The second Katch got into Eden’s face after her words, I thought I was going to have to slit his fucking throat. He laid it all out to her through both of their anger. Eden finally collapsed in a chair shaking like a leaf. The last fucking thing I wanted. It was everything I had been protecting her from. Now she’s shattered.

Curtis stares at me from across the table. We’re the only two men left in the room. I have no clue what’s coming from him next. I’ve only seen one other time when a visitor who wasn’t welcome busted into church. It didn’t go down like it did today. The woman was punished in front of all the members. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about again until today. Her shame was seen for all. The brother she was associated with was also punished by wearing that mistake permanently on his skin.

“I ain’t fucking happy,” Curtis growls. “Church is sacred. I don’t fucking care who or what disturbs that. That’s a club rule. Our honor and legacy. Ain’t fucking good.”

“Me neither, brother, me fucking neither.” I trace the edge of the table with my finger. “Ain’t no excuses besides her emotions are driving her into insanity.“

“I’ll deal with this after the boy is home. There will be a punishment.”

“I’ll take it all.” I stare him in the eye.

He nods. “I start letting shit slide, and this club crumbles. Our enemies, hell, even our alliances will spot weakness and take us down. And of all the fucking people to lead her in here, it was my cousin.”

The words roll around in my head. I get it. Understand it all. And for the first time, I’m not jealous of Curtis’ position. “Ain’t no excuse for any of it. The women and prospects know to not even touch the doorknob if church is in. This club is my life, and I’ll take mine and Eden’s punishment, no questions asked, but, Curtis, Caitlin is—”

He bolts up from his seat pounding his fists into the table. “My fucking family. I know this. Both Katch and I will deal with her. She knew better. She’ll be punished, you have my word on that.”

I nod feeling sorrow for the prez. All of this shit he’s taken on not flinching once because it’s his family all the while protecting his club.

He sends a beer bottle to the wall. The glass shatters to the ground. “You know I’d never put a woman’s life out there as bait, Brick. It’s the only choice we have to get this job done before this club begins to self-destruct.”

I stride over to him, pat his shoulder, fully ready for him to take a swing at me. “I’ll always honor this club. Take the punishment and do any job, Curtis. I just ask one thing.”

He squints at me waiting for the bomb.

“I get him. It will be under my hands that fucker Ricky takes his last gulp of air. Then I’ll come home and honor the club.”

Curtis stands to his feet. “You fucking bet he’s yours. We all respect that decision. Now, go gather your things and school that little lady of yours about the ways of the club, since you’re choosing to accept the punishment.”

I nod leaving the room. This is my family. They’ll always have my back, whether it be ugly shit like this or the mundane day-to-day shit. Curtis is right about schooling Eden. Any other circumstance, old lady or not, her ass would’ve been drug out of that room and tossed from the club, and that’s if she were lucky.

She’s pacing my room chewing on her fingernails when I enter. She’s breathtaking even in moments like these. Eden’s told me she trusts the club and me, but it’s about time she fucking starts showing it. Words are cheap. I slam the door with such force the window and walls rattle. Eden’s spine stiffens. She opens her mouth to talk, but I’m up in her face before she gets a damn word out.

“Shut the fuck up,” I grit out.

Her mouth snaps shut. Her hands reach out to cup my face, but I capture her wrists in one hand then back her up to a wall. I slam my fist into the wall next to her head. The drywall shatters and crumbles to the ground.

“What the fuck, Eden?” I leave the question open, wanting to know what in the hell was running through her head.

“I’m not sorry. Rachel was going insane rattling on about punishments, but I had to know the news. He’s my nephew—”

I cut her off. “Has this club ever done you wrong?”

“I want him back. I need to go.”

“Answer the fucking question,” I grit out. “Has this club ever done you wrong?”

“No, but—”

“Have my brothers dropped every fucking thing to find your nephew? Did they leave their families to go to Colorado? Have they put their fucking life on the line for you and your nephew?”

“I have to get him back.”

My last shred of patience snaps, my voice roars to the point of hurting my vocal chords. “Answer the fucking question, Eden!”

“No.” It’s barely a whisper.

“We are putting everything we have into getting him back. You’ve told me you trust me and the club. Are you a liar?”

She shakes her head.

“Then, after everything we’ve done, you waltz your ass into church demanding answers.”

Eden squeezes her eyes shut, dropping her head, but I don’t stop.

“You want your fucking phone back? I’ll give it to you right now. You think you’re going to grab your case of money and drive down there because you're bigger than Ricky or this club? Is that your plan? Because I’m having a real hard fucking time right now figuring you out.”

Deadly silence. But this is the last time I’m going to bring this up. I get her desperation to have Wilder back. I understand better than anyone else about having your passion and emotions trump common sense. It’s an internal war I’ve battled my entire life. Eden’s passionate, strong, and smart, but if she can’t trust in my club, then we will never work. We have to find a common fucking ground to ever have a chance to make it.

“I was wrong, but—”

“Bull fucking shit,” I roar, stepping back and dropping her hands. The loss of connection slices her as much as it does me. “There ain’t no but, and quite frankly, Eden, it fucking hurts to know you don’t trust this club. Guess you and your fancy doctor gear could do better.”

“Stop!” she screams at the top her lungs, making the noises from the barbeque outside go silent in here. Her hands tangle in the sides of her hair, tugging and pulling at it. “Just fucking stop! I can’t handle any more of it. I flipped and needed to know. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I want to be a part of it.”

She recognizes her mistake as soon as the words leave her lips. Never thought my heart would ache again after the walls I erected around it. But she’s doing a damn fine job of wrecking them.

She races over to me, but I step back raising my hands above my head.

“Saxon, listen to me. I trust you. I trust your club. I fucking love you, but you have to understand it’s always been me in life. It was me who basically raised Zoe, put myself through college, built my career from the ground up, and it was me who let my sister slip through my fingertips. I’m shit at having help. The news startled me, gave me hope, and ignited the fighter inside of me to get shit done.”

“Then go,” I say, not meaning it at all. The pain it causes in her eyes makes me the asshole I’ve always been.

“No.” She places a hand on my chest, but I don’t react. “I made a mistake. I know that now. I need you to help me. I need this club, and those words don’t come easy for me. I’m sorry.”

“Words are cheap, Eden. You’ve said trust and all this shit, but your actions don’t show it. I’ve done everything to reassure we will do our best to get Wilder back. Say this time is forgiven and over. Then, if we head to Colorado, you make another dumb decision based on emotions instead of tact or plan. And when you do that, you won’t be getting Wilder back; you’ll be getting a bullet in your head from Ricky’s gun.”

“Help me,” she begs. “How do I keep my passion and drive and still trust the process?”

“That’s on you. Your choice.” I step away from her touch. “I don’t know how else to show that I love you. I’m busting my ass to bring Wilder home. Guess it’s up to you to decide if you want to continue alone in life or accept help.”

“Brick, I just--”

I turn and punch the wall again, creating a new whole. “It’s a ‘Yes, I fucking understand’ or ‘No, I can’t handle it and walk away’ type answer. I know what you’re going through. Have the life of my brothers on the line to fucking help you. Should be enough.”

She’s silent for a long time. I know that she knows the answer, but it’s all the other static in her mind she’s wading through.

“Yes, I understand, Brick.” She takes a step forward. “I choose you and help. But I need help along the way. This is all new to me. It’s opposite of the way I’ve lived for years.”

I wring out my fist and turn to her. “This means no matter how pissed and thirsty you are for information, you trust the process.”

“Yes.” Her voice is adamant with no trace of doubt. “It will be hard for me, but I know beyond a doubt this club has my back because of you. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere with Ricky.”

“We good? Because I don’t much like beating a dead horse over and over.”

“We are good. I’m by your side.”

Trust. That shit I’ve never been right with. Life has taught me otherwise. Thing is, I found love. A woman my complete fucking opposite. It was my choice and is why I’m dealing with this chaos. I get where she’s coming from, but we both have to be on the same page. My spine relaxes getting all this shit out in the air. The tug she’s always casted on me is right back in place. And I choose to trust her.

“Thinkin’ I need to make sure you understand the fucking ways.” I reach down unzipping my jeans. “Just to make sure, yeah?”

The tension that was so evident in my voice eases away with every word I speak.

“Yes.” Eden nods her head.

The confession spills from me in a vulnerable state with my dick in my hand. “Wouldn’t have many days left if you walked out on me or something happened to you. It would be the final straw to gut me.”

Eden glances down to my hand stroking my dick. I lean in and give her a chaste kiss.

“Suck my dick, darlin’.” I crook up an eyebrow, challenging her. “I need to feel you.”

She sinks to her knees without question or hesitation. I throw my head back when those evil lips shaped by Satan wrap around my cock. She glides up and down my shaft using a mixture of teeth and tongue. My balls rolling in her palm. My hands glide through her hair holding the back of her head.

Flexing my hips, I fuck her mouth until I’m moments away from coating the back of her throat. I still her head, pulling back until my dick releases from her mouth. I moan at the loss.

“Gonna come. Need to be inside you, darlin’. Relish in everything I have with you.”

She shakes her head. “I follow your rules at the club. You will follow my orders of what and when I need when it comes to your body, no questions asked.”

There’s my vixen back to play. I squeeze my eyes shut hoping like hell this is the last time we have a breakdown over me wanting to help her.

“Darlin’, not following you here.”

“If I want your taste in my mouth, then you give it to me.” She doesn’t wait for a response from me before taking my dick in her mouth again. She works me right back up to where I’m moments from blowing my load. Her gaze darts up to me. Her bright eyes pleading with me to give it to her. So much exchanges in the glance between us. Our fences tumble, our trust given to one another with the silent promise of carrying each other's worries. And it’s my undoing. I roar out my release, flexing my hips into her mouth until I’m milked dry.

Eden licks me dry then promptly stands up, straightening out her shirt. She brushes back her hair then graces me with a quick kiss. “Let’s get going.”

She turns to begin packing a bag for the both of us. I grab her arm before she gets too far then cup her face, dropping my forehead to hers. I close my eyes building up the fucking courage to tell her what I need to. I may be a badass biker, done my fair share of killing, but when around this woman, I’m just a man.

“I love you, Eden. Fucking do anything for you. Go to hell and back to just make you happy. You’re my end game, woman. I want my babies in you and all that shit. I’d take a bullet for you without blinking.”

Eden smiles against my lips. “Say it again.”

“The fuck?” I pull back. “You want me to repeat all that shit?”

She winks. “Just the first part. Three simple words that mean everything to me.”

“I love you.” It flows from my lips as natural as it is to put one foot in front of another while walking. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, let's go get our boy back.”

This time, she pulls away and begins packing. Her new clothes are in here courtesy of a prospect. I stare at her struck dumbfounded. Lost track of how many times I’ve watched her crumble and rise again. This time is different. Her armor is permanently in place.

“What?” She looks up at me.

I scratch my head. “You. You’re…”

“Strong.” She walks over to me, placing her hands on my chest. “Confident, loved, and trusting others to help me. It’s all because of you. Saxon, you give me the strength to go on. Put me in my place when my emotions get the best. You ground me into a warrior.”