Page 26

Four Months Later

Riley

T he courtroom was filled with people from every walk of life. Many of them had given victim impact statements because, come to find out, Slater was a complete ass to everyone and not just me. He’d been doing everything from taking bribes from speeders in return for not writing tickets, to charging local businesses what he called a ‘patrol fee’ to keep their storefronts safe. It came out that he was in cahoots with the owner of Neon Vibes to sell drugs out of the back office, just like I suspected. He’d even traded sex with a sex worker to look the other way when they solicited in his assigned patrol area. It seemed that everyone in Griffinsford turned on him once the word got out that he wasn’t untouchable.

Havoc and I arrived early with Storm and Celt to get prime seating right in the middle of the gallery. I know Havoc had a boner for messing with Slater. He hated the guy. I couldn’t blame him because I did too. Slater was the kind of slimy man that nobody could stand.

Havoc and I held hands—me to keep him calm, and him to give me moral support—because coming here had been harder than I thought. At first, I was looking forward to it, but then I started to worry that I’d lose my mind if they gave him a light sentence or, heaven forbid, he got off scot-free. I didn’t see the latter happening, but it was the wild card playing around in the back of my mind as he seemed untouchable.

Havoc had been acting a little bit off all morning. Hell, it had been more like all week. He wasn’t rude or standoffish with me. He seemed preoccupied or distracted by something. I would sometimes catch him with this faraway look in his eyes, like his mind was miles away even when he was right next to me.

I’ve been telling myself it was sitting through Slater’s trial, seeing and hearing about all the awful things he’s done. I never realized all the different ways a dirty cop could take advantage of the very people he swore to protect. It was sickening in a way. Or maybe he was worried about the sentencing, like I was. Slater would finally be facing justice for stalking me, for the shady deals, the threats, the twisted games. They actually hit Slater and his father with RICO, which meant that most of the evil stuff he did was tried at the same time under the umbrella of organized criminal activity.

And it was all because the Dark Slayers MC had cracked open a whole vault of secrets when they got into his family’s servers. Turns out corruption ran in their blood. His father was a sheriff with his fingerprints all over the same dirty money. They were portrayed as hometown heroes in the local media. It was about time they got some good press. I patted myself on the back in my own mind because that wouldn’t have happened if I’d approved of Havoc’s initial plan of giving them all a dirt nap.

But Havoc’s generalized weirdness lately had sent me spiraling. And I knew exactly why. It was because now the danger was over. All the bad guys were behind bars, so I no longer needed a protector. For the first time since all this started, I was well and truly safe. That meant Havoc had a lot of free time on his hands, enough to start rethinking his relationship with me. I was the woman who helped him when he needed to understand why he messed up so much. I know he saw me as the enemy at first. After we got closer, he became my protector. But now, all that was behind us. I could only hope he hadn’t lost feelings for me somewhere along the line.

The one thing in my favor was that he made me his old lady. He claimed me in every way imaginable. That should mean something, right? The logical side of my brain said we were good, and I should stop worrying so much. The emotional side of my brain was telling me that our love was deep and pure, that I needed him in my life because he was my one. There was also another reason I needed him in my life, I’d missed a period. Okay, I’d missed two and I’d done a test last night. There was no mistaking the results, I was pregnant. On the one hand I was overjoyed, but on the other I was scared of what this could mean to mine and Havoc’s relationship. Especially if he was starting to reconsider things.

All these doubts whispered through the dark corners of my mind, telling me things that might be just my imagination playing tricks on me. I was desperate to tell him about the baby, but I wanted this court case to be over with first.

The judge’s voice cut through my internal worrying. I shoved everything else aside to listen to what he had to say. While I was zoned out, they had brought Slater in and sat him down at the defense table. It was gratifying to see him wearing an orange jumpsuit that said “PRISONER” on the back in bold black letters. He was still acting as arrogant and smug as ever. And that was concerning. It meant that maybe he knew something we didn’t.

His attorney told him to stand, so Slater jumped eagerly to his feet. It was pretty clear that he was hoping for good news.

The judge rifled through some papers for what seemed like a long time while we all waited with bated breath. Finally, Judge Harwood looked directly at Slater and spoke in a stern voice.

“Mr. Slater, you stand before this court convicted of multiple serious offenses including stalking, coercion, bribery, money laundering, conspiracy to commit a felony, and tampering with evidence, along with multiple lesser charges. The prosecutor’s office successfully made a RICO case against you and today you’re here for sentencing.”

Slater just stared at him blandly, almost continuously. I didn’t know what thoughts were running through his head, but anyone could tell he was in a world of trouble.

Judge Harwood continued, “Furthermore, you committed most of these offenses under color of law. In doing so, you violated the sacred trust the public placed in you as an officer of the law. Your self-serving decisions caused irreparable harm to innocent people, including Ms. Riley Dalton, who demonstrated commendable bravery in coming forward despite the danger you posed.”

Shock rolled through my mind that the judge named me out loud when I was only one of many that Slater had hurt.

“After reviewing all the evidence, most especially the incriminating evidence recovered from your family’s private servers, I am inclined to give you the stiffest sentence possible. The information on those servers demonstrated long-term, systemic corruption involving not only yourself but your father, who is also a member of the law enforcement community. In your case, organized criminal activity seems to be the family business.”

Judge Harwood leaned forward slightly and announced, “I am sentencing you to twenty years in federal prison, without the possibility of parole.”

Slater responded hotly. “Is this some kind of joke? I offered to turn state’s evidence on the real fuckers running the show, but you guys didn’t want to know.”

“I’m well aware of your offer to shift the blame. The prosecuting attorney didn’t see the merit in offering a plea bargain in light of your extensive history of criminal conduct. To be honest, I don’t see anything to be gained by offering you a lighter sentence in exchange for information that may or may not be reliable.”

Slater raised his voice, “If you think locking me up is going to stop what’s already in motion, you’d be very wrong. You’ve got no idea how far they’re willing to go to keep their very successful enterprise in operation.”

“I’ve heard enough from you today, Mr. Slater,” Judge Harwood shot back. “You are here to receive sentencing for your crimes, not to justify your atrocious behavior to the court.” He slammed his gavel down with a loud thud. “Bailiff, remove the defendant from my courtroom.”

The bailiff moved forward and began moving him towards the door. When Slater walked past us, his eyes dropped to my property cut. “So, you’re still hanging out with dirty bikers. I was right about you liking it rough, you’re nothing but a cheap tramp, Riley.”

Havoc jumped to his feet and growled, “Don’t even say her name. Riley is loved and protected. You can’t hurt her anymore.”

Havoc’s voice was just loud enough to be heard by those around us. Most of them froze for a split second, even the bailiff. It was clear from looking at Havoc that it wouldn’t have taken much for him to totally lose his shit right about now. His fists were clenched, his jaw was locked, and the protective stance he took between me and Slater communicated in no uncertain terms that they needed to get him away from me.

The deputies tightened their grip on Slater, who looked momentarily rattled, that smugness cracking.

Slater didn’t care who he riled up, because he was just given twenty years behind bars for his various misdeeds. He sneered, “You’re all going to regret this. You and your club are ignorant if you think this ends with me. You assholes have made enemies you don’t even know about yet.”

“If so, we’ll deal with them just like we did with you,” Havoc deadpanned back, his voice low and steely.”

The bailiff interjected stiffly, “Sir, I’m going to need you to step back so we can pass.”

Havoc didn’t move for a heartbeat. He kept staring Slater down to make a point. Unless I missed my guess, the point was Havoc could do as he liked, but Slater would be following someone’s commands for the next twenty years.

I came to my feet, Havoc’s arm snaked around my waist, and we stepped back together.

Slater looked unsure of himself for the first time as the bailiff gave him a gentle nudge towards the exit.

We watched him disappear through the doors towards the holding area. When the door shut behind him, I let out a sigh of relief. Regardless of what Slater said, it was over. My part in this was finished. I could spend the next twenty years living my life without fear of him popping back up for one last scare. Multiple emotions were all warring for top place in my mind. There was relief for sure, but also loads of hate for this despicable man.

Havoc turned to me and asked, “Are you alright? That was pretty fuckin’ intense.” He grabbed my hand and held it tight as I struggled to organize my thoughts into something coherent.

“I’m ready to put this whole ordeal behind me and seeing him hauled out of here in cuffs is going a long way towards making that happen for me.”

I saw Havoc’s anxiety click down a notch. He murmured under his breath, “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

“Yeah,” Storm agreed. “You’ve got that thing to do.”

Havoc’s expression blanked out. “What thing? I don’t have a thing.”

Celt rolled his eyes and quipped, “Yeah, ye do. Don’t be a feckin’ coward.”

I went ramrod straight because they were both looking at me weird. It made me think Havoc was calling it quits with me for sure. My hand instinctively went to my belly. I’d have to tell him, I knew that a baby wouldn’t make him stay if he didn’t want to, and I wouldn’t want him to feel obligated, but he needed to know.

Needless to say, we left right away. Havoc kept his arm wrapped loosely around my waist, gently guiding me out of the courthouse and into the sunshine. The other Slayers broke off, getting on their bikes and going their separate ways. I just knew something strange was going on. Maybe it was women’s intuition. I could feel it all the way down to my bones.

Havoc handed me the helmet and watched me silently. I don’t think he realized it, but he was making me feel self-conscious. When I was behind him with my arms wrapped around his waist, I pressed my cheek to his back, all too aware that this might be the last time I rode on the back of his bike.

***

Instead of heading to the clubhouse, he rode away from the city. Yeah, everything was different now. Sadness swamped me as he snaked along the highway. I was lost in my own thoughts, so I don’t know exactly how far we were from the city when he turned off onto a secondary road. He took a winding path that led to a house, one I’d never seen before. I blinked and blinked again, gazing through my visor at a large, two-story Colonial.

He switched off the engine and got off the bike, then turned to look at me, with a certain weariness. If it wasn’t Havoc, the biker with a heart of gold, I would think this was the end of the road for me.

I was tempted to say foolish things, but I clamped my mouth shut and took off my helmet, as Havoc did. He held out one hand and said, “Come inside. I want to show you something.”

I followed him, still unsure, that silly feeling still lurking in the back of my mind. He keyed a code into the front door lock and opened the door. The house smelled like fresh paint and cleaning products. It was recently renovated and looked pretty amazing.

We walked into the living room, which was painted a pale sage green, one of my favorite colors. Sunlight shined through the high windows. The hardwood floors were absolutely gorgeous. I walked over to the fireplace and ran my hand over the mantle. I’d always wanted a place with a fireplace. If Havoc weren’t breaking up with me, I could imagine us raising our kids here, them playing in front of the fireplace, happy and safe. That thought was enough to make me tear up.

When I turned to face Havoc, he looked nervous. Another strange thing about today. Havoc never looked nervous. I’ve seen him grumpy, angry, happy, aroused, and possessive, but never the kind of nervous he was right now.

“Please tell me what’s going on before I have a meltdown,” I say imploringly. “I can tell something is going on with you, but I don’t know what, and it’s scaring me.”

He’s still standing at the front door and reaches over to put one big hand on the banister leading upstairs. “This place belongs to my family. It’s the house I grew up in. I've been coming out here every week. Fixing it up. Thinking about… us.”

My heart sped up because this sounded promising. “What about us?”

He took a deep breath and explained. “I’ve been thinking that after all this shit with Slater was finished and he was either dead or in prison, we could think about what comes next. I don’t know about you, but after all the chaos, I want some normality in our life. You deserve some peace in your life. I want to be the man who gives that to you. I want us to have a place where we can raise our kids and grow old together.”

I walked over to stand in front of him. I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes, my heart almost hammering its way out of my chest. “You want us to live here together and raise our kids?”

He stared down at me, seriously focused. “Of fuckin’ course I want that. I understand that now that the danger has passed, I might not seem like the most appealing choice when it comes to men. But I do love you, Riley Dalton. So, I was thinking that maybe you could give me a chance at something more and see how it works. I promise to do right by you, be a good husband to you and father to our future kids.”

Hope surged in my chest, and I excitedly told him, “Go back to the part about you being my husband. I want to hear more about that.”

He raked his fingers through his hair, looking almost distressed. “This is the most important moment of my life, and I’m fuckin’ it up royally.” He muttered under his breath.

Words fly out of my mouth before my brain approves of the message. “The thought occurred to me that if you were anyone other than the man I know and love, being brought to an isolated spot might mean the end of the line for me, because, you know, I’ve been nothing but trouble for you.”

Luckily, he took it in the way I intended, which was a random, one-off thought, rather than a statement of his character. He just laughed and reached out to put his hands on my hips. Tugging me closer, he admitted, “And here I was, thinking that I might have outlived my usefulness in your world.”

I grin up at him, relieved that this was the thing making him seem off, the thing Storm told me he had planned for today. It all made so much sense to me now. “We’re both letting our insecurities get the better of us. If you have something to ask, just do it.”

One hand came up and pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was huge but also simple and elegant, something I would be proud to wear as a symbol of our love. I held my breath as he spoke.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you truths for a while now. The first one is that you became the center of my world so fast I didn’t even have time to fight it. It felt like I had been blindsided with love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re it for me.”

Tears welled in my eyes again, because his words hit me hard, right in the feels.

“Please say yes. Let’s build something real and lasting together.”

I reached up, circled my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a hard kiss, the kind of kiss I knew he liked.

Then I choked out, “Yes. Of course I want to be your wife. I want it all with you, Havoc.” I paused for a moment, before looking at him, “You know you talked about our future kids… What if that happened sooner rather than later?”

His eyes widened as he looked me up and down, “You mean you’re pregnant?”

“I took a test last night. I thought I’d missed my period due to the stress of the court case, but when I missed another…”

“Fucking hell, I didn’t think I could be any happier, and now this!” His arms came up around me, and he lifted me off my feet. When he twirled my pregnant self around like a princess in a fairy tale, I started to believe in happily ever afters. Being in love with Havoc was magical. It wasn’t just about surviving as a single girl anymore. It was about living and loving together, being with the man who made my heart sing with joy. This house, with its empty rooms and sunlit walls, suddenly felt like the beginning of everything we were meant to have.