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  “Romeo, no,” Sydney says, wobbling to her feet.

  The always curious cat prowls near the body until I shoo him away. I don’t see if Romeo returns. My attention is on Sydney who I pick up and carry to the couch.

  “The fucker,” I growl seeing her shirt and bra torn. The skin on her tits is red and scratches run from her nipples to her ribcage. “What the fuck?”

  I can’t think of the right things to say. Sydney is bleeding and shaking violently, but I’m lost. The fucker is dead. The club is going to kill us. I don’t know what the right answer is so I look at her and say the only words I can remember.

  “I love you.”

  Still shaking, Sydney smiles at me. “I love you too.”

  “Why was he here?”

  “He wanted to kill Cal, but couldn’t find him. I was his third choice. After you, I suspect.”

  “Are you hurt?” I ask, grabbing a towel from the kitchen then rushing back to the couch. “Stupid question.”

  “It’s not too bad. My leg hurts and my head banged against the wall, but I think I’m okay. The baby too.”

  Placing my hand on Sydney’s stomach, I think of how the little girl growing inside her might belong to the evil fuck dead on the floor. She’s lucky she’ll never meet her real dad. No one needs to know they came from such filth.

  “The club is going to kill us,” Sydney says, waking me from my thoughts.

  “We can fix this,” I mumble with no idea how.

  Sydney nods then glances at Kelly. “He has enemies. A lot of people want him dead. Dangerous people.”

  The bleeding on her forehead has stopped, but the thigh wound is deeper and might need stitches.

  “You need to see a doctor.”

  “We need to burn down the trailer.”

  Frowning at her, I glance around. “Why?”

  “We say bikers came here looking for Kelly. They roughed me up then killed him. I’ll say I overheard them saying they’re coming for Wendi next. Johnny and his guys will be in such a fucking rage and panic that we’ll have time to get out of the Grove.”

  “Burning the trailer means they can’t look for evidence,” I say, instantly feeling like an idiot to state the obvious. “You’re a smart chick.”

  Sydney gives me a weak smile. “I watch a lot of cop shows.”

  “Are you packed?” Once she nods, I pull out my phone. “We need to get Mike here, so he can stick all our shit in his car.”

  As Sydney calls her dad, I look outside to find a quiet trailer park. It’s that perfect time of day when the losers are sleeping while the normal folk are at school and work. I try to view this timing as a blessing. However, until Sydney is out of the Grove, nothing feels right.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Sydney

  Burn, Baby, Burn

  Bo carries me outside, even though I can walk. I know he feels guilty for allowing me to be hurt in any way. The good man he was before prison shines through more and more these days. Killing Kelly shakes him, but his goodness remains.

  Dad doesn’t say anything when he pulls up to the trailer. He opens his trunk and backseat. Our two suitcases, a box of pictures and Mom’s old knickknacks, and the cat carrier with a pissed Romeo fill the car.

  “We’ll get your leg checked out,” Bo says, resting me in the front seat of the car. “Check the baby too.”

  My hand immediately goes to my stomach and I’m relieved to feel the baby fluttering inside me.

  “What about the trailer?” I ask.

  “Need to burn it down before the losers get up and start noticing shit.”

  I study the trailer I called home for the last three years. While I pretend to be worried about Romeo, Bo and Dad walk inside. My head hurts and my leg throbs like crazy, yet my only worry is getting out of the Grove before Johnny or Snake realize what’s happening.

  I allow my mind to wander to my morning with Bo before everything turned to shit. His close shave is now a rough face of stubble. Waking up to him exploring my skin, I couldn’t imagine a better alarm clock.

  We share so many perfectly quiet moments in the morning. I know every line of his hard chest and stomach. Every spot on his thighs that makes him squirm. Best of all, I know how to make him sigh like the weight of the world has never rested on his shoulders. This is what love feels like and I refuse to allow the Gutters to steal it away from us.

  Bo and Dad return to say there’ll be nearly nothing left once the fire is done. When I ask about Kelly, they both have a look that makes me shiver. I know the fire will burn hottest where the evil fucker rests.

  I decide it’s time to call the evil fucker’s evil fucking father. Johnny lets the call go to voice mail, so I call again. This time, he answers sounding angry.

  “What?” he growls.

  Summoning all of my fear at losing my baby, Bo, and Dad, I cry out, “They killed Kelly! Some bikers found him at my place and killed him!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Johnny asks, trying to sound angry, but giving away his fear.

  “I don’t know who they were. They came here and said they knew what he did. Kelly fought them, but there were three guys and they killed him. Oh, Johnny, they killed Kelly.”

  “Tell me what you saw, bitch.”

  Knowing Johnny is accepting his son’s death, I hope the pain kills him. “I tried to run, but they threw me into a wall. I hit my head and I woke up when Kelly was dead. The fuckers were still kicking him even after he was gone,” I whimper, thinking about everyone Kelly ever murdered. “I pretended to be dead. I kept my eyes closed once I saw what they were doing to his body, but I heard them say they were going to make sure you knew what it felt like to lose your princess.”

  Johnny says nothing, but I hear him breathing. Hell, I can nearly feel him putting shit together. I don’t want him asking more questions. I want him focusing on Wendi.

  “What do I do now, Johnny?” I ask in a small voice.

  Johnny responds by hanging up. His son is dead and his daughter is in danger. Whether I live or die, he doesn’t care. His mind is on his family and readying for war. For the first time in a year, I feel free of the Gutters.

  The trailer burns easily. As Dad drives away with Bo following on his Harley, I watch the bedroom windows give way to the heat. The movement of the flames licking at the side of the trailer feels like my old life waving goodbye.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Bo

  Six Years of Back Pay

  The Grove feels tense or maybe it’s just me. I can’t relax until I see my daughter moving around in the ultrasound. Sydney’s leg is stitched up and she knows what kind of pain meds she can take without hurting the baby.

  Once Sydney’s resting on her back, the ultrasound technician rubs the wand thing on her stomach. At first, I can’t tell what the hell I’m looking at since it’s one of those old fashioned 2D machines. Once my eyes adjust, I see a creepy thing with a giant head and stick-like legs and arms.

  “That’s my little girl,” I say, holding Sydney’s hand.

  The relief is so clear on my woman’s face. Even though we should get the hell out of the Grove, Sydney needs to see our baby is okay first. The technician rates the baby’s movements and other stuff I don’t understand. She says everything looks good and I feel the weight of the shitty day ease off me.

  “Let’s name her Mika after your dad,” I say after the technician leaves and Sydney is cleaning the ultrasound goo off her stomach. “His addiction is why we met. I guess we could name her Poker or Roulette, but I like Mika. My mom’s middle name was Gita. Feels similar even though they’re not at all.”

  Sydney’s big eyes fill with tears. “Tell me everything will be okay.”

  “We’re going to leave this shithole and drive to Wyoming. We’ll start over and be anyone we want. I’ll work on cars. We’ll find a new place where no one has ever hurt you. Your dad will be with us and soon our baby will be born.”

  “I looked on my phone
and Wyoming is pretty,” she says, settling her fears.

  “Skies as blue as your eyes.”

  Laughing, Sydney pulls me against her. “You’re a poet.”

  “Love makes men weak and stupid. Sure feels good though.”

  “Feels like I’ve been starving all my life and now I’m finally satisfied.”

  Smiling, I want to give this woman everything. She saved me when I was ready to embrace the shit life of the club. Gentle, yet tough, Sydney offers me a new start. Thinking clearly now, I have an idea how to make life easier for us both.

  Helping her to her feet, I wrap Sydney in my arms. I suck at her lips while her hands slide under my shirt. Even with the violence earlier in the day, we work at focusing on our future.

  “How do you feel about stealing?” I whisper in her ear.

  Her gaze meets mine and she understands. Sydney doesn’t ask if I’m thinking of stealing from an old couple or some family. She knows me and I only have one enemy I’d take from.

  “Only if you won’t get hurt.”

  Nodding, I walk out of the room while holding her hand. We pay the bill and I realize babies aren’t cheap. Stealing sounds even better now.

  Mike seems tired, but doesn’t ask questions about our one stop before leaving the Grove.

  In the last month as Johnny’s errand bitch, I’ve learned a few things. One of them is how he hides money all over town. Of all his money drop spot, this storage unit is the safest place for me to look. It’s barely inside the Grove city limits and far from the bar where the Gutters rally their forces.

  Sydney watches me from the idling sedan as I leave the Harley and walk to the unit. We’ve parked just outside where the security cameras are focused. The area is quiet with all the nearby businesses closed. Everything feels too easy and I know Sydney is scared we’re walking into a trap.

  I don’t blame her for worrying, but Johnny’s mind is on other things. He has no interest in running. While he prepares for war, I am focused on the fact that starting a new life with a family takes more than the money I’ve saved these last few weeks.

  The outside storage unit is in the middle of a line of them. Easy for Johnny to get to when in a hurry and I’m glad he thought ahead. After I break the lock and open the door, a part of me expects Snake or one of the guys to be waiting with their guns pointed. Instead, the locker is empty except for a stack of boxes in the corner.

  In a box, I find nearly thirty thousand dollars along with a few guns and a whole lot of ammo. Taking one weapon and enough bullets to fill it, I don’t plan to keep the weapon long. I’m on parole and getting caught with a gun will send me back to prison. I just need it long enough to leave the Grove.

  Hiding my face under a ball cap, I walk past the cameras and back to my Harley. Just before I arrive, my phone rings and the caller ID reads Johnny. A little part of me thinks I’ve been made, but my voice sounds fearless when I answer.

  “Bo, you need to get to the Gut Shot now. A club is moving into our territory and killing our people. They’ve killed Kelly and Cal. No fucking around. Get here now.”

  “I’m on my way,” I say easily.

  Johnny hangs up and I smile slightly. He’s so full of shit that he’ll ensure the Gutters’s destruction. War with the Patriots won’t end well and my enemies will bleed. By the time they get what’s coming to them, I’ll be long gone.

  Before returning to the Harley, I lean into the sedan and kiss Sydney who is a ball of nerves.

  “Did you tell Mike what we’re naming the baby?” I ask, hoping to settle her fears.

  Sydney gives me a smile that erases years of my resentment and disappointment. Seeing such love in her eyes, I forgive my past mistakes because they’ve led to this moment with this amazing woman.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Bo

  Skies as Blue as Sydney’s Eyes

  We take five days to reach Wyoming. Our trip has no urgency to it. Since Mike gets tired easily and Sydney shouldn’t drive with her messed up leg, we take our time. Playing tourists, we enjoy restaurants and a few of the “World’s Biggest” so and so.

  Having ditched our phones just outside the Grove, we use new ones to take pictures with a giant plastic cow and in front of corn fields. I feel strange that week as I pretend we’re not running from killers. Occasionally, I’ll remember the emptiness in Kelly’s dead eyes or those scratches on Sydney’s tits. The past week bothers me until I hear Sydney’s laugh or see her rubbing her belly.

  At night, I listen to her breathing and fall asleep thinking about the baby growing inside her. When I imagine the giant head, stick-limbed creature, I don’t worry so much about what we’ve left behind or what awaits us in Wyoming.

  Warm without the sticky Georgia humidity, the weather welcomes us to Simpson. I park in front of Teddy’s shop and take a breath of clean air. Mike doesn’t get out of the car, but Sydney joins me.

  “This is our new home,” I say, sounding a little nervous.

  Sydney smiles. “New isn’t scary when we’re watching each other’s back.”

  I kiss her softly then with more need. Soon, I’m ready to bend her over the car and relax myself in the best way. Sydney finally pushes me off then rolls her eyes.

  “Once you say hi to Teddy, we’ll find a hotel and see about finishing that kiss.”

  “You look really sexy in Wyoming.”

  Sydney looks me up and down slowly and I feel my cock harden. When she smiles, I know she knows what a simple look from her does to me.

  We focus our gazes on the Teddy’s Auto Shop sign. This is the beginning of the rest of my life and I’m nervous as hell. The anger I held onto all those years in prison is gone. All I have left is this woman, our baby, and the sick man in the car. Oh, and the stupid cat desperate to get out of the cage. I was like Romeo once, trapped and pissed after taking a wrecking ball to my life.

  Now, I am free.

  Epilogue

  Sydney

  The day I turned twenty one was more momentous than I could have imagined. Walking down the aisle of a small church in Simpson with my smiling father, I sported a baby bump and a simple white dress. Bo had the bright idea to get married on my birthday. Claiming men had trouble remembering birthdays and anniversaries, Bo figured making them the same day would keep him out the dog house. Personally, I didn’t care where or when we married. I just wanted Bo to officially be mine.

  We felt at home in Simpson very quickly. Making friends easily, Bo revealed every day more of the guy lost during six years of prison. Even with his buddies from town, he stayed close to home. Bo always said I was the best friend a guy could ask for.

  Dad lived long enough to see Mika Leigh’s first birthday. His death broke my heart, but I cherished the nearly two years we spent together in Simpson. After Mom’s death, Dad never recovered and his love felt muted. Until he met Mika.

  Not long after Dad’s death, Bo and I made baby number two. I was depressed and he smelled so damn sexy after working on cars all day. Sweaty and dirty, he cleaned up really well under my soapy fingers. As a way to deal with my grief, I needed him inside me a lot and Bo never disappointed.

  When we arrived in Simpson, we lived in a long trailer on Teddy’s property. Even crowded with three adults and a baby, the place had a nice view of a field filled with horses. Dad loved sitting out there and watching them. Once he was gone and Frankie Leigh joined the family, we moved to a small ranch house closer to town.

  Bo made a great family man. When I was overwhelmed with a crying baby or the never-ending diaper changes, he would strut into the room and take the reigns. Exhausted, I would smile at the sight of my powerful husband tenderly caring for his children. Once the babies were down, Bo always strutted to where I collapsed and moseyed me to the bedroom to remind me I was more than just a mom.

  Always wanting our company, Bo never ran an errand alone. At home, he loved watching sports with the kids on the couch. Bo taught them to throw popcorn at the TV whenever someon
e messed up and to scream with joy when someone scored.

  With sports, camping, fishing, or simply walking around looking for worms and frogs, our family lived outside when the weather was good. Nearby, Romeo and his new pal Spud always prowled. Those playful times with our family erased the ugly memories of the Grove.

  Bo loved working on cars. He arrived home every day, talking about the problems he saw and how he fixed them. My husband enjoyed taking something broken and making it whole. While I never thought of myself as broken, my life was a mess when we met. Most of all, I had never learned to dream.

  After feeling Bo’s love, I now knew dreams came true.

  Epilogue

  Bo

  My father used to say he always wanted to be a family man. Back when we’d fish, Dad said a man needed to keep himself grounded or the world could turn him into a monster. Cal and I would only nod because we didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. I always assumed this reasoning was why he took so well to raising another man’s kid. Caring for Cal kept him grounded.

  I never felt like Mika was someone else’s kid. Sure, I occasionally wondered about things. Did she get her light hair from Kelly or another blond in the club? Sometimes, her smile reminded me of Cal’s. By the time she was five, I realized I had no clue who donated the sperm to make her. I just knew I was her dad.

  Frankie was named after my mom Frances. My second daughter was a prettier version of me. She even threw fits like me. More than once, she did something fucking stupid like me. Frankie was me through and through.

  By the time our son Lucas Lee was born, I was running Teddy’s second shop and my family had moved into a place with land. Nothing fancy, but better than anything Sydney and I had growing up.

  When the weather was good, we camped outside without worrying about druggies showing up to ruin our fun. Sydney carried Luke on her hip everywhere and they’d watch me with matching amused expressions in their matching big blue eyes. No way could I tell them no when they ganged up on me like that. Fortunately, Sydney was a good woman and never used her powers for evil. Mainly, she used them for foot massages after a shift at the local diner.