In spite of the exciting start to her day, the rest of it felt like torment to Helen. Dwight’s admission to stealing a ring from Kendrick had ruined her mood to do anything and had filled her heart with worry. She could only hope that the loan shark had either forgotten about it or would not accuse her father of theft. But Helen knew that both of those scenarios were not at all plausible. A notorious loan shark like Kendrick would most likely remember; Helen could only pray that he would show leniency towards her father.

Still, this was not her only problem. Her father’s actions had put him and his family in harm’s way and now that Marcus was involved, she couldn’t help but fear for his life as well. Of course, Helen’s boyfriend was a former marine. He had been trained for much more challenging situations than the one her family now found itself. That fact somewhat appeased her fear, but it was not enough to bring her peace. On the other hand, Marcus seemed very relaxed. Much to her frustration, he acted like everything was fine. He even played the guitar for her, in an attempt to calm her down, but to no avail. The melodic notes and his deep voice proved unable to take her mind off of the meeting with the loan shark. Helen even rejected Marcus’s sexual advances that night, claiming that sex was the last thing on her mind.

The next morning, she went to a local bank branch and withdrew the money that Olivia had wired her. Once again, the remaining hours until her father’s meeting with Kendrick felt like an eternity. She checked the clock every few minutes, thereby upsetting Marcus. Unwilling to repeat the same things he had told her over and over the day before, he chose to go for a walk. As Helen paced up and down on James’s driveway, she glanced at his front porch. She could still recall the excitement in Olivia’s voice, as she narrated the story of James’s proposal. So, she folded her arms across her chest and started down the driveway. Turning right and into the porch, she gazed out at the view, sucking in a deep, cleansing breath.

I can only imagine how beautiful it must have been. Panther Mountain Peak, the mist, the cold breeze… God, I get shivers just thinking about it. It’s a lot warmer now, but still, it looks breathtaking. I’m not looking for a marriage proposal. I’m too young to get married, anyway. I just want my father and Marcus to come back safely to me.

Hours later, Marcus took Helen and drove to her parents’ house. He and his father asked her to stay at home, but she remained adamant. She didn’t want to be in the same car as them. Instead, she asked if she could watch from a distance. The two men obliged her request, but Marcus clearly instructed her to follow them, with the headlights of her truck off.

Fifteen minutes to midnight, they were on their way to the rendezvous point: A small, abandoned warehouse on a ledge, six miles west of Shandaken. Marcus loaded the gun that Dwight had lent him and put it behind his back, as Dwight’s old Chevrolet rolled to a halt. To their surprise, Kendrick’s black Lincoln was already there. He and his bodyguard were in front of it, somewhat blocking the light from the headlights.

“Son of a bitch,” Dwight groaned. “We’re almost fifteen minutes early and they’re already here?”

“Just stay cool,” Marcus advised, opening the passenger door. Dwight reached toward the dashboard and picked up a large, thick envelope, as Marcus stepped outside. Gripping the door handle with fear-clumsy fingers, he got out of his car. Moving around the car, Helen’s boyfriend patted him on the back, before they began to cross the empty street.

“Weir!” Kendrick cheered, with a smirk on his elderly face as he raised his arms in the air. “Long time no see, old buddy!”

“Hey, Kendrick,” Dwight murmured, handing over the envelope to the loan shark’s man. “It’s all there.”

“Who’s the ponytail?” Kendrick asked, pointing up at Marcus.

“Just take the money.” Marcus grumbled, glaring down at him.

“I guess we’re done here.” Dwight spoke in a quivering voice. “You gentlemen have a nice night.”

“Not so fast, Dwight-y boy.” Kendrick’s sarcastic grin made the blood boil in Marcus’s veins. “You see, you still owe me something.”

Dwight kept his mouth shut, as he slipped his right hand into his pocket.

“I found it in my car yesterday.” He maintained, tossing it towards Kendrick. “It’d slipped under the passenger mat.”

“Ooh, the passenger mat he says!” Kendrick’s brows popped up. “And I’m supposed to believe that!”

“I f…”

“Shut up!” Kendrick’s hoarse voice echoed in the wilderness. “The ring was a test, dear old Dwight. I’d left it in your car on purpose. You failed. You stole from me. Glenn, you know what to do.”

A sliver of fear sliced through Marcus, as Kendrick’s man reached for his gun. But, Glenn was too slow. In a swift move, Marcus reached behind his back and pulled out his own gun. Holding it steadily with both hands, he pointed it directly at the bodyguard.

“Easy.” His deep voice came out slow and firm. “Just get in the car and drive out of here. No one needs to get hurt.”

Glenn stared at him, his right arm still close to his belt, as Marcus cocked his gun. Just after that however, his ears picked up the distinctive sound of a stiletto blade, popping out. Looking hard out of the corners of his eyes, he noticed it in Kendrick’s right hand. Tightening his grip around it, he charged forward. Marcus turned his gun to him. The crackling of the bullet tore through the night. It pierced Kendrick’s left chest, sending his body backwards, up on the hood of his car. Marcus then turned his gun back to Glenn and squeezed the trigger for the second time. He was thrown to the left, as the bullet lodged in his throat. His body fell to the side of the road, rolled over once and came to rest, flat on his back, his legs apart. Marcus breathed a sigh of relief, as Dwight ran both hands through his hair. Before either of them could speak, the headlights from Helen’s truck shed more light on the road, as she drove off.

“I’m really sorry, son.” Dwight spoke in a trembling voice. “I shouldn’t have let you come with me.”

“You’d be dead now if I hadn’t,” said Marcus, his baritone coming out rough. “We need to get rid of the bodies.”

At that point, the tires in Helen’s truck screeched, as she stepped hard on the brakes, just behind her father’s car. She jumped out, her gaze locked on Marcus, as he turned around to face her.

“Dad! Marcus!” She cried, her heart thumping in her chest, as she rushed towards them. “What happened?”

“It was us or them,” Marcus replied, his voice calm and steady. Helen dragged her gaze away from him and cast a captivated glance down at the road. Looking up at her father, she spotted Kendrick’s body on the hood of his car.

“God, I’m so glad you’re alright!” She whispered, shutting her eyes as she collapsed into her father’s embrace.

“Your friend here saved my life.” Dwight said, his voice shaking, as Helen squeezed him in her arms. Her eyes snapped open, as she slipped out of her father’s hold. A surge of joy, mixed with guilt rushed through her, as she looked up into Marcus’s eyes.

“You…” Helen whispered, her lips quivering, as he put his gun behind his back. “You killed them both to save my father?”

“I did what I had to do.” Once again, his voice was unruffled. Stunned by his act of heroism, Helen wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling tears rising up in her eyes. She pulled him close, resting her head on his chest, as he embraced her. His scent filled her nostrils, as two tears spilled from her eyes. Helen could not work up the courage to open her mouth. Overwhelmed by emotion, she burst into loud sobs, gripping him harder, as her body trembled in his arms. Marcus slid his right hand up her back, bending his head towards her. He planted a tender kiss on her hair, as her tears seeped through his shirt.

“I’m sorry.” Helen sniffled, as his hand slipped into her hair. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Don’t mention it.” Marcus whispered, threading his fingers through her tendrils. “I’m just glad I helped.”

“God, what did I put you through?” She wondered, slowly leaning back.

“No one’s going to miss a couple of thugs, Helen.” His voice picked up volume, as their eyes met. “Your father’s alive. That’s what matters. Look, just get back to your truck. He and I have some work to do.”

“Ok.” Helen smiled faintly and nodded. Still trying to wrap her head around what had just transpired, she did as told, realizing that this night would be forever engraved in her memory. Regardless of the outcome of her relationship with Marcus, he would always be the man who saved her father’s life. He would never cease to be the person responsible for keeping her family whole. In Helen’s eyes, he was now someone completely different from the handsome man she had met in Barbados. Marcus was much more than just another good-looking, mysterious biker. He was the man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill, in order to protect the people closest to him.

Look at him.” Helen thought to herself, as the two men loaded the bodies into Kendrick’s car. “You’re not just my Marcus anymore. You’re my angel; my dark angel. Maybe I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. You didn’t need any more darkness in your soul. But, if I’d kept you out of it, my father would be lying dead on the street.

Marcus and Dwight pushed Kendrick’s Lincoln over the edge of the cliff. Every window of the heavy car shattered, as it rolled down the jagged rocks. Eventually, it landed on its right hand side, just before a loud, blast explosion lit up the night. A big smile spread across Dwight’s face, as the car was engulfed in flames.

“So long, you son of bitch,” he said with feeling, “so long.”