Page 34

Taylor

“What did you just say?”

Ari stares at me, a blank expression on his face. “Rayne is alive.”

My head snaps back and forth between Ari and my laptop.

A small girl with her hair in a ponytail walks down a darkened hallway, a woman close behind her. Their heads are bowed until Clay appears, giving me a good look at their faces.

The second I see her nose and those familiar dark chocolate eyes, my entire body freezes.

Rayne is alive.

Scrambling out of bed, I don’t bother hiding the cry of pain as I rush over to my dresser. As I pull out a pair of joggers, I feel him against my back. His hands grip my waist and I look up at him.

Anger mixed with annoyance and determination covers his face. “Slow down. You will not go if you are going to have no regard for your own safety.”

Spinning on my heel, Ari’s hands glide around my waist, stabilizing me and keeping me upright. “Like hell I’m staying behind. This is your daughter, Aries. Don’t you dare make me—”

Interrupting me with a hard kiss, Aries says, “Did I say I was leaving you behind?”

“No, but—”

His thumb slides under my shirt and brushes against my hip. “Taylor Sloane Morgan, you told me to stop keeping you in the dark. As you can see, I am not running out of here like my ass is on fire.”

“I know but we—”

Another hard kiss to the lips has my eyes fluttering closed for a second. And when he pulls away once more, I glare at him, my nose scrunching.

“No buts. Slow the hell down or stay home. You cannot do your job if you are in blinding pain, Butterfly. I cannot do this without you, so please just take it easy.” His gaze softens and I feel my chest deflate. My body almost collapsing forward into his chest.

“Fine.”

Ari places a kiss atop my head before moving to help me get dressed.

The day I become independent again cannot come soon enough.

Much to my dismay, I am almost breathless, as I sit on the bed waiting for Ari to get ready. My computer dings and I watch as Clay’s location changes from the gas station to an abandoned warehouse a few blocks down the road.

Ari stands at the edge of the bed when he is done, and I slowly stand. A wince rackets my body, and I fight the urge to cry out in frustration.

As if he can sense it, he slips his gun into the holster at his hip and moves to pick me up. I try to protest, but he is lost somewhere in thought as he cradles me against his chest and makes his way to the common room.

The second we step through the doors, all eyes are on us. Everyone stands and Tucker, Reagan, Tombstone, Boone, Zoro, and Indy all run over, concern marring their faces.

With a quick tap to his bicep, Ari sets me down, his hand wrapping around my waist to keep me steady as I gain my bearings.

Boone steps forward and is about to speak when Ari raises his hand, cutting him off.

“Rayne is alive. We need to go. Now.”

Boone’s face pales and I watch in shock as he stumbles backwards. In a flash, Tucker is there, catching him before he trips over his own feet.

Staring at us in complete shock, Boone tries to formulate a response, but it's useless.

“We need to go. Tombstone and—” Ari pauses, waiting for Tucker to finish whispering something to Boone. “Tucker.” Both men's attention is immediately on their president.

“Don’t leave this one’s side. She says she’s fine, but as you can see, she’s not. But I’d be a fool to leave her in the dark, so she is coming.” Ari’s voice is cold, and he doesn’t wait for Tomb or Tuck to respond before addressing the growing crowd.

“Everyone on their bikes now. My daughter is alive, and I want her in the safety of these walls before sundown. Got it?”

A collective, “Yes Prez,” echoes throughout the common room. Everyone immediately filing outside.

The second we step out the doors of the common room, the crisp spring air fills my lungs, and it calms my nerves.

Ari guides me to the passenger side of his truck before briefly walking away. My brows furrow in confusion, but I’m quickly distracted when Tucker steps beside me.

Suddenly, an idea flashes in my head, and I lean into Tuck, whispering a simple favor into his ear. A smile that doesn’t meet his eyes spreads across his face and he waves Tombstone over before walking away.

The second he takes off back inside, Ari is back at my side.

“Go with Tombstone. I need fresh air and to be alone for a moment. Is that okay?” Aries asks, his dark chocolate eyes staring into mine. I can see the pain and heartache written all over his face, and I wish I could take it all away.

“Of course it is. It's all going to be okay,” I whisper as his head falls to my shoulder.

“I hope so. I hope she remembers me and this isn’t me making everything worse.”

Running my fingers through his hair, I say, “I can promise you that a lifetime with you is far beyond better than a lifetime with Clay and her mother.”

Ari’s chest rises and falls and I allow him to take all the time he needs, my hands never leaving his hair until he stands.

Nodding at Tombstone behind me, Ari places a soft kiss to my lips before walking towards his bike and slinging his leg over.

Tombstone waits by the passenger door as I watch Ari drive away from the compound, the engine of his bike rumbling through the air.

When he disappears out of view, I allow Tombstone to help me into the truck. Tucker comes behind him and places two very special items on my lap.

As we all make our way from the compound, I load up the security footage on my computer. The second the cameras turn on, I see Clay walking down an empty hallway nonchalantly, without a care in the world. Unbeknownst to him, an army of brave souls is on their way to destroy his entire operation.

Rayne Mackenzie Clark, I hope you’re ready because we are coming for you, sweetheart.

Tombstone follows Ari, and as we grow closer to the meeting location, I look behind us.

A sea of black and red follows us. The rumbling of their engines calms my nerves, solidifying that I wouldn’t want to be part of any other family.

My gaze stays locked on the road. As soon as we round the corner, I point towards an empty parking lot. Ari is standing in the center, his bike behind him as he stares up at the mountain in the distance.

“What is he doing?” Tombstone asks.

“I have no clue, but we need to check on him. We are still a few minutes from our meeting place.”

He nods and we all file into the lot.

Not wasting a second, I hop out of the truck and make my way towards him as the engines begin cutting off one by one.

Ari’s face drops as he catches sight of what’s in my hand. He closes the distance between us in seconds.

Aries voices stammers as he stares down at my hands. Gone is the anger and in its place is fear and worry. “What? How did you—?”

Taking a step back, I hold out his cut. The all black leather vest complete with Braveheart’s logo stitched on the back. Prez sprawled across the top in bold, white letters. “You haven’t been yourself since the moment you came back from that prison. And now you are moments away from getting a piece of your heart back. It's time you show this team and yourself that you’re ready to lead them on the most important mission of your life.”

The wind whips through our hair and I watch as his face slowly morphs from fear stricken to a devious smirk.

Ari takes a step forward, takes his cut from my outstretched arm and shrugs it on.

The moment his cut is in place, I hand him the stuffed pink bunny with Rayne’s initials on the feet. His dark eyes water and I have to look away so I don’t burst into tears and can’t say what I know he needs to hear.

“I know you’re afraid she may not remember you. There’s no telling what she has been through, but I thought if she had a piece from her past, maybe she would feel safe amongst the chaos. And just maybe, it would spark a memory of the man who once gave it to her.”

Tears flow freely down Ari’s face as he hugs the bunny. Swiping at a rogue tear that escapes my eye, I step into him and place a kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Aries Clark. Now address your team, so we can go get your girl.”

Not hesitating for a second, Ari wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me tightly against his chest as he taps one hand over his heart.

“One heart. One purpose. One Destiny.”

A circle forms around us. “For the brave and the fallen.” A simultaneous thump echoes throughout the crowd and the damn breaks, tears flowing freely down my face.

Leaning his head to meet mine, Ari swipes at the tears that slide down my face. “Let’s bring our girl home.”

Our girl.

I’m coming for you, sweet girl, and I will end any sad sack that gets in the way of returning you to your daddy’s arms.