Page 40 of In Death, Love Survives

TWENTY-FOUR

Nova

The sound of motorcycles parking pulls me out of my fog.

I want to be here. I need Sam to see me here and know that it was me who finally stood up to him after everything we’ve been through together. Once and for all, I’m taking my life back.

The Nova Fletcher I was died that night with my parents. Then I lived a life of fear for way too long. I’m being reborn tonight into the woman I’ve always wanted to be. The one I could have been if Sam hadn’t stripped me bare that fateful night.

My life is mine, and I’m going to own it.

I’m glad that Wolfe seems to understand where I’m coming from with it all. I know he’s reluctant to have me here, but I need this.

It’s as if tonight is the ending of my past life. I know this means so much more for the SCRR and Wolfe, but it is personal for me too.

The shouting from the dirt lot gets closer. I can’t make out what exactly they’re saying.

Some people are clearly trying to whisper, while others sound angry. I can’t identify anyone’s distinct voice to know for sure if any of them are Toby and Sam. I just have to assume they are.

How many people are with them?

From the sounds of it, they have at least a few people with them. Maybe fix or six different voices are talking.

Adrenaline begins coursing through my body as the nerves set in for what I’m actually about to do.

Any minute now, I’m going to be using Wolfe’s lucky lighter and setting this warehouse ablaze. I’m going to be saying goodbye to the years of torment I’ve held onto. I’m releasing my trauma and accepting my fate.

“In here, there’s a broken-ass door,” a man shouts.

My body tenses as the memories of that voice flood my mind.

The good and the bad, the pain, it’s all rushing through.

“Let’s go in and take a look around, then we can figure out which direction we want to go in,” Sam snarls.

Sam Snow is here.

The sound of a door being pushed open rings through. Feet shuffling into the barren warehouse consumes my mind.

“What the…” someone else says.

People moving about quickly signals that it’s time.

I flip open the metal lighter and light it up. As I stare at the open flame, I feel oddly calm and at peace.

This can all work.

It has to.

Tossing the lighter into the air, it lands on the gas and ignites the strip of it quickly. The room is ablaze as I notice the second floor lighting up at the same time.

Shouting on what to do starts, and I turn to leave the burning building. Right as I do, two arms reach around me and pull me back.

“I don’t fucking think so, Nova ,” a gravelly voice snarls.

I stumble back into the arms of someone strong. He’s gripping me so roughly that I can’t move from his hold.

“I should have known,” he shouts.

“Let go of me,” I say, trying to pull away.

“Fuck you, bitch.”

He tries to drag me further, but I plant my feet as firmly as I can. Thankfully, the smoke is impacting him too.

“Lose the girl,” someone shouts at him.

“Fuck, cops are coming,” someone else screams.

I’m in so much agonizing pain, it’s unbearable, but I know I need to push through.

“Fuck you,” I spit out.

“Fuck me? No fuck you. Prancing around Roper State day in and day out. And now with Wolfe Walker? You deserve to die, Doctor Fletcher . I’ll gladly die alongside you if it means you’re finally dead,” he snarls.

“Why have you been trying to kill me?” I shout.

It’s getting much hotter in here, so I know we don’t have much time.

“You and your fucking perfect life. Always trying to help me. I got sick of it. Then my mom talked to me about her dating, and I couldn’t pretend anymore.”

“Pretend?”

“Like your life wasn’t everything I should have had.”

“I could have helped you.”

“No. I wanted you to die. I wanted everyone to die.”

He jerks me back even more, ignoring the pleas of his friends who are about to bail on him.

Watching us, they finally start to leave.

“When Crawley made me a deal, I had to take it.”

I scream with everything inside of me.

“No one is going to save you.”

“Crawley set you free.”

“Wolfe ruined his life, and you ruined mine. Seemed fitting.”

Suddenly, a booming presence pushes Sam back, releasing me from his tight hold.

“Get the fuck back,” Wolfe screams, shoving him down.

As my eyes adjust from the smoke, I see Wolfe, looking like a crazed madman, standing over Sam.

Sam looks angry as the flames burst around us.

Suddenly, he tries to jump upright, but Wolfe kicks him back down. Sam thuds to the ground.

Wolfe looks back at me, worried.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I croak.

Wolfe looks back at Sam, who is still not getting up, and then around us.

“Take my hand, this way.”

I put my hand in his, and Wolfe pulls me through the room, trying to find our escape.

Tugging at it, he pauses and faces me.

The warmth of the flames surrounds us, and I’m finally free of the feelings that have been encasing my heart forever.

“I love you, Wolfe. No matter what.”

“Baby, I promise I’m not going to let us die.”

I look around and begin coughing.

“In death, love survives. Don’t ever forget that’s what we have.”

I nod eagerly as Wolfe scans the area.

“Wolfe!” Caleb shouts.

We look over to see his foot propping open an exit. We run toward it as fallen wood planks burn into ashes.

Sprinting like I never have before, I know that freedom is right there.

We burst through the doors, and I collapse onto the grass. Feeling lifeless, I don’t know if I have any energy left in me.

My eyelids feel heavy as I welcome darkness to take over. As my eyes shut, I can feel someone picking me up and being slung over a shoulder.

“Baby, stay with me. Just stay with me,” Wolfe pleads.

Darkness washes over me.

A beeping sound that I can’t make out rings through my head. It’s loud and consistent, and all I want is for it to just stop so I can go back to sleep.

Stretching in bed, I wiggle from side to side.

“Angel,” a voice rasps.

I hum in acknowledgment.

“Nova, angel, please wake up, baby.”

I hum again.

“I’d do anything for you to wake up.”

“Wolfe,” I whisper.

“Nova,” he booms.

My eyes start to prick open, feeling shut from some type of liquid. It hurts to peel them open, but I do.

It takes a few moments for them to adjust to the light and my surroundings. As I come to, I see Wolfe sitting next to me in a chair beside our bed. My gaze falls to his hand holding onto mine.

“What’s going on?” I ask breathily.

“Baby, I’ve been so worried about you. So fucking worried.”

Wolfe’s voice cracks as his head falls to where our hands are intertwined. Using my free hand, I run it through this shortened hair.

“I’m okay. I’m okay.”

He nods in my lap.

As he sits back upright, I see an exhausted version of Wolfe—not from stress or late nights, but from misery.

Suddenly, I remember.

“Wait. We were at the warehouse. Sam. Sam, he… Oh my god.”

“Sam is back in jail.”

I look at Wolfe, and my eyes start to well up.

“He didn’t die.”

“No, baby. He’s alive.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been in and out for about half a day. I had a doctor come by, and he’s been checking you out. Gave you fluids. It’s been a rough day.”

“I suppose,” I try to joke.

He gives me a small huff of a laugh back.

“Tell me everything.”

“The plan worked. It worked.”

“I knew it would.”

I grin with pride.

“Toby was there. He’s the only one who got away.”

“Do you think he’ll cause trouble?”

“The opposite, actually. The cops came by about an hour ago. Told me an unnamed source told them about Crawley, Sam, the whole ordeal.”

“Wow,” I say, shocked.

“Indeed.”

“Sam told me about Crawley helping him escape.”

“That’s about what the unnamed source told the cops too.”

“Where is he now?”

“Who knows? I imagine somewhere safe if he’s outing so many people for what’s happened.”

I take a few steadying breaths.

“What about Crawley?”

“I haven’t heard, but I imagine they got him too. I’ll have to find out.”

Sam is in prison. Crawley probably is too. Toby has done the right thing for once. He probably is mostly harmless, but I still wonder.

“Baby, you’re okay. We’re okay.”

“It’s actually over.”

“It’s done.”

“We get to begin our forever.” I beam as I squeeze his hand.

“Yeah, about that.”

Wolfe breaks away and leans down, pulling up a bag. As he searches through it, he finally pulls out a small black box. He sets the bag down and, as he does, he falls to one knee.

“Nova Fletcher. I love every part of you and always will. Please do me the honor of being mine forever.”

Wolfe opens the box, and there is the most beautiful oval diamond ring I have seen.

“It’s gorgeous.” I smile.

“Not as gorgeous as you are.”

I take it out of the box and examine it.

“I thought I already was yours forever?”

He smirks.

“Let’s make it official, yeah?”

“Yeah, hunny. Let’s make it official.”

Wolfe takes the ring from me, and I stretch my hand wide. Slowly, he slips it on my finger. It’s a perfect fit.

“It belongs on your finger,” he says.

“Forever.”

He smiles back.

“Yeah, baby, forever.”

With my future husband by my side, Wolfe pushes open the clubhouse doors and is greeted by dozens of brothers offering their congratulations. It’s been a week since that day in the warehouse. The day that changed everything.

Wolfe didn’t know it at the time, but that experience took a big toll on a lot of brothers, more than I had ever expected.

Rumors started to swirl that he wanted to make the businesses legitimate and get out of the drugs and guns business. Some brothers took issue with it and voiced it unprompted whenever he was around, but most of the brothers felt relieved.

They don’t accept many new people into the SCRR. It’s only here and there, so most of them have been here for years. With that, they’re getting older. Life isn’t just about the next party for most of them like it used to be.

After the businesses had grown so large, it was only a matter of time before this would happen. That’s what more than one person told him.

It didn’t matter if he was at The Lodge, home, or here, opinions were being thrown around him without a choice.

That’s why he finally called this meeting. The one to vote on the future of the SCRR and the implications of that.

We got away with it by the skin of our teeth, and to some, that might be a sign to keep at it. To others, it’s a sign for us to stop.

Settling into his seat at the head of the table, he pulls me onto my lap as I start to walk away.

“Anyone got a problem with my old lady being here?” It’s not a question. At this point, he’s still not letting me out of his sight.

“Good,” he finishes.

Caleb takes his seat next to Wolfe while Ted and the others fill in. With everyone seated, this is the first meeting that’s been oddly calm.

“Everyone’s been gossiping unnecessarily, so tonight, we’re here to decide our future.

We all know by now that I want us to go legit.

Focus on new, legal businesses and clear out old inventory.

But it’s not up to me to decide. It’s up to us.

I want a future with a family. With only necessary violence, not fighting for our lives. This is my stance.”

Silence continues.

“So much to say usually, and now this? Alright, around the room.”

He tugs me closer. My butt wiggling starts to make his cock harden beneath me.

“Who wants to go legal?” he asks.

“I vote yes,” Caleb says.

Slowly and deliberately, each person casts a vote of yes, one by one. There are only two no votes, stating that the outlaw life is for them.

“We’ll always be brothers, but the yeses win.”

They storm off, spitting expletives.

“They’ll cool down,” Ted says.

“We’ll figure it out. One step at a time. It’s only been a week since this was an option we’ve talked about out loud.”

Ted nods as chatter picks up.

“Let’s stay in touch about it,” he says.

“Yeah, man.”

Wolfe looks over at me and grins.

“Want to go for a ride?”

I can’t help but blush.

“I like where your head is at, but I was thinking more so on the bike.”

“Oh, right.”

I slap one of his shoulders lightly before hopping off his lap.

“Yeah, let’s ride off into the sunset.”

“I like the sound of that.”