Getting Jenn and I over the boarder was a piece of cake. I met the Hoffmans’ friends during my stay there. Luckily, the man had served time in the military and recognized our situation, gracefully looking away. He said that he would help as long as I contributed to the mission. I gave him a stack of cash for those kids in Mexico City, and I have no doubt he used that money for them. I’m no fool either. I saw the redemption in his eyes. He felt that this was his penance. To each their own.
Once we were there in Mexico City, it was easy to track Korina, my sister, down. She never strayed far from the Cartel, and she was much easier to find than them. I knew she hadn’t died on the day I left. I think a part of me kept her alive because I hadn’t been ready to kill her at the time. But, once I faced her again, I was. I put a bullet in her and her lover, Esteban, with no regret. After all, they did keep me from my happiness and my child.
Even though killing Korina had to be done, it felt like a stake had been run through my heart. I mourned the loss of my twin sister. Not the shell she had become, but the sister I had had as a child. I had to say goodbye to her, and a piece of me held on to that. Korina would have come back to kill me or someone that I loved.
We were down there for about a week before the mission to Mexico was done, and, thank God that every single one of us came back alive. And the best part, Jenn is alive and present with her soul in this world. I think she can finally move forward, and I am content that she can.
This jaded game is getting old, and it feels like none of us are winning. When does it stop? When we all die from our choices?
Even now that we’ve been back for a while, Tank is giving me time to feel my way through the darkness, and process the events. Others may see me as cold or heartless. What they don’t see is a heart that has been abused and that I do what I can to live to fight another day. Fighting for a future where lies and deceit don’t live.
I will do whatever it takes to get there. I will kill anyone for that, to escape the betrayal and imprisonment.
Old habits die hard though and even more so now that I’m getting so close to the end of my own personal mission, killing Matias. I look even harder for signs of him. The closer you get to the fire, the hotter it gets.
I begged Spider and Blade to act faster and move in on Matias while we had the advantage. Unfortunately, they didn’t agree, and that leads me to now, about nine months out from when we left Mexico. Waiting for him to make an appearance.
We’ve discussed strategies and made some tentative plans. Their choice is to draw Matias out, take him out of his comfort zone. To bring him here. And that makes me nervous. However, I trust them to make this work.
It hurt like a son of a bitch to go back to Mexico, and was a gamble if I would make it back alive. Just knowing that I wasn’t alone for a change and had Tank and Jenn with me made it possible. That chokes me up, because the truth hurts.
I pray that they don’t abandon me with the next phase of our plan.
Chapter 33
Kat
A lot of things have happened since I’ve joined forces with the Battle Born brothers, and I think over my time here in the last year or so. How much I have grown.
When Vegas and Dana had their babies, Tank held on to me through the torturous moments I held their precious children. I had to force myself not wishing to die from the pain of holding them in my arms.
I needed to take my mind off things for a bit. So, as a surprise, Tank and I took Tami out one day, and we found her an apartment to live in on her own. We called it a graduation gift, from earning her diploma online.
It made me chuckle when Tank said, “Woman, we do everything ass backwards, but look at our little T-spoon, all grown up and in her own house. We did that, K-Love.”
It was perfect timing too because she needed her independence as a woman, and I also needed her to get away from me. I couldn’t live with myself if I lost her in the crossfire. I’ve greatly enjoyed watching her grow even more while living on her own.
Since the pound puppies, Solo and Pawn, both went after Tami, finally, I have been a little more relaxed. There may have been a few times along the way when I planted the idea in everyone’s head to get the ball moving.
Vegas and Dana, along with Tank, jumped at the idea of meddling and helping her out. I did it out of love for Tami. They obviously love her too and I need her protected.
Even though Solo came out as the victor and stole her away, Pawn will get his happily ever. I will see to it.
Do you believe in fate or that the road carries in the direction meant to be traveled? I do, I believe in rolling with it and having faith.
Even when it feels like you are crumbling, don’t. Faith and a set of brass balls will see you through.
Once Pawn learns faith and earns those brass balls, he will find out the rest of his story. Because he will be ready to fight for it. I feel it in my gut, and I pray that I will be around to meddle in it.
All shit broke loose with killing that crooked cop, and his fiancé sought out her revenge that landed Pawn in prison. She framed him for beating the hell out of another man and planting drugs on Pawn. Feather set him up for what we did, and the game of revenge continues.
Blade, Axl and I all feel responsible for how that shit turned out. Not a single one of us has uttered a word about what happened to him, but our guilt runs deep.
My heart clenched in agony on the day little Cash was born. Pawn was locked up and couldn’t hold his son. It was a painful reminder of something that I understood better than anyone else on this earth.
Emily Scott, or Feather, died for her betrayal to the club. She was burned alive in a bonfire far out into the desert.
A wicked smile creeped up my face the harder she screamed, and, eventually, she stopped after a few minutes. What was left of Feather and her belongings was buried deep into the earth, never to be seen again.
Even through her death, the debt owed to Pawn would never be fully repaid because some things just couldn’t be brought back, and that was time.
Time that is stolen is time lost forever.
However, Emily Scott will still be alive, on paper anyway.
My contacts couldn’t get a location on Matias recently, and my anxiety runs rampant. Tank said to trust him and the club, and I have been doing that.
I completely and one hundred percent don’t agree with their decisions, but I can’t make them move any faster either.
I start making rounds, keeping an eye on everyone and everything daily. At the moment, I’m up on a hill, checking things out, when my heart sinks at what I see.
Tami parks and gets out of her car, then grabs Cash in his car seat from the back seat before coming back out to get his diaper bag. Seconds later, a black SUV pulls in at the curb and lifts the hood. The slick looking man walks up to her.
Tami, goddamn it, talks to him. My hands shake with fear of what he will do to her and Cash. I pull out my phone sending a quick text to let Spider know that Matias is here, with a simple “M.”
Steeling my nerves, I dial the devil, his number forever imprinted in memory.
“Katherine,” he stalls because he knows it’s me. “Excuse me for a moment,” I hear him explaining to Tami as he walks away from her. “Mi amor, time to come home to your esposo, yes?”
There is a real chance that I will die young, like I always thought I would, and die before I even get across the border. When he sees my skin and the tattoos that cover my once perfect complexion, he will be disgusted with my disobedience.
“Leave her alone and I will come home now.”
“No games, or I kill them both.” He waits for me to answer, and, when I don’t, he promises, “Then, I will have my men shoot the other women and children next. If you tip her off.”
“Let her go into the house and I’ll walk over there now.” I’m shaking because Matias could kill her out of spite. But if he does hurt her or Cash, I will run, and he knows it.
“Hello.” He grabs Tam
i’s attention and saunters back toward her. “I think it is just a loose hose. Thank you so much for coming out, but my mechanic just called me back.”
“Oh, okay then, if you need some help, let me know,” I hear her sweet voice responding.
Jesus, Tami, just go into the house, I want to yell at her.
Matias holds the phone at his side, and I begin to walk the last stretch of my freedom back to him. Pausing at the side of the house, I take out the drug I’ve had on me since my last conversation with Spider and Blade, and swallow the bitter pill, and the reality.
When Tami is safely inside, I step out from around the neighbor’s house. Matias turns in my direction and fury replaces the mask that he wore for her. I hold my gun close to my side.
“As soon as both you and I are in the car, I will hand over the gun.”
Matias grips my jacket and pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me. An embrace that would look like a lover’s hold. His teeth bite into my ear. “What have you done?” he snarls, and the demon comes out.
“What I had to.”
“You will regret killing Korina and Esteban, and you will tell me where you’ve been hiding everything that is mine.”
Before I can answer, Matias smashes his lips to mine.
I don’t move. I freeze because there is no choice but to give in and save all their lives.
Matias bites my upper lip and pulls away before pushing me into the truck. Tami’s confused face comes into view from her window right before the door is shut.
Raising the gun to shoot him, I fail before I can pull the trigger and I black out when a fist smashes my temple.
Chapter 34
Tank
“And?” These boys need more help then I swear I have time for. Freaking Cowboy thinks he can win a bet against me, the king.
My phone vibrates from a call and I hold up a finger before answering, “What’s up, little T?”
She chokes on a sob and crying comes over the line. The blood in my veins instantly freezes and my heart stops.
“What happened, Tami? I need you to take some deep breaths and tell me everything.”
Through hiccupping and hysterics, I hear everything that I need to know. Kat left me. For her husband.
She ran out on us.
There was never an us.
Once again, I was just the stupid biker that she wanted to fuck and use.
Fuck, how could I be so stupid?
“Thanks, T, I will figure out what is happening, okay?” At least I have enough in me to sell it to the kid that everything is okay. I hang up my call with Tami and throw my beer across the garage, shattering the glass in a million pieces.
A roar of bikes light up the driveway and I run out to see Axl, Blade and Spider jump on. Cowboy and I are hot on their tails, only just behind them.
We race down the freeway, after what, I don’t know. I’m so high from the adrenaline that my blood pressure is the only thing that I can hear in my head.
We come up behind a black SUV and my heart stops cold. Is this the ride that Kat jumped into? Blade darts ahead and then Spider swerves in front of the car. They stomp on their breaks, almost crashing into the SUV. Not having another choice, the vehicle veers off the freeway and takes a side road.
Luckily, Cowboy and I are behind and are able to follow it. Pain and fury at her choice has me uncontrolled of my thoughts. Pulling out my gun, I aim and shoot at the tires. As I hit one, the vehicle swerves and takes a sharp right, barely making it around the corner.
Cowboy and I skid to a stop and turn back around. By the time we find the truck, it’s empty and everyone has fled.
I look around for the direction that they could have run, but with the several surrounding buildings, there is no telling which way they went.
“Tank,” Cowboy calls, but I can’t move.
“Tank!” He screams this time and I turn toward him where he drags out of the backseat a lifeless Kat, bleeding from her head. “She’s not breathing!”
Blade, Spider and Axl come up the road with a roar and take in the scene while parking their bikes, then run over to us. Like in slow motion, I paw at them to get to her.
Blade and Axl pull me back, yelling at me to calm down. But I can’t. I don’t know if I’m screaming her name or not. The confusion and shock cloud my senses and actions.
Spider takes her from Cowboy while giving him orders, and caries her off the street and into a building.
My mind snaps and I start punching at Blade and Axl. They fall back and I run for Kat, screaming her name when I get into the building.
“Tank, brother, she is gone. Stop making a scene and help me hide her before the cops get here.” I hear sirens blasting into the distance.
My life dies on the day my K-Love becomes a dark angel in heavens. She finally escaped the pain and torture of her past.
Kat is the Queen we sacrificed to win the war.
Then why does it feel like I lost?
To Be Continued…
Fighting for Forever (Battle Born MC, Book 6)
She wasn’t supposed to leave me.
In fact, she promised me her heart and a forever.
That is, until she left me, and everything went dark.
I lost myself, the Road Captain, and I always know which road to take.
Not this time, not after losing her and my faith in the MC.
With only pieces of her that are left behind, the secrets begin to surface.
I’m left alone and fighting against the truth and the past.
Will I find what is real and why she left me in the dark?
PRE-ORODER NOW
Amazon US
Amazon CA
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
To the readers
Some roads, stories and choices change our lives forever. We never really know what tomorrow will be, only that faith in ourselves will make it okay in the end. We all struggle. I hope that you find some deeper meaning to these women in these books. That you see their strength, and some of that sticks to you.
This book, and the next, is for you. After I started Tank & Kat’s book, it felt wrong to the series as a whole to cram it all into one book. It felt right to give them their whole story in two books. I hope, for those who wanted one book, that you forgive me and enjoy the story. This is my faith, truth and the road I chose and the story to tell.
Leave nothing left unsaid and regret nothing,
Scarlett
Leave me a review on Amazon here & Follow me online!
Are you Battle Born?
First, Sign up for my newsletter to get Battle Born extras and just all around cool stuff!
Then be BATTLE BORN & Join the Bitches Without Borders Readers Group Page.
Find excerpts nowhere else but on my website blog at
www.authorscarlettblack.com
Battle Born MC Series
Betting on Forever (Battle Born MC #1)
Nothing Lasts Forever (Battle Born MC #2)
Living for Forever (Battle Born MC #3)
Always & Forever (Battle Born MC #4)
About the Author
Scarlett Black lives in a small town in Northern Nevada. She has three kids a husband and a couple of dogs. She loves to watch baseball, especially when her kids or husband play. One day she had random thoughts floating around in her brain, opened her laptop and started writing without really knowing of where the journey would take her. Here she is now, an erotic MC genre author, that works full time. She enjoys her busy life, the outdoors and shopping as much as possible!
www.authorscarlettblack.com
ale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Escaping From Forever: Tank & Kat's story, Part 1 (Battle Born MC Book 5) Page 19
