CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

"It's an honor to be my old lady, faithless sweet love." – Hades

 

 

 

      "Ah-ah, don't even think it, sweet love. Get your bony ass over here to me like a good girl." Hades advised like they were the best of friends, those nasty eyes pinned to Zara.

      Run. Run. Run.

      Her brain was active. Her body slow as a drugged slug.

     "Get the fuck here now, call out for help if you want to risk it, don't make me repeat myself, no one else has to get killed today, do you want blood on your hands. Get the fuck here.  Or you won't find out what happened to the piece of shit Renegade Souls loverboy now will you?"

      Rider! Zara's eyes flared, that sinking dread intensified until bile rose up into her throat, a heavy anchor on her heart. Please be okay.  What had he done to Rider? oh god. Oxygen blasted in and out of her lungs with such a speed she was seconds away from hyperventilating as she forced her feet to move, to walk towards the devil until she was in touching distance and he reached out dragging her behind the wall, crashing her back against it, the pain stung her skin and cracked the base of her head. His touch was razor blades on her skin, she could feel it everywhere. Sickened by it.

     "What did you do to Rider?" She forced herself to ask, thinking the worse. If Rider had gone after Hades but ... Hades was here ... it could only mean ...

      Zara gripped by fear, its talons deep in her skin, she looked him dead in the eye, driving her chin up and to stay up, all she could think about was Rider.

      Please be alive.

     "What concern. Where was that loyalty when you were mine, huh?" He smiled repellent and Zara wasn't comforted by the gesture at all. He meant to harm her in the evilest of ways, she knew it, could feel it crawling along her skin. To most women, they wouldn’t see past the pretty face to all his ugliness beneath, to her he would always be a well-functioning sociopathic animal.

      So scared of him in fact, her belly greased over resisting the urge to beg him to answer. Hades loved nothing more than a person pleading to him. Instead, she tapped into her shred of control and anger.

     "I was never yours and you're a colossal moron for even coming back here. Rider is going to kill you twice. I feel sorry for you because you brought it on yourself."

      A vicious laugh cracked the air. “You think so? I beg to differ, he never did have much spine, sweet love, and yet you seem to favor him, I wonder why that is…”

     "Because he’s a decent fucking human being, everything you’re not." Oh, god. Rider. What has he done to him? Her composure was dripping away. "You can't do whatever it is you're thinking of doing, you must know that. It’s a suicide mission, even you’re not that stupid. Be smart for once and walk away before he arrives." It was all bullshit, Rider didn't know where she was and her cell was back at the house. Zara wanted him dead, but more, she just wanted him gone, she would have said anything in that moment.

      Her words held no effect. What did she expect from a volatile freak, that she could reason with him? fat chance, there's no arguing with his kind of rage, unless you crawl down to their level.

     Zara’s pulse increased. It rushed blood loudly in her ears.

      It was an automatic fear; the same fear this dickhead had forced upon her day in day out even when he hadn't been present at the Raging Rebel's clubhouse she knew to still dread the projection of evil he wore like a second skin. But she refused to relent to it or him ever again.

      It was funny, Hades had never seen himself as evil, or remotely bad. Making him that much worse. In his eyes, she'd detected, he was a normal guy. Right. Norman Bates normal, maybe. His entire behavior, every terrible action was his normal. What kind of a life had that man had to make him the functional monster that was before her today?

      She didn't know and didn't care. Didn’t want to know, life was choices and this bastard had made his. To any decent human being, bad treatment didn't beget bad behavior. It was a fucking option and that abhorrent person had done a lot of bad to Zara, to countless others. Unforgivable. Unredeemable.

      No heavens gates for him. She wanted him to rot in hell.

      Some were born steeped in evil, she truly believed it and she was looking it right in the face as he smiled that handsome smile of his.

      Dead behind his gray eyes.

      All cocksure.

      Mean and terrifying.

      He knew she was scared and was getting off on it.

     "Tut tut, sweet love. Is that any way to talk to me? You know how I hate your insolence. You didn't learn a thing.  Your boyfriend torched my place, killed all my fucking men, left me with nothing and then I see he has my fucktoy as well, my sweet love who I missed so much." Her stomach recoiled with the toast she’d eaten earlier threatening to reappear any second if she didn't get her swallowing reflex under control. “Put yourself in my shoes. Go ahead. Do you know how long it took me to collect those halfwits, to patch them in, to secure their allegiance to me? Do you? And all gone just like that. That is so annoying.” His fingers snapped in front of her face, the unbalanced tic apparent in his eyes. Hades had always been a well-groomed man, he liked his clothes clean and pressed, his beard clipped short and his hair swept back with gel. This man was unclean, wearing grimy clothes like a down and out. No wonder he was so pissy if he was missing his weekly manicures. “You think I'm going to allow him to get away with that? Is that what you think? The stupid as fuck cops assume I set fire to my own goddamn place because of your loverboy I can’t go anywhere now, what do I have to lose, sweet love, in taking you all to hell with me!"

      Though his voice hadn't increased, his teeth clenched showing his anger, the flash of his eyes tore a fresh strip of fear off Zara.

      “I want him to watch while I hurt you, incapable of doing a fucking thing. He has it coming. He destroyed my club, my legacy! Do you know what common old fashioned revenge is, my traitorous sweet love? Oh, you’re about to. I’ll take from Rider like he took from me and I’ll watch him bleed for it. The holier than thou dickhead Souls president will beg me for your life like the pussy he is.”

     Something like relief engulfed her. If he wanted Rider to watch him kill her it must mean Rider was okay. He was okay. She exhaled. It didn’t matter what happened to her now she knew he was okay.

      “You already killed Tiny! Isn’t that enough?” keep him talking.

      “Big dumb idiot didn’t even see me coming. It was hardly a thrill at all.” he shrugged nonchalantly like murder was no big deal. No big deal. Tiny had been her friend!

      “You fucking bastard! You didn’t have to kill him.”

      He laughed, her distress entertained him and quick like wildfire he reached out and grabbed her right wrist, bending it back, causing her to cry out, he wrenched Zara closer, their bodies touching, pressed together, sinister sounds coming from his throat when she crashed into him, she pushed back.

     "Get the fuck off me, you lunatic! Did you assume you’d find the same poor weak victim when you looked at me? Sorry to disappoint you, I’m not her.  That’s all men like you can have, smaller people to push around, to bully, to make them feel like dirt because YOU’RE THE DIRT and you know it, I see you know it. You belittle because you’re a worthless sack of shit who can’t be sane and you feel it so deep you do anything to hide from it. There is nothing you can do to me now that will hurt. I was ripped in self-loathing for what you did to me, castigating myself for the bad world you put me in, but no more, I am stronger where I was once a coward, kill me, hurt me, you're still nothing, you are beneath me, do you hear me? INFERIOR. Get on with it if you’re going to kill me, I’m bored of listening to your wah wah bullshit." slapping and punching as hard as she could with her free arm, the blows bouncing off his torso just as if she'd punched paper, she didn’t stop. He was rock solid, immune to her fists. No way in hell she was being taken by this man again.

      No way.

      It didn't matter he outweighed her, she'd die first before he laid another terrifying finger on her.  So afraid, she tasted her stomach acid in her mouth.              

     "You're demented; you know that? The lights are on, but no fucker is home." Hades only threw his head back and barked a laugh, lips peeling off his teeth, capturing both wrists in his meaty hands as easy as picking up string.

      Fuck that, she thought, she had the use of her legs.

     No girlie kicks, fighting for her life, she knew if he overpowered her even for a second, to drag her into a vehicle she was as good as dead, so she applied the flat part of her boot and aimed it at his shin, using all her body weight into the kick, connecting twice.

     "You little bitch! got some fight in you, do ya? I must not have beat it out of you, but I will now. I fucking love that, fight me, it only makes me harder, my love. We could have had something. We could have been something … you’ll see."

       Never. Her skin physically writhed at the thought he actually wanted her. Jesus. Repugnance stung her throat. The man was batshit crazy if he believed everything he’d tortured her with meant they’d been in a relationship.

      Ding-ding, all aboard insanity.

      “I’d rather be dead. No seriously, I want to vomit at the idea of you and me, you space cadet!” she spat out.

      He laughed darkly. The mocking noise irritating.

      It took no strength at all for Hades to grapple both her hands in one of his and use the free one to grab her throat, darkness staining his face, her airway restricted, she choked out for any breath at all, her back hit the side of the building, brick biting into her spine, air shuttered around her chest fighting to reach her lungs.

      Helpless.

     "I don't like you talking to me that way, how is that any way to show your gratitude for not killing you when my boys brought you to me as my gift? I kept you, sweet love, remember that and be grateful. Your spirit made my dick ache, I loved the fucking taste of it, scaring it out of you."

      She felt incredibly helpless. Her belly a blender on high speed. But through all that, the fear left her body, just dissipating into thin air. It was unnecessary, what would happen was already happening.  If he was to kill her right now he’d do it with her no longer afraid of him. The weak man had lost his hold on her, finally.

      His knees trapped her legs, halting her kicking.

      She stared him dead in the eyes.

      “It could have been different!” he hissed in her face, the veins popping out along his temple, the thickness of his beard brushed her mouth.

      No amount of fighting this man would ever do any good. Maybe with a weapon. But just her own one hundred and ten-pound body against an insane monster, there was no way.

It didn't stop Zara fighting, she used her shoulder to try and shove him away, attempting to free her legs.

      She’d fight to the end. Rider had taught her that. Fight until there's no fight left.

      “You are weak. You are pathetic garbage.” she croaked tauntingly, harder to breathe, lungs starved, she used those seconds wisely to tell him what she truly felt.

      For a split second, he stumbled and hope rushed into her head along with a grabbed inhale, only to have it squashed a second later, that same hand circled around her throat squeezed tighter and he slammed her into the wall again. And again. Shaking her like a rag doll.

     "You will shut your mouth, sweet love, you will stay fucking still, you hearing me? I don't want to kill you, you were always special to me, my own fucktoy, you belong to me, why did I keep you, huh, but believe it I will kill you right here to shut you the fuck up, you never could take an order could you? always so fucking defiant, always so goddamn wilful looking at me the way you are now, I could always taste the hate in you.  Maybe that's why I kept you so long, my beloved naughty pet, who I wanted to break into a million pieces. Like watching shards of glass shatter on the ground. So goddamn broken it was beautiful how fast you wept and pleaded. And now I’m going to destroy loverboy when he watches me break you all over again, maybe I’ll have you beg me like old times, he’d like that wouldn’t he? to see how sweetly you yield with the right persuasion. Will he like watching my cock down your throat you think? Ramming until you choke my come in hard swallows." he began chuckling madly, the noise like fingers down a chalkboard.

      Desperate for a breath she glared furiously, eyes bulging in her head, blinking stars out of her vision as the evil man controlled her air intake, showing just how big and nasty he truly was, he didn't even seem affected that he was killing a woman in full daytime at the side of a seven-eleven. Jesus, she could see the news report now. How sad.     

      Death had a unique scent, Zara had smelled it often enough in that hell-hole. She could taste it in the back of her throat, a darkness that choked her, before crossing down over her vision, checking out into the black.

      God, please, no, not now.

      Not here.

      Not without seeing Rider.

      Rider. I love you so much.

      She hadn't even thanked him for everything he'd given back to her these last few months. Never told him what it had meant to her, to live again, to be shown she could be safe with him, with his brothers, inside his MC. Without realizing, he’d granted her the space to grow her strength again.

      Rider. Her heart thumped. Her big bad biker man who she hadn't told once she loved him beyond reason and sanity from day one, she fucking adored and worshipped every inch of that man and now it was too late. All that time wasted.

      Deprived of oxygen, her thoughts raced.

      I will always love you.

      With her body pinned painfully by the much bigger one, she only saw Rider. Her gorgeous biker man.

      And she smiled. Damn, what a trip they’d had together. She wouldn’t change it for the world, not even if it meant she would live. A life without Rider, nope, she didn’t want that.

      In addition to the strangulation, her lungs failing its battle, those fingers clawing around her neck tightening, she mouthed ‘I hate you, asshole’ to him.

      She smiled to piss off Hades, that man was not taking one ounce of happiness from her again. He could kill her, steal her life, but her happiness, the joy she'd felt since escaping Hades' cruelty was all hers.

     Because of Rider.

      She smiled, her tear ducts letting loose, her beautiful man in her mind she went on smiling.

      Kill me, you, fucker, but you'll never take what I had with him from me.

      And with the last force of strength Zara had she used it in the best way by kneeing Hades in the balls, and by divine luck, it was enough to shift the momentum of his weight as he reared back a step.

      "Stupid cunt!" he spat out, strains of his native west coast accent in his terrible voice, teeth tensed, his nostrils flared.  Dragons fire in his eyes. She knew the look, there was no return from here, she visibly braced for the crack of pain, he would beat her to death now. His arm came back ready to backhand her across the face. She must look like a fly for him to swat.

      Zara reinforced her bones, prepared, welcomed it, because it stupidly would give her more seconds to live, any second was worth it if she could just reach her car to get away and back to the Souls compound.

     Safety was within seven miles … yet so far away.

      She didn't trust Hades to not follow her into the mom and pop store, he was crazy enough to kill the people inside without hesitation. Her best bet was to drive as fast as she could to the compound.

      If only she could reach her car.

      All it took was seconds.

      Seconds to die.

      Seconds to live.

      There was never any time to properly process death because if a person did they would truly be horrified of what was to come. No one travels through hell and stops for coffee along the way.

      Death came and took you, and that was just how it worked, you didn’t send it a thank you card.

      Fuck you very much, death. I’d only just started living again.

      Seconds crawled by, Zara felt them all in slow motion like she was running through glue, she braced for the massive fist punching her in the face. You’d think being gang raped had been the worse part of Zara’s existence, but it was the threat of his violence, when it came it was more frightening than anything else, it hid beneath his rippling surface behind the madness, and when it came the fear had been irreparably damaging.

       Only pain didn’t make an appearance to this horror show.

       Something much more…shocking.

      It all happened so fast that for a flash Zara thought she was dreaming, starved too long of oxygen she’d already died and was hallucinating being saved by Hawk of all people.

      Seriously.

      He had Hades trapped against the wall, am arm pressed to his windpipe, after wrenching him bodily off Zara, and by his hand motion going back and forth into Hades ribs, with quick sequence, there was no doubt what he was doing.

      Stabbing Hades repeatedly.

      Sure enough blood began to ooze and cover Hawk’s hand, Zara stepped back in stunned shock, lungs churning in that good air, pain in her neck, as if inside her windpipe was crushed, was burning, she swallowed reflexively working to wet her throat, eyes wider than ever before, she watched that huge tyrant of a man crumble to the floor, just a fast slide down the wall, how easily it seemed, he gripped his torso like he could plug up the holes.

      No chance, Hawk must have stabbed him fifty times, maybe more, she lost count because…Jesus.              

      He’d stuck him so suddenly her brain was still racing to catch up.

     Where had the hell he even come from? When she looked at Hawk he looked right back at her and she shivered.

      Now there was a blast of bleak shade in those eyes. Those doesn't give a fuck eyes.

      Her fucking savior. Jesus hair no less.

     “Zara…” hissed Hades. It was the first and last time he’d ever used her given name. Her gaze flicked down to the floor to find his eyes pinned to her longingly like he truly did care for her. She was sickened by it. Didn’t feel an ounce of compassion for death taking him in drowsing increments.

      She shuffled her feet back so as not to step in his blood. “Rest… in... pieces...sweet love.” wet gurgles almost made his last words inaudible.

      Hades said no more after that. It was a little difficult what with being dead and all.

      Holy. Shitting. Shit.

      What. How. What...

      “How did you… where did… I..” it was about as much sense as she could force out of her brain.

      Hawk had killed a man without remorse right there, didn’t think about it. For me. Now as she stared up at him, the tall lean stature of a wild animal in his cage untameable, blank behind his pale eyes, she wasn't scared, wasn't nervous of this man who had murdered so easily without blinking, she'd never seen such quick skilled violence like that before, accounting for all that she was eternally grateful.

     Unsure how to proceed, murder in broad daylight, thank god it was still reasonably early for the towns people to be out, her feet were rooted to the floor, staring at Hawk for answers, whose eyes remained downcast at the bleeding man slumped in his grave.

      It was no place to die but nothing Hades didn't have coming.      Rot in hell.

      Zara was never a woman to feel hate for anyone.

     Consumed with it for that man, for all those men. It had lived like a darkness in her every waking moment.  And now it was just...gone, died with Hades. The chain had been broken.

     "That yellow thing your car? You need to get in, get to the club as quick as you can, don't fucking stop for anything, nothing, you hear? You see a deer in the road you slice right through it. A cop car flags you down you keep fucking going. Rider will be at the other end." His sandpaper-rough voice brought her out of her thoughts with a hazy blink.

      Oh, fuck. Hades was dead.

      Jesus Christ. Gone. It was real.

     Shudders racked her body until Hawk grabbed her hands in both of his. "Girl! Fucking listen to me, you get back to the club now. You were never here. I need to go deal with the CCTV inside and then I'm behind you."

     "Right. Okay. Okay." She didn't move. Her eyes wild.

     “Fucks sake," Hawk growled and proceeded to guide/drag her out of the long narrow alleyway, his hand fisted in her cotton shirt, the other wrapped around her back, across an empty parking lot, oh there was his bike, she thought, parked nearby her car, but she hadn’t heard him drive up…demanding her car key fingers shook digging in her pocket, her head turned, glancing at the body she was sure would jump up any second and attack. She’d seen horror movies, the dead always got back up.

     "You don’t need to look at that, girl. Get in."

      Zara's inhales quickened, choppy breaths rendering her dizzy.

      Had that all just happened? Her hand shook brushing hair from her eyes. Bile rose in her sore throat directly from her belly and she had to swallow fast. Hawk shoved her into her car, even leaned himself in and started the engine, clipped on her belt, she was frozen, her hands shaking horribly.

     "You killed him." Stating the obvious. She needed to say it. To know it was true, that Hades was gone.    

      "Yes. I killed him. Fucking drive already, girl."

      He was dead. She shouldn’t be this relieved at another person’s death, it was ungodly, but the feeling was there in her chest. Euphoric adrenaline almost had her laughing nervously.

      God. If she craned her head around the massive bulk of Hawk straightening up to his full height she could still see the lifeless figure, blood oozing out of the many holes Hawk had plugged into him.

      Oh god. Oh god. She was going to go to jail. Hawk would go to jail.

      He already hated her guts.

      Why did he ... she blinked, making her eyes focus, breeze chopping hair around her face as the engine idled. "Why did you---why did you do that…for me? You hate me," emotion came thick, fast, right on the back of her panic.

      He had blood on his hands, literal blood covering his long-tapered fingers. Strange to notice he had nice hands now, despite his dishevelled appearance Hawk had round nails, clipped short and clean…save for the blood staining his skin.

      It was in the darkest of moments that the light shone through. Or so her mother would ramble. Zara couldn't see any light past the hard noise her heart was making inside her chest. She was definitely going to jail. She couldn’t handle prison; she’d become someone’s bitch for sure. Her panic swelled.

      Rider.

      Rider.

      Please, god, let me get to Rider. She needed him. Tears rushed to her eyelashes. It was better than the vomit she wanted to spew everywhere.

     "You really wanna talk about our feelings right now, girl, with a dead-fucking-body not ten feet away? Get your head on." Hawk was growling, shoving his hands into his inner pocket of his Renegade Souls leather jacket, coming out with a dirty rag he scrubbed his hands. "Get gone. Let me sort this shit. Motherfucker can get eaten by wild coyotes for all I care. Don’t you give it a thought. Go!" slamming her car door shut, she watched the tall VP stride back to the store like he hadn't just stabbed a man umpteen times, making a call at the same time.

      Zara wished she had his cool calm persona.

      But then ... no, she didn't because Hawk might possibly be the scariest person on the planet, he certainly didn't look like he had a soul left. He saved me.

      It was a long-tortured drive home, seriously fucking terrible, she replayed it all on a loop, her eyes wild and frantic she barely glanced forward for looking back checking for cops, sure they'd appear out of nowhere to arrest her.

      Home. Rider. Home.

      Palms sweaty, her stomach continued to roll, dread leached out of her every pore. If was as if she was living a nightmare all over again. She wished she’d been better equipped to deal, but she just wasn’t.

      It wasn't as though she was even sorry Hades was dead, she wanted him six feet under, but outside of a seven-eleven in the middle on a Fall morning, the store clerk was a sixteen-year-old boy who had flirted shamelessly with Zara both times she’d been there.  What if he'd seen it, heard it? she had to trust Hawk knew what he was doing.

      Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tight, willing herself towards the MC.

      Nearly there. Just a bit further. Keep going. I can puke when I get there. Just a while longer.

      She didn’t even stop when she doubled over the passenger seat and puked all over.

      Okay, puking now then.

      Her throat raw and burning, she brushed her mouth on her forearm, kept right on driving. She was maybe a mile away from the surrounding clubhouse when she spotted a bike in the distance heading towards her. Two bikes, three and more. Her foot hit the gas. The way her heart sped up had her believing it could only be Rider, she didn't slow until she was sure, the distinct frame of her man hunched over the handlebars.

      There he was.

      Riding like a demon, his face pulled tautly. They came to a stop at the same time, Zara was out of the car and sprinting towards him, the other bikes stopped but she only had eyes for one, she dodged Snake's bike, it almost clipped her hip when he rolled to a halt. "RIDER!" her ordinary voice boomed, emotion-laced through it, her legs jelly still carried her forward, her man had jumped from his bike and was doing the same thing.

     Bizarre to see alarm on his face, she was so used to him being this overpowering tower of force, instead his jaw was taut with concern, as he advanced towards her in a ripple of muscle and aggression, she was swept up a second later, held so tight, feet off the floor crushed to his chest, she was in no doubt to how affected he was. "Rider. Oh god, Rider."

     "Zara, baby. I got you. I got you, baby. Fuck. Fuck. Hold onto me. I’m here."

      There. Right there.

      Comfort flooding her system, she fell into his arms letting him hold her up, the only energy she had was to band her arms around his neck, she had no plans to let go. She was drunk on relief endorphins saturating her system.

     "I love you. I love you. Oh, my god. I couldn't. I thought. I needed to tell you before. I didn't think I'd get a chance to tell you. I love you so much, Ambrosio, you are my everything, my all, I love you so fucking much." Her words ran together, she clung so hard, so goddamn relieved to see him, to touch and hold her man. Rider drew her back, held her face in his large hands, and she saw his face soft yet murderous, every line etched in anger.

     "He's dead." she blurted at once. “He’s gone. He can’t--can’t hurt us anymore.”

     "Hades.” chimed a menacing voice behind her before she could get the words out.  Hawk strode like the grim reapers brother, coat flapping at his hips. Twice now she hadn't heard his arrival. The damn man was a phantom.

      They were all in the middle of the road surrounding Zara and Rider, a formidable crew to be reckoned with.

      “He’s dead? How?” the question directed to Hawk but Rider’s eyes were on her face, she reached up and put her hand to his cheek, just testing he was real, that she wasn’t dead after all.

      Hawk told him in short sharp detail. Ending with. “I know you wanted the kill. But I didn’t think you’d want him dragging your girl off somewhere, so I stopped him.” he shrugged like it had been nothing.

      It was everything.

      Zara, if she ever got over this latest trauma and the anxiety zipping through her body she was pretty sure she’d have to hero-worship Hawk now.

     “Goddamn, bro.” Laughed Preacher slapping him on the back. “I mean fuck, really, I might love you now, you crazy sonuvabitch.”

      The others joined in with the celebration.

     Expletives poured out of Rider, dragging her into his arms again, his entire body was quaking. She squeezed tigher.

      “I’m fine,” she told him. She really was. Or would be. “It’s over. I’m fine. Hawk made sure of that. I’m so sorry, I should have stayed at home. I didn’t think. It’s my fault. I promise to listen next time a lunatic is after me.” Someone behind them laughed.

       Holy shit. That ordeal part of her life was truly over.

      And yet those minutes of not knowing if she’d ever see Rider again, to tell him how she felt had been pure hell. She would have endured ten gruesome deaths over those unknown minutes.  She sagged against him, held up by the arms around her. She tuned out at that point, letting the men gather and discuss, there was fast talk of a clean-up for Hades needed asap, but her brain wouldn’t register anything other than Rider holding her. One by one the men climbed back onto their bikes.    

      "Goddamn, Zara. I thought..."

      She could guess what he thought and was right there with him in that fear. She clung to him long after the men disappeared down the road. "Let's get you home, baby," he added gently, kissing her forehead. Zara grimaced, led back towards her car, a prospect had ridden Rider's bike to the club.

     "Rider...I puked in my brand-new car." on the verge of tears.

      Maybe it was the way in which she said, sounding more distressed about that than nearly ending up dead. Rider laughed and wrapped her in his arms. "I'll deal with it, Icy. Let’s get you home."

 

      Sometime later she assured Rider she really was okay, he tended to the bruising on her neck, her big bad biker man was so caring it was that gesture that finally cracked. She sobbed into his chest.

      “I should have been there. Fucks sake.”

     “Rider, this is not on you. It's over now.  I couldn’t be without you, I thought I’d never see you again.”

      “I got you. No one is gonna fuckin’ harm you again, I swear it on my club and patch. I haven’t had nearly enough time to love you, you’re not goin’ anywhere ever again.”

      “I so fucking love you, biker man.” she laughed with water dripping down her face, she could bet she looked shockingly ugly but she didn’t care, she’d been given the chance to tell this man she was so freaking in love with him it made her heart burst, she wasn’t wasting a moment of it.

      I love him so damn much. The power of it shook air right through her. Needing to say it over on repeat, she leaned into him. Connected by love and mutual obsession. “I love you. I love you, Rider. My Ambrosio. I love you. I love you, my bad biker man. I love you.” her nose nuzzled his cheek.

      His smile grew, held on his face before his neck reached down and their lips touched gently.

     “Love you, too, Icy, more than fuckin’ anything.  But ya think you might not try getting half killed next time before you decide to find the fuckin’ guts to tell me?”

      Zara laughed watery, flinging arms around him.

     Perfect oftentimes was staring you right in the face, holding you in its arms and you didn’t even realize it until it was too late. Zara had been given another chance at life, she didn’t know why, or if she deserved it but boy she was never going to take perfection for granted again.

      Her bad biker man was perfect, truly, for her, in every way that counted.

      Together and Perfect.

      You’re stuck with me now, biker man.

      She was alive with every breath, every laugh, every kiss he pressed to her face, drunk on elation, Rider intoxicated, in love with him as if she’d only just discovered he was her soul and for twenty-six years she had breathed all this time with her heart outside of her body.  Impossible. She clung and loved him with her arms banded strong.

     Through all the odds stacked against them here, they were.

     Together finally and on the same page.

      She adored a bad biker man with everything she had and then some and Zara was pretty freaking happy about it.

      The murder of the day aside.