Page 34

EPILOGUE: CICELY

“Margo is safely back with her father,” I tell Chrome as I snuggle beside him in bed. “Between the two of us, we explained what Lisa tried to do. Poor man, he’s devastated. Not because he lost his wife, but because of how close he came to losing his daughter. He admitted that marrying Lisa had been a mistake. One that he realized soon after they exchanged vows. He hoped he’d grow to love her, but now he’s beating himself up for not seeing her for the bitch she was.”

“He won’t make the same mistake again.”

“No, he won’t.”

“How is Constance doing?”

“She’s fine. She’ll remain in the hospital for a few days. The police contacted her family so she wouldn’t be alone. Frodo’s aunt woke up. She confirmed that Theodore Jordan and his men attacked her. He and the Monsignor were at her home the day before she supposedly went on vacation. She’s identified the Monsignor, and the police have arrested him. He claims not to have known what Jordan was doing, but since he was the one who introduced Jordan to the women and set up the meetings, they aren’t buying it. He also assigned Jordan to Sammy’s Church. He’s definitely working with Teddy.”

We lay quietly for several minutes as Chrome strokes his hand up and down my back and over my butt. Being safe here in his arms almost distracts me from the trauma of the day. I can’t stop the shiver as I think about how close we came to ending up like Lisa, or worse. Chrome hugs me close and kisses the top of my head.

“You’re safe now. The asshole is in jail along with his men. They won’t be getting out, and honestly, I’d be surprised if they try. Jordan tried to bribe me into letting him go, but now that he knows the mafia has plans for him if he ever gets out, I think he’ll want to stay inside. Although he and his followers won’t be treated well in prison.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You can ask me anything.”

“You didn’t kill Jordan or the men who betrayed you. Why?”

“Four reasons. The first was because I thought Margo was traumatized enough by knowing her step-mother was willing to hand her over to sex traffickers and seeing the woman being killed in front of her. I figured that was already too much. The second reason was that there were too many witnesses. Why risk going to jail? The third is because I like the idea of those assholes being in prison. Mouse and Trigger don’t have the protection of the club behind them—just the opposite. There are Demon Dawgs in prison along with other club allies. Mouse and Trigger will have a target on their backs because they betrayed the club and turned traitor. We also have club enemies in prison. They may take the opportunity to inflict some revenge on two Demon Dawgs even though they no longer wear the kuttes.”

“And the fourth reason?” I ask when his smile turns dark.

“Like I told Teddy when he tried to bribe me to let him go. I like the idea of him becoming someone’s bitch. He went after women and children. Plenty of men in prison salivate at a chance to inflict pain on assholes who abuse the innocent. He’s weak without his followers, but his followers aren’t strong enough to protect him in prison. I have contacts. I’ll be watching to make sure he suffers. If he doesn’t, well, those contacts owe me a few favors.”

I shiver at the coldness in voice, but I can’t say the thought of Theodore Jordan suffering at the hands of men stronger than him doesn’t also give me a thrill. That’s justice. It’s an eye for an eye. I hope he experiences immense levels of pain and fear. He’s earned it.

“Any other questions?”

“Just one,” I say with a grin as I grasp hold of his member and give it a long stroke. He hisses in his breath as he lifts my body above his. Positioning his cock at my center, I slowly lower myself until I’ve sheathed him. I keep my eyes locked on him as I slowly rise up and down, just enjoying the feel of him inside me.

He slides his hands from my hips, up my waist, and under my breasts. He kneads my boobs and flicks my nipples with his thumbs almost casually. However, each brush sends a spike of electricity straight to my core. Leaning into his hands, I shudder as my clit brushes against pelvis. Grinding down, I feel him go deeper as my nerves spark inside and out. I’m torn between staying still and enjoying the fullness and the spark, or moving to chase my orgasm.

Chrome takes charge. Flipping me on my back, he drives into me with long, hard thrusts that would have me shooting across the sheets if he didn’t hold me in place. Hips piston as the sweat beads. HIs eyes lock on mine as his thumb presses against my clit as he growls. “Go over for me, baby, now!”

I shatter.

He pumps several more times before exploding inside me.

Falling onto the bed, he pulls me on top of him.

“Fuck, I’ll never get enough of you, baby,” Chrome says as he kisses the top of my head. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. That won’t happen again. I need you in my life. Need you in my bed and at my side. Can you forgive me and stay with me?”

I rise to stare down at his handsome face. “Yes.”

“Just like that?” he asks with a smirk.

“Just like that.”

He frowns. “Didn’t you have a question for me?”

“You answered it. I wanted to know what this meant to you, what we meant to you. You just told me.”

We stare at each other for a long minute as the noise from downstairs grows. Music, laughter, and voices pound the walls as if to gain our attention.

“Want to go down and join the party?” I ask.

“It’s probably getting pretty wild down there.”

“And that should surprise me? I’ve attended your parties. Enough to know that going downstairs as I am, I’d still be overdressed,” I tell him with a chuckle.

He frowns at me again. “Does that bother you? All the nudity and sex?”

I shake my head. “No, why would it. They’re just having fun. I don’t want to participate, and I don’t want you to join in, either. But, it’s fun to watch.”

“What if we had kids?”

I open my mouth and close it again. “I wouldn’t want our kids exposed to the parties. That goes without saying. But I don’t expect your club to change how they party just because we’re together. If we had kids, we’d keep them away from the clubhouse.”

Chrome shakes his head. “You see, I don’t want that. I want our kids to see this as their home, too. But I don’t want them exposed to the raunchiness, either.”

I place my hand on his cheek because I can see how much this discussion bothers him. “Hey, it isn’t something that we have to decide today. Or tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy ourselves. The club is your family, and since I’m yours, they are my family, too. With the traitors identified and removed, you need to focus on repairing the damage, not inviting new problems that aren’t even problems, yet.”

“Fuck. You’re right. I’m worrying about the future. Confronting the threat that could have destroyed the club makes me desperate to avoid future problems. Let’s get dressed and go downstairs. We can spend some time with our family before returning upstairs and adding to that family.”

He gives me a look that makes me want to skip the party and stay in bed, but I let him pull me up.

When I grab panties and a bra, he snatches them away with a growl about my not needing them. Shaking my head, I pull on a skirt and a tank top. Over them, I slide on my leather kutte that says ‘Property of Chrome’ on the back before taking his hand to lead me downstairs.

The party is just what I expect—lots of denim, leather, and flesh. Naked bodies sitting on laps or bending over furniture. Women sucking on cocks while men suck on boobs. Not everyone is involved in the naked tango. Some sit at tables playing cards and guzzling brew. Chrome leads me to where Ice, Bush, Piston, and Stitch are drinking beer, munching on pretzels, and playing poker. Chrome sits down and pulls me onto his lap. I smirk when I realize he’s positioned me so the naked escapades aren’t in my face.

“How is Scorch doing?” Chrome asks Stitch.

“He’s resting. I gave him something to knock him out. He’s struggling with the shit Trigger pulled. He thinks he’s responsible for how Trigger turned on the club.”

“How so?” I ask. I bite my lip when all four men turn to look at me. Ducking, I murmur an apology. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. It’s club business.”

“Yes and no,” Chrome says, squeezing me. “Scorch was bitching to Trigger about the changes happening in other clubs. Specifically, about how much the San Diego Chapter changed as they gained more Old Ladies, and how the Vegas Chapter now has female members. He was concerned that we’d be following their lead.”

“I see,” I say, and I do. It was the cause of our earlier discussion. I’m not sure what to say, so I say nothing.

Chrome’s phone buzzes. He shifts me so he can reach inside his kutte and pull out his phone. “Yeah. Who is it? Okay, we’re on our way.” He ends the call and looks at Bush. “A woman is at the gate. She’s hysterical and crying. Pipes has only gotten out of her that you’re in danger.”