“Hmm… I’ll take that into consideration the next time I want to shoot you.”
“Sweetie, not sure if you remember or not, but we’d agreed on two shots. Do you remember how many times you shot me? Five. You shot me five fucking times!”
He shrugged with a relaxed smile. “Five seemed more believable.”
“I’ll show you more believable,” I growled, just as Lauren stepped in between us.
With her palms planted firmly on my chest, she led me away from the giraffe. “Easy there, Tex.”
I dropped my hands to her belly, the tension leaving my body instantly. “The fuck were you thinking, Red? You were supposed to let me know of any changes in the plans.” I mashed my lips to her forehead. “How are you? Fuck, your nose and your eye—Jesus! You just—my girls, are they okay?”
My shoulders began to shake uncontrollably, and I clenched my jaw, fighting against the strange sound I seemed to be making. I managed a ragged breath before the floodgates opened, and I began bawling like a scared kid. “Thought I was gonna lose you—”
“Shhhh...” She let her forehead rest against my chin. “We’re okay, Mike. It’s over. You saved us. We’re safe now.”
Safe.
When was the last time I’d felt that?
I wrapped my arms around the redhead who’d saved me on a beach in Galveston, throwing out a lifeline and towing me to shore. She’d put my feet on solid ground and challenged me to be a better man than I was the day before.
Lauren was my Charlotte, my front porch swing partner and the woman who was going to be holding my hand when I left this world.
I’d sacrificed myself once before. If anyone stood against my family, I wouldn’t hesitate to become their savior again, exchanging my life for theirs.
Until then, I was going to spend every day showing her and my daughters just how much they meant to me. I would be their protector and their rock.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grey
My eyes opened to the face of an angel with green eyes. She smoothed the dirty and damp hair off my forehead and kissed my brow before whispering, “You saved me.”
“No, princess. You saved me.” I licked my cracked lips and shook my head, unable to put into words the strength I’d drawn just by seeing that she was still wearing her ring. “Kept me fightin’, even when I wanted to give up.”
“You can rest now,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”
Maybe by sending one monster to hell, I’d earned myself a few extra minutes with my family in purgatory before the Reaper showed up to collect.
I could’ve slipped into oblivion and forced Mikey to pull the trigger, or demanded that Bear take Betsy to one of our facilities to be put through the same hell I had.
In the end, I tried to give my family what we’d chased for seventeen years.
Closure.
As much as I wanted to watch her die over and over again for the things she’d put my family through, it wouldn’t change the past. No kill in the world could set things right.
The memories of the things we’d lost were like scars. They might fade over time, but they’d never truly go away. The war might’ve been over out here, but we’d forever be sifting through the rubble in our heads.
They loaded me into the backseat of someone’s truck, and I reached for Celia’s hand, needing to free her like she’d freed me. “Need you to do somethin’ for me.”
She followed me in and settled against my side with a solemn nod. “Whatever you need.”
I lifted my left arm, ignoring the stiffness in my joints as I let it rest against the back of her neck. “Doesn’t have to be now, but when you’re ready, I want you to know that I’m here.”
Her eyebrows moved together. “What are you saying?”
I caressed the nape of her neck, touching her skin with my wedding band as if it had healing properties. “I’m sayin’ that it’s okay to cry.”
Moving on was a foreign concept for both of us. We’d always been running, from one thing to the next, that we never got a chance to come to terms with the past.
Her eyes filled, and the tears spilled over onto her cheeks as she let go. I sat in the pain with her as she grieved the seventeen-year-old girl who’d envisioned a fairy tale and been given a horror story.
I held her when she broke apart over the loss of her parents and the people she’d needed them to be.
My thumb stroked her heated skin, mourning the family we’d never had a chance to become, and all the years we spent apart.
And when it seemed that neither one of us had anything left, we tore ourselves open and grieved the loss of the biker who’d saved our lives on more than one occasion. He’d kept us moving forward when we were on our knees, ready to quit.
A man who had been, not only our closest friend but family.
Angel.
I kept her tucked against my body until her sobs turned to sniffles before giving her a reset the only way I knew how. “Who’s in charge right now?”
“We are,” she said softly, tucking her head into the crook of my neck.
As we drove around the lake, I noticed that the water was calm. The light reflected so perfectly off the water that it appeared as if there were two moons. I was flooded with a sense of peace as if the calm waters were a sign of things to come.
Maybe after years of fighting, we could drift toward the shore and rebuild.
* * *
“You even think about gettin’ that spoon anywhere near my mouth, and we’re gonna have problems,” I growled.
“We’re just trying to get your strength up,” the male nurse protested.
I eyed the pathetic spoonful of lime green gelatin. “That shit ain’t gonna do a goddamn thing for me. Bring some meat and potatoes here, and then we’ll talk.”
He scurried out of the room, and I let my head rest against the pillow again. At the sound of a throat clearing, I cracked one eye open to find Celia glaring down at me.
“Was that necessary?”
“Fuck, princess,” I grumbled. “I just want some real food. Tired of being hooked up to all this shit.”
“You went without real food for a long time, Jamie. You’ve got to build up to that stuff.”
There was a tap at the door, and then Mikey poked his head in. “Is the coast clear?”
“Darlin, why don’t you go see if he’ll bring that green shit back. Like to give it another go.”
“Jamie Quinn,” she said sharply, and I grinned, suddenly struck stupid by her beauty. After almost thirty years, she still had me hooked on her like a drug. “What? Why are you smiling?”
“Goddamn, am I in love with you—”
“Is this another one of your ploys to get me out of the room?”
I shook my head, drinking in the sight of her as if it’d be my last chance to. “No, just can’t believe you’re still here and that I’m the lucky bastard who gets to call you mine.”
Her cheeks turned red before she leaned down to press her mouth to mine with a soft exhale. It was pure torture, a silent reminder of everything I couldn’t have as long as I remained in this goddamn bed.
She broke away with a pant and winked before calling out, “Come on in, Mikey.”
To the kid’s credit, he tried keeping the brown paper bag concealed when he strolled in. Unfortunately, Celia had trained herself to identify outside food from a mile away. “Mikey?”
He tucked the bag into his side. “These are just clothes I brought from the house. Nothing to see here.”
“Mmm-hmmm…” Celia clicked her tongue against her teeth and went off in search of the nurse.
After double-checking to ensure she was gone, he handed over the bag. “Got a cheeseburger and tater tots—I know you wanted the onion rings, but that’s a dead giveaway. I think there are even some peppermints down in there for after you finish.”
“You bring your old man a pack of smokes?” I asked.
“While you’re hooked up to an oxygen tank?
No, thank you. I’d prefer we didn’t blow up a goddamn hospital.” He pulled up a chair and dropped into it with a sigh. “So, how are you… really?”
I looked down at the various tubes connected to my body. My right arm was back in a sling and, as I’d refused the good stuff they kept pushing on me, I was relying on ibuprofen to deal with the pain.
“I, uh, I’ve been better. But the docs seem hopeful that I’ll regain mobility in my right arm. May never get it all back, but it’s better than bein’ dead.”
I took a deep breath, repeating the same words I’d been saying for the past three days. “Thought you were gone, kid. Worst fuckin’ feelin’ of my life.”
Mikey’s mouth went flat. “Wasn’t my first choice, believe it or not. Just seemed like the Sons were going to outthink us on everything.”
Between Mike, Jimmy, Celia, and Lauren, they’d managed to execute a plan so perfect that it left me in awe. Jimmy even had some type of special effects vest that sprayed blood when he was hit. The rest was just a matter of paying off the right people, and then my son was free to move where he needed without arousing suspicion.
He winced and rubbed his chest. “Still not sure that Dakota’s forgiven me for tricking her. Your girl’s got a mean right hook.”
“According to Bear, she’s got a strong kick too.” I mashed the remote on the bed, forcing myself up. “They’re still okay? Doctors have checked them over?”
It didn’t matter that Celia had assured that everyone was healthy, I’d believe it when I could lay eyes on them for myself. In my mother hen state, I’d even forced Bear to bring Molly in so that she could show off the massive bruises left behind on her torso.
Mikey nodded. “Lauren and I saw the OB this morning, girls are growing strong—”
“Twin girls,” I murmured, still in shock over the news.
“Yeah, Pops. Twin girls. You’re gonna have your hands full.”
I laughed before grimacing at the pull in my shoulder. “I guess so.”
“Dakota’s still doing well. Zane said she’s been taking it easy, but seems content as long as Little Ricky stops by with ice cream.”
I swallowed. “Katy?”
“Hey,” Mikey said, placing his hand over mine. “We’ve been over this. “Katy’s gonna be just fine. Doctor put her on bed rest, so she doesn’t even need the crutches for her broken foot.” At my expression, he added, “The baby’s good. You just need to worry about resting. I got this. I know how to keep these girls in line.”
“Got another request.” I slipped the wadded up paper out from under the covers and placed it in his hand. “Need you to see if you can help me find someone. Got a little unfinished business.”
He looked it over before raising an eyebrow. “Cobra? You mean he didn’t die before this all started?”
I shook my head and settled against the pillow. “Soon as I’m out of here, I’m gonna go lookin’ for him.”
“One step at a time.”
I’d failed him in so many ways as a father. It was why I’d encouraged Comedian to take the shot that night. I knew what it was like to send a parent to the Reaper. That burden was never meant to be on his shoulders.
“What do we do now?” I finally asked, pulling myself out of my head.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought about maybe going back to school—”
“About that,” Jimmy began, before closing the door behind him. “Got some news I thought you both might like to hear. Police department’s undergoing a bit of a transition. Turns out there was some corruption and falsifying of records. Effective immediately, Detective Michael Sullivan-Quinn has been reinstated, and his record with the department wiped clean.”
Mikey’s jaw dropped. “You got me my job back? I’m a cop again? Jesus fuck, Jimmy. If I didn’t hate you for shooting me five times, I might consider giving you a hug.”
“Couldn’t resist throwing in the number, could you?” Jimmy grinned and threw an arm around him. “Love you too, pumpkin. As for you…” He shifted his focus to me. “As far as the world is concerned, James Quinn has been deceased since October 18, 1996. The patient residing in room 4821 is none other than James Grey, a family man without so much as a speeding ticket to his name. So where you two go from here is completely up to you.”
“What do you think, Pops?”
“You keep callin’ me that,” I said carefully, trying not to let my heart read too much into it. I’d been Grey his entire life, but ever since the night he saved us all, he’d taken to calling me Pops.
He grinned. “Thought Daddy made it seem like we had a different sort of relationship, but if you’re into that, just remember that I’m a top. Fuck, I’m kidding. You’re my old man, what do you want me to call you?”
I mashed my lips together, my nostrils flaring wide as I held back my tears. “Pops is good,” I choked out.
“Alright, Pops, what’s it gonna be? Gonna go back to running the club?”
Jimmy cleared his throat. “You should know that the biker syndicate has been reinstated thanks to Bear. With the Sons wiped out, it looks to hold up too. Well, you probably already knew that, though.”
“What do you mean?” Mikey and I asked at the same time.
“At the cabin, did you really think that all of those men were Silent Phoenix?”
I shrugged. Honestly, most of that night was a blur.
“From the time you were shot to the night at the cabin, Bear was building an army with every club he could find. As the Sons hadn’t made any friends, it wasn’t hard to convince the other clubs to fight. Over one hundred chapters rode in that night—”
“But if anyone asks, I was still the hero, right?” Mikey asked with a mock frown.
“Christ, Mike,” Jimmy muttered. “Yes, you’re still the one who discovered who Saint was. If it weren’t for you following her to the cabin, we’d still be hunting.”
“Oh, Jimmy.” Mikey fanned his face with a smug grin. “Gonna make me blush.”
“You got Bear on board when Celia couldn’t—“
“Well, I didn’t fire a gun at him or hold a knife to his throat, so there’s that,” Mikey reminded him.
“What?” I threw the covers off my legs, fighting to get out of bed. “Goddamn, my girl’s got balls.”
Jimmy shook his head. “I was convinced Bear was a lost cause, but he really came through for you, Grey. So, what’ll it be?”
Celia pushed the hospital room door open and held up two cups of lime green gelatin with a grin. “I got you two.” Her smile faded as she watched our faces. “What? What happened?”
Jimmy spoke up. “I just gave Grey his new identity and was asking what his plans are; if he’s going back to the club or something else.”
“Mikey,” I said, my voice suddenly hoarse. “Did you get it?”
“Yeah, Pops. I got it.” He placed the black velvet box in my hand, and Celia’s eyes widened.
“What are you—” Her hands came up over her mouth when I popped it open to reveal a diamond ring.
“Been carryin’ this around for fifteen years, waitin’ on the perfect moment. But darlin’, there ain’t ever gonna be a perfect moment.” I gripped the side rail and tried swinging my legs over the side, only to be met with Mikey’s hand, pushing me back down.
“The fuck are you doing, Pops? Look at that damn yellow bracelet on your wrist. It says ‘fall risk.’ Means your ass has gotta stay in bed.”
“Already proposed to her once before in a bed. Wanted to do it right and get down on one knee this time,” I grumbled.
He grinned and shook his head. “Unless you’re sitting on my lap, you’re shit out of luck.”
Reluctantly, I let go of the railing and let him guide me back onto the bed, the wind completely knocked out of my sails. I’d wanted it to be perfect—she deserved that and so much more.
I finally looked up at Celia, expecting to see an amused smirk or narrowed eyed. Instead, her expression took my breath away and left me clenc
hing my jaw to stay in control. She was looking at me as if she truly saw me—not the invalid lying helplessly in a hospital bed, or the biker club Pres.
Just me.
My entire life, I’d wanted to be loved in a way that the world could never taint. Celia Quinn had come after me, over and over again, when I didn’t deserve it.
She could’ve given up on me, but hadn’t. She did it because she’d known that same hunger, this desire to be seen for what she was and loved anyway.
Her monsters called to mine, and I would fucking love her until I took my last breath.
“Made you a promise, princess. Said one day I’d take you to the place you dreamed about.” I tugged the old diamond ring off her finger, a ring I’d given to satisfy an addiction.
Only, she was so much more than that.
She was my salvation.
“What do you say, wanna get married again on the beach?”
A slow smile spread across her face as I slipped the new ring over her knuckle. “I say yes.” A curtain of dark hair fell over my face as she brought her mouth down over mine.
“You hear that, Jimmy? My girl said yes. So, if it’s all the same to you, I think I’d like to hand over the club to Bear and give this civilian life a try.”
I was going to be a nobody.
Epilogue
Grey: 3 Years Later
“Now, this minnow is our bait, see?” I threaded the hook through the tail of the small fish. It instantly began squirming, much to the delight of Hazel, who started screaming and clapping her hands.
Her twin sister, Olivia, wasn’t as impressed and took a step back, catching a bucket with the heel of her shoe. She stumbled over it before going down onto the dock on her ass with a loud cry.
“Darlin’, he ain’t gonna hurt you. Come here and see.” She stuck her chubby little hand out and let me pull her up into my lap. “Look, he wants to go for a little swim. You wanna put him in the water?”
Olivia nodded and rubbed the tears from her eyes. “Him okay?”
Savior: Silent Phoenix MC Series: Book Five Page 34
