives for me, but I never thought that I’d actually live long enough to experience it. Emory has blessed me in so many different ways, that I can’t even imagine giving her back all that she’s given me. I thank whatever lucky star it is that I wished upon that sent her my way.

“Thank you,” I say to her, “thank you for taking a chance on me, you’ll never know what it meant to me that day you finally agreed to go on a date with me. You’ve changed my life in so many ways, my best days are those after you. I had a decent existence, I lived the best that I could, but I never knew that loving someone else could be so natural, so surreal. You’ve shown me how strong two people together could actually be. I don’t know where you end, and I begin, because we’re so ingrained into each other, that there is no me without you. So thank you, thank you for teaching me to live, teaching me to love and showing me how to open my arms wide enough to soar. I’ve never felt so free in life, until you.”

“Marcus! You’re going to make me cry. I don’t know how on earth I can top that profession of love, but I’ll try. Like you I was only existing, I went to work and that’s what my life consisted of. I tried to embrace life, but it was hard to grasp. This is one of the reasons I was so upset with you earlier today. You blame yourself for others’ actions, but Marcus, how many lives would’ve been lost if you hadn’t of captured Branson when your team did? How many fires would he have set, regardless of the consequences? He has no moral compass, never has and never will. He’s not like you, he lives to hurt people, where you live to serve and protect. You like to make people laugh and he likes to make them suffer and cry. You honor those who love you and dish it back tenfold. There is no other man like you, Marcus. You are my everything, don’t you get it? Without you, life is dull and empty. You make life full and teach me about living, you encouraged me to never give up, to never give in. You kept me fighting when I was ready to give up. Look at our life, Marcus. We have a little girl who depends on us for everything, and she does it with no expectations of anything other than loving her. Open your eyes, Marcus. Branson may have followed you, but you didn’t encourage his treatment or revenge of others, that was all on him. Let the blame sit where it belongs, and that’s not in our lives.”

“You make me a better man,” I tell her.

“That’s all you, Marcus. There is no better man than you, anywhere.”

“Hey! I’ve got a pretty damn good one,” Ariel says joining us.

“This is true,” Emory tells her. She leans down and whispers in my ear, “Dillon is pretty great, but he’s got nothing on you.” Which causes me to laugh, this woman does wonders for my ego.

“Alright you two, I was coming out to get you, come get some food before it’s all gone. Those guys are hard core when it comes to food,” she says leaving us alone again.

“Come on, baby,” I say patting her leg, “let’s go eat something so we can make sure you have plenty of stamina for tonight.”

“And why is it exactly that I am in need of stamina?”

“Because after I eat dinner, my dessert is waiting for me between your legs, and I plan to devour every inch of you.”

“Let’s go!” she says hopping up and running towards the door.

I laugh at her hasty retreat, and think to myself that I most certainly am a lucky man. Yes, indeed, the luckiest man I know.