“I changed my mind. I don’t wanna go back to the real world,” I whined, pouting and folding my arms across my chest as Kristian placed the last of our things next to the front door.

“Doll, it’s been a week already. If we don’t go back now, they’ll come and drag us back. In fact, I’m surprised Toby hasn’t been here bashing down the door already.”

“What is his deal anyway? I think he’s great, but he’s always up in everybody’s business.”

“He feels responsible for us all. Nate likes to think he’s the next in charge, but if you notice the way Jasmine always looks to Toby before she makes a decision, you’ll know that’s not true.”

“Yeah. I had noticed that.”

“Jazz has been grooming him to take over for years. She’s kind of semi-retired as it is. More a figurehead these days than the leader. I reckon once this shit is over with Conway’s crew, she’ll back right off. Take some time to enjoy the fruits of her labour.”

“How old is she?”

“Young. She’s fifty-seven. Had Tobes when she was seventeen.”

“Hmm, like my mum.”

“Do you ever talk to her?”

I shook my head. “I burn all of my bridges for a reason, Kris. It’s so I’m never tempted to go back.”

“So no chance at a reconciliation?”

“None.”

He nodded. “OK. Cartwright will be the only name that matters then.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“We should get going. We have to sign some paperwork to make that happen.”

“Then in one calendar month I get to be your wife.” I grinned.

He took my hand and pulled me towards him. “Exactly as it should be. Now, let’s go.”

I pouted again. I loved it here.

“I promise to bring you back here as often as I can. We can spend all our downtime here if you like.”

Running my hands down the front of the T-shirt, I let out a happy sigh. “You’re making a lot of promises this past week, mister.”

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to my forehead. “And I intend to keep every single one of them, soon-to-be missus. But we really need to go, we fucked up the Sydney job, and we still have to plan the transport gig, so there’s work to be done.”

“OK,” I said, pulling the cardigan Holland leant me a little tighter. I kind of hoped she didn’t want it back when we returned, because I’d grown to really love it.

Kristian watched me do it, thoughtfulness to his expression. “And I also think I need to take you shopping for some new clothes. Personally, I prefer you naked. But I can’t help but notice you have very few things.”

“I travel pretty light.”

“I know, but you don’t need to anymore. I’m gonna give you everything you need, OK? It’s my job to take care of you.”

Closing my eyes against the emotion that hit me at his words, I rested my head against his chest as he wrapped me in his arms. I had always wanted to belong. Turned out, I really needed to belong to somebody too. Kristian Cartwright owned me, and I couldn’t be happier.

“OK,” I said. “We can go shopping.”

“Think we can make a stop in the lingerie department? I still owe you for those sexy little lace things I tore.” He wiggled his brows and I laughed before grabbing his hand.

“You think they’ll notice if I model them for you in the change rooms?”

He gulped. “That should totally be the first place we go.”

“I thought everyone was waiting for us.”

He pulled me to the door. “They can wait a little longer.”

“What the actual…” Kris’s words trailed off as he slowed the Ute to a stop outside the Cartwright family home. Lined up out front were five Harley Davidsons. When he cut the engine, the thump of music bounced out of the house.

“They’re having a party?” I asked, unclipping my seatbelt. “With bikers? In the middle of the day?” That seemed like everything I would never expect Jasmine to do.

But then, she had been fucking Breaker rather loudly when we left.

“Or something much worse.” With his brow knitted, Kris leaned forward and opened the glovebox, twisting his hand inside to open another compartment that was hiding a handgun.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed, lurching away from the evil thing. “You can’t take that in there.”

“What if she’s in trouble? What if these guys have moved in and are taking over and we weren’t here to stop it?”

I looked at him and flattened my lips into a thin line. “Are you seriously jumping to conclusions right now? Didn’t doing exactly that almost break us up?”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing. Breaker would never do something like that. He’s not that kind of person.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I do!” Frustration and disappointment reared its ugly head. I didn’t want to go through this again. I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. “Kristian, do you trust me?”

He nodded. “With my life.”

“Then trust me on this. Put the gun back where it was. Your mother isn’t in danger. If anything, she’s probably the safest she’s ever been right now.”

The tension slowly lifted from his chest. “All right. I trust your judgement.” He slid the gun back into its hidey-hole.

Letting out my breath, I smiled as I took his hand in mine. “Look at us,” I said. “Learning from our mistakes already.”

He pressed his lips to my knuckles and nodded. “Let’s go see what the hell is going on.”

I smoothed my hands over my new jeans and pulled my tie-front shirt down a little. It was the most fashionable I’d been in a long time. After signing our Notice of Intended Marriage form, Kris took me shopping and didn’t act bored for a single moment while I tried on shoes and clothes. I’d felt like a princess getting spoilt by her prince. People always said that things were unimportant, but those people had probably never lived a life without. The first time you entered a store and knew you could have whatever you wanted without having to steal it was fucking amazing. The whole back of the Ute was full of my new wardrobe. I would never wear my old cut-offs again.

Holding hands, Kris and I walked to the front door, the sound of someone hooting before a splash met our ears just as we pushed it open.

“Are they having a pool party?” Kris asked as the sound repeated itself. There was laughter and chatter, then a gleeful squeal.

“I think that’s exactly what’s going on.” I smiled, mainly because my suspicions had been right. “Told you there was nothing to worry about.”

He looked at me like I might be crazy. “My mother is having a pool party with a bunch of bikers during the day.”

I scrunched up my nose. “Good point.”

Closing the front door behind us, we headed to the back of the house where people we’d never seen before stood around drinking and shooting pool. There were a few more outside near the pool, some guy with a long grey beard was barbecuing, it sounded like the soundtrack of Supernatural was blaring out of a Bluetooth stereo. I half expected to see Sam and Dean Winchester out there, but found a few Cartwrights instead.

Sam was in the pool with Alesha on his shoulders. She was wrestling with some random busty girl on Abbot’s shoulders. Nate was holding a beer while talking to the grey beard at the barbecue, and Holland was by his side, smiling as she listened on. It was surreal to say the least.

The only ones I couldn’t immediately see were Jasmine and Toby, but I found him in the farthest lounger by the pool, relaxing with a beer and his dog by his side. I found her when a giggle came out of the kitchen. She was sitting on the bench with Breaker caging her in while he spoke real close to her ear then fed her cake. I felt happiness for her. She had taken a shitty hand and made something for herself. She’d kept her family together throughout some hard fucking years. Abbot had said he’d never heard his mother…happy like she’d been the other day with Breaker. And Breaker was the sort of man who would focus his complete attention on the main woman in his life, and I felt that it was about time someone gave that to Jasmine. She hadn’t doubted me, so I had nothing but appreciation and respect for her.

“I feel like Marty McFly,” Kris said, standing really still with his eyes wide.

“The guy in Back to the Future?”

He grinned. “You know that one?”

I shrugged. “I had a TV. I’ve seen some movies.”

But he was right; this did feel like an altered reality.

“Hey, look who it is!” Breaker grinned as he spotted us between a pause in feeding Jasmine. She turned around, all pink-cheeked and stunning, her eyes lighting up when she saw us.

“They’re back!” She jumped off the bench and rushed over to us, wearing a bikini and a silky sarong that she’d tied around her waist. Whatever she was doing certainly agreed with her; she was glowing. I felt frumpy near this lithe goddess.

“Mum,” Kris said in a cautious voice. He surprised me by not calling her Jazz. “What is happening?”

She smiled then embraced us one by one. “So much,” she said. “Come upstairs. We’ll talk there.”

I waved to Breaker and he gave me a wink before we followed her. I was happy for him too. He was a good man who was honestly more like a father to me than anyone else had ever been. I guess that made me understand the closeness Kristian felt towards Alesha. It was affection, but it was familial as opposed to romantic.

Once upstairs, Jasmine led us to the sitting area and we arranged ourselves on a cream leather couch. Kris kept his fingers entwined in mine as he watched his mother expectantly.

“I see you two are together again,” she said, her hands clasped in front of her as she angled her knees towards us.

“Nothing some time and a lot of talking couldn’t fix,” I said with a smile.

“And as long as I quit bein’ a judgy arsehole, we should be good from now on,” Kris added.

“Good. I was really happy when Abbot told me you left together and that Kristian had taken the keys to the safe house. It’s a beautiful place to heal yourself. The wedding back on too?”

Kris nodded. “In a month. We signed the NOIM this morning. Got a celebrant booked and everything.”

“That’s fantastic. We’ll help make your day so special,” she said looking between us.

“Mum,” Kristian said, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his eyes. “Please explain what the fuck is going on downstairs.”

Calling her Mum was obviously reserved for very serious situations.

“We’re free,” she stated, eyes twinkling, cheeks pushed high.

“Free? From what exactly and how?” Kris asked.

“From Conway’s demands. Breaker used his connections to make them see that the fire was an act of God, and therefore nobody’s fault. We don’t have to pay anymore.”

“Considerin’ we all know that fire was set on purpose, that must’ve been some intense convincing they did. What do they want in return for their services?”

“And what about Maree and Dazz?” I asked. They were expecting a job.

“They’ll be well compensated. As for the Grim Order, they did it as a favour.” She smiled and shook her head at the same time.

“Mother,” Kristian warned. “All favours cost something. What do they want?”

She shrugged and spoke in an airy voice. “A favour in return. One day, they’ll need help with something that requires our skill set and we’ll help them. In the meantime, we’re free. It’s a good day, Kristian. You should be happy.” She looked to me. “You should both be happy. Now we can plan your wedding and get back to business as normal.”

Kristian shook his head. “This is insane. We’re working to get out of Conway’s debt for good, and instead of waiting for that to happen, you got us in debt to the Grim Order instead. What possessed you to OK that?”

Jasmine pressed her lips together and stood, her body language slipping into the authoritarian stance she normally held where it felt like she looked down her nose at you. “It’s one job. I made the call because I knew it was what’s best for this family. The others agreed to avoid pulling that dangerous transport job. I’m sorry you don’t feel the same, but you weren’t here to object, so Abbot voted for you.”

Kristian lifted his hands in acquiescence. “OK. I’m just…I’m surprised.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Relax, darling, it’s a party. Get your bathers on and go have fun.” She bounced her shoulders to the beat of the music and turned to go before remembering something. “Oh, and don’t plan anymore getaways for a few weeks. We’re still doing that job in Sydney. Word is, they just had two more couples cash out of life and join them. It’s a big score, and now we get to keep it all to ourselves.” She rubbed her hands together then told us she’d see us downstairs.

Kristian shook his head and slouched back against the leather. “What is happening?” he moaned, running a hand over his face.

Tucking my legs beneath me, I leaned my elbow on the back of the couch as I turned towards him. “Things are changing. I think they might be changing in a good way too. I mean, look how happy your mum is. The others agreed, and I trust Breaker not to fuck us over.”

“They’re the Grim Order. You know the shit they’re into.”

I ran my fingers through his hair, soothing him. “I know what the papers want us to know, and I know what I learned while I was in Sydney. They’re not that different from us. They live by their own code and they’re fiercely loyal. Breaker will be loyal to us. I know he will.”

Letting out his breath, he turned to face me. “You are so fucking smart, doll. How do you do that? How do you read a situation the way you do? I feel lost just thinking about this.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Survival instincts, I guess. You bounce around as much as I have, you become adept at reading people.”

“Come here,” he said. So I did and he kissed me. “You think we should join this party?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s celebrate our freedom and look forward to being mega rich.”

His eyes lit up as a grin spread across his face. “We get to keep Sydney. It’s a big score.”

“It’s a very big score. We’re going to have to mow a lot of lawns to clean it.”

“Oh, doll. We have a fuck load of businesses to clean it through. Mowing is the least of it. Once we’re married, you’ll learn it all. It’s an art.”

I grinned. “I can’t wait.”