Page 27

Blade

We’ve been in Northern Cali for almost ten days.

By some stroke of luck all of us Rogue Angels are still alive.

By a stroke of something that probably has nothing to do with angels, at least not the good kind, none of the Devils are dead either.

Despite fighting in two battles that looked like they could go either way against enemies that were willing to fight to the death.

And these weren’t even two of the bigger battles in this war the Devils have been fighting for over a year now.

A much bigger battle is brewing, if the rumours at the Devils’ clubhouse are anything to go by and we’ll probably be expected to lend our support then too. I’m not looking forward to that.

The best thing I can say about this experience of allying with the Devils is that I finally understand all those philosophers when they talk about war. But I also now know that I never wanted to understand them.

For the time being, we’re at peace. And the gardens surrounding the Devil’s Nightmare MC HQ are the embodiment of peace.

Truly. The president and his family, and several other execs, reside in a huge, turn of the last century mansion atop a hill they seem to control.

Rolling meadows, ancient redwoods and just about every other thing of natural beauty is present in that garden.

I’ve just been walking it whenever I get the chance, speaking to Bella on the phone and imagining her with me, seeing us making love in the grass, in the shade of the trees, in meadows that don’t get much human contact. In other words, I need her bad.

Leaving LA, I was afraid that distance would cool me off.

That Bella was the sun that fueled the last three weeks of complete surrender to passion and love we experienced, which culminated in me asking her to be my old lady.

I was afraid that the absence of that sun would bring back the darkness.

But if anything, I need her more. And I think it’s the same for her. But I have to be sure.

“This garden is something else, right?” Rogue says right before emerging from behind a tall redwood tree somewhere to my left. “If stuff like this could still grow down in LA, I’d plant it all around the clubhouse back home.”

I grin at him. “I’m with you. But you gotta understand that these trees have been growing here for like a thousand years.”

He makes a face and flips me off. “Why you gotta always be such a smart ass?”

“Someone’s gotta be,” I counter and we fall in step on our way deeper into the forest.

“I’d like to ride back down to LA for a few days,” I say. “Doesn’t sound like we’re needed here right now and I’m thinking we scored enough points with Devils by now.”

He eyes me sideways and nods. “I’d like to say that’s true, but their needs are endless. I’ve been thinking of steering us back home too though. We got very lucky that we’re all still in one piece, I think. But I don’t think that kind of luck will hold.”

“The luck’s been with us only by the grace of the fact that the Devils are so well-armed and so well-trained.”

Back in the day, Devil’s Nightmare MC used to be a band of hired killers, mercenaries who could successfully eliminate any MC or enemy under contract.

They were well known for this across the country and much feared.

But in recent decades they’ve transitioned to being arms dealers almost exclusively.

And it was going very well for them until the families and friends of all those they’d killed back when they were still killers for hire decided it was time to take revenge.

That’s what this war they need our help in is all about.

And it seems that every time an enemy is dealt with, a few more pop up.

Rogue stops, laying his hand on one of the boulders we’ve reached. Beyond them a valley that truly looks untouched by man stretches before us.

“You want to see Bella, don’t you?” he says.

“Very much so,” I say and grin.

“So you’re sure about her?” he asks, turning to me and leaning against the boulder. “You don’t think she’ll just break you again?”

My first instinct is to lash out in anger at the question. But it passes in the next, just melts away in all that love I still have for her and will always feel apparently.

“Yeah, I’m more sure than I’ve ever been about anything in my life,” I say and laugh. “And you know how I’m always sure about everything.”

He laughs too. “That you are. You’re the most careful and thoughtful guy I know.”

I lean on the boulder beside him, enjoying its warmth against my back.

“I asked her to marry me,” I say. “And she said yes.”

I’ve been holding onto this news, not wanting to share it with him and the others, not sure how happy they’d really be for us.

But the doubt in Rogue’s eyes as he grins widely at me is very faint. Almost non-existent.

He claps me on the shoulder. “Well, why didn’t you say? Congrats!”

I thank him, finding it’s completely sincere. There are no hard feelings left for the way he’s spoken about her in the past.

“And here I am keeping you two apart. Go back and see her. We can hold it down without you for a couple of days.”

I bolt back upright, acting and feeling a lot like an excited little kid. “You sure?”

He nods and laughs. “Yeah, go. Might be we’ll follow you in a couple of days too. I’m gonna have a talk with Cross tonight.”

“I should be there,” I say and lean back against the rock, the balloon of excitement deflating in my chest.

“It’ll be just the two of us,” Rogue says. “I need to know where he stands on helping us with our problem and I don’t want to make it too formal.”

The excitement is back and if I wanted to, I could sprint all the way to my bike even though we’re at least a mile away from the big house where it’s parked.

So I don’t waste any more time asking if he’s sure. I just say my goodbyes and head to my bike. Not sprinting, that’d be weird, but definitely walking fast.

Excitement like this is something I only feel when Bella’s involved. And I could definitely get used to feeling it all the time. For the rest of my life.