Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 50311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
My stomach twists. The skeletons in her closet aren’t her shame—they’re her scars. She didn’t make the mess. She lived through it. She survived.
I close the folder, stare at the wall, trying to find my breath. I want to burn the damn thing, to erase every piece of pain in those pages.
Instead, I kneel beside the couch, brush a strand of hair from her face.
“You did what you had to do,” I whisper. “You survived. This is behind you.”
She stirs, but doesn’t wake.
I tuck the folder deep in the bottom drawer of the catch all drawer in the kitchen, under old receipts and worn-out gloves. It doesn’t have a place out front and center here.
She doesn’t need to relive any of it. And I sure as hell don’t need to question what I already know—she’s mine, and I’ll protect her from everything.
Even her past.
The next morning, Rex calls a sit-down. Not a full sermon, just a small meet with the officers and a couple senior members. I’m there. Axel’s there, arms crossed and scowling, his own brand of support. Toon’s lounging in his seat, grinning like it’s poker night and not the kind of meeting that decides men’s fates.
Rex lays it out, no bullshit. “We’ve had Frankie on our radar since last week. According to Saint’s Outlaws, he’s nothing but a low-level dealer and pimp in Arkansas. I want to know why he’s still sniffing around.”
“He’s not just here for Cambria,” I say. “He’s making a play.”
Rex nods. “That’s my thought too. Word is, he’s linked up with Salentino. Using your connection to Cambria and claiming she’s his daughter. That’s how he got the new ride. Moved up from low-level pimp to full-on cartel man wanting to make waves against the Hellions for Salentino.”
The room goes tight. Toon whistles low. “Didn’t think that asshole would roll in on Hellions.”
Shooter nods. “Thought he was behind us after we refused his last transport. Must’ve seen us head to Saint’s, saw you pick up Cambria. Did some digging. Frankie’s tied in with Salentino since you left with your ol’ lady. Been spotted at a few gun shows asking questions.”
“About us?” I ask, jaw tense.
“About her,” Rex says. “And by extension—about you.”
Axel leans in, voice clipped. “This thing you got with her, it matters. You ready to see it through?”
I stare him down. “You got something to say, say it.”
He shrugs. “I’m saying she brought heat. You haven’t known her long. You wanna cut her loose, we’ll back the play.”
I bite back a retort, but the words come out bitter. “Says the man who claimed a cartel boss’s daughter after a single run. A man who went toe-to-toe with her father with less than a week together. Don’t come at me, brother. She’s not a stray. She’s my wife.”
He nods. “Solid. Yesnia likes her.”
I slam my fist on the table. “I don’t give a fuck who likes her. She’s here. If anyone in this room doesn’t like it, then take my fuckin’ cut because I won’t hang her out to dry.”
Axel studies me. His stare is hard, but there’s something in it—respect, maybe even pride. “You love her?”
I don’t answer, but I don’t look away.
“She matters. We see it all the way through, got my vote,” Axel says. “And if any brother in the club doesn’t back her, they see me. I’ll personally take their cut to a vote.”
His words hit me harder than I expect. He backs her. He backs me. My big brother is willing to take on anyone going against me.
Axel continues, voice steady. “Little Foot is always a soldier. Always the one to follow an order, never get out of line. Always taking any job, got the back of anyone in the club. He claims her, that’s all I need to know. I don’t care about her past, or what Frankie or Salentino tries to bring down on us.”
He sweeps the room with his gaze, every man watching. “Anyone challenging this? You aren’t just challenging Little Foot. You’re challenging me.”
Silence falls, heavy and full.
Rex looks between me and Axel, then back to me. “You trust her?”
“With everything.”
Axel nods. “I trust my brother. I respect him. He wants her.”
Rex nods once. “Then this is on you, Double. If she becomes a liability, it’s your patch that bleeds first.”
“Understood.” My brother’s voice is steady. “I back Little Foot all the way. I mean it.”
It hits me then, hard and sharp—my brother respects me. He trusts me. He’s willing to put his cut on the line for me and my woman.
Maybe, just maybe, we’re finding our way back to what we were as kids. Maybe I can have family, love, and respect. Maybe I can have Cambria, too.
Back at the trailer, Cambria’s on the steps, sun in her hair, sketchbook in her lap. She looks up as I approach, her eyes searching mine.