Jules put his razor away and leaned into his hands, propping on the sink in Rachel’s bathroom as he stared into the mirror and thought about all that has happened in the last month. He had been doing a lot of that the last couple of weeks. Even with Rachel’s calming influence, the darkness stalked him. He knew from past experience if he did too much thinking about friends lost, the demons came calling. His eyes shifted and he watched the female form moving in the mirror, the outline softened and blurred behind the frosted glass of the shower door. If it weren’t for her, he was certain he would have ended it all by now.

 

The Forsaken 99 Motorcycle Club had gone to war with the Andres Cartel. They had taken their lumps, but they had dealt some out as well. After the cartel had burned down their clubhouse, they had taken out the cartel’s primary drug lab. It had cost them… cost them dearly, with eight dead and five wounded.

 

The cartel had hit back with an attack on He’s Not Here, the bar and grille favored by Forsaken 99 and owned by Rachel. He, along with his best friends Charles “Fish” Fisher, and Sergio “Bell” Guzman, had fended off the attack with no loss of life. No loss of life for the good guys anyway. After the attack he had gone against Todd and convinced the club that they should pull back and wait for the cartel to make the next move. That had been a mistake. Only a few days later the cartel had come at them again, trying to kill him, and succeeding in killing Fish and Bell, as they rode to the bar after a club meeting.

 

Forsaken 99’s reprisal had been swift and vicious. He and Todd, the President of Forsaken 99, had led a party into Mexico where they had waited in ambush outside another of the cartel’s drug processing labs. The Andres Cartel ran their drug empire with business like efficiency, and when the second shift began arriving, Forsaken 99 had moved in and killed everyone in the facility—over fifty men and women—then burned the place to the ground. Fish and Bell’s deaths had been paid in full, with interest.

 

But things have settled down since then. The Andres Cartel must still be reeling from the double hit dealt by Forsaken 99 and their war with the Cuervo Cartel to their south.

 

Jules heard the water shut off. With a mental shake, he dragged himself back to the present. Today was her day and he pushed the dark thoughts aside, something that seemed to be easier and easier for him to do. With a smile he snagged the towel from the bar and wrapped her in it as she stepped from the shower.

 

“Thank you,” Rachel said as he folded the towel around her. He was still naked from his own shower and she admired the trim, cut lines of his body. “It’s too bad we have to leave for El Paso so soon,” she purred as she stepped in close and took him into her embrace as the towel fell away.

 

“You don’t mean that, and you know it,” he said after he kissed her on the lips.

 

“I do mean it. I wanted to go and spend the night in El Paso last night, remember? That would have given us more time this morning.”

 

“I need to ride with the club. Things are still a little strained between Todd and me and I need to show the club that I’m still part of it.”

 

“I know,” she said softly.

 

He pulled her to him and held her close and tight as he enjoyed her warmth. “Hey… it’s okay. Things have cooled off with the cartel and things are getting back to normal with the club. Doing this for Will is a good thing. It’s something we all agree on.”

 

“I understand,” she said. “I just worry that you will be hurt again. You’ve been hurt enough.”

 

“It’s okay. With you… I wouldn’t have made it without you,” he murmured as he leaned his cheek against her head and breathed deep to take in her scent of apples and soap. “You’re all that has made it bearable… and kept me sane.”

 

She smiled as she held him, her eyes closed, as she felt the connection they shared strengthen just a tiny bit more. She knew he still fought the darkness that was inside of him, but he won his battles more often now… and she was glad, glad she could be there for him.

 

He tipped her head up and kissed her once more, with meaning. “We have to get ready. Forsaken 99 will be here soon,” he murmured when he pulled slowly back.

 

“I know.” She reached up and touched his cheek, a slow light caress that she had discovered he liked so well. He closed his eyes, smiling slightly, as he stood still and allowed her to touch him. As she finished the soft caress, she stepped out of his embrace, bent to pick up her towel from the floor, and began to dry herself. There would be plenty of time for more caresses later.