Autumn choked and gasped for air, her arms swinging wildly until she remembered the geode she’d put down on the desk before sitting down. She reached for it, and with all her strength, she clobbered him over the head.
“Fuck!” he cried. His hand flew away from her throat and went to the blood gushing from his skull. He looked at his red-stained fingers. “You fuckin’ cunt!”
Autumn held on to the bloodied geode with both hands. If he was going to kill her, then so be it, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
He raised his weapon, and without thinking, she threw the souvenir at him, knocking the gun from his hand.
“Bitch!” he said, rushing around the desk, but Autumn made a dash for the door.
Knowing he’d probably pick up the gun, her pulse pounded as adrenaline coursed through her veins. When Autumn turned the corner, she heard his footsteps thudding from behind as she rushed to the front door. She yanked at it, but it wouldn’t open. He’s going to kill me! Autumn tried the door again and thought she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.
Looking quickly over her shoulder, Autumn saw one of his legs as he came around the corner.
“No!” she screamed just as the door opened.
“It’s me, baby,” Chains said as he pulled her away from it.
“He has a gun! He’s going to kill me!”
“It’s okay—I’m here. No one’s gonna hurt you.” Chains ran a hand over her hair.
It was at that moment she saw three men in leather jackets holding guns.
“How many are back there?” Chains asked.
“Just the one. He was right behind me.” She watched him jerk his head at the three bikers who moved cautiously into the hallway.
“Just relax, darlin’, we got it under control.”
“I bet he ran out the back door. He’ll come back again.” She shivered in his arms. “He said that Bret owes him a hundred thousand dollars. He told me Bret borrowed it to pay off his gambling debt. I didn’t even know Bret gambled.” Memories of Bret asking her for money popped in her mind. That’s why he needed the money—to pay for gambling. He lied to me about everything.
“Why did he come to you?”
“Bret told him I’d take care of it because I own the building. I don’t know what he was thinking—he was probably just desperate to pay this guy off. The man was pretty intimidating.”
Autumn heard an anguished cry that split the night. There were a few pops like firecrackers going off and then it was quiet.
“What was that?” she whispered.
Chains swept his lips over her forehead. “I think the loan shark met up with the guys. People do stupid things.”
“Do you think he shot at them?”
“Probably. Anyway, he won’t be back.”
“I know he would’ve killed me if you hadn’t come when you did. I can’t believe Bret put me in such a dangerous situation.”
“Yeah—I need to talk to him about that. And in the future, if you’re gonna stay late at work and no one else is here, let me know and I’ll hang out with you.”
Autumn snuggled against him. “I love you.”
“Me too. I gotta teach you some street smarts, woman.”
“I’m already learning.” She shuddered.
“That’s what’ll keep you alive.”
Two bikers walked in and glanced at her then turned their attention to Chains.
“You need us to clean shit up?” a man with blond hair and blue eyes asked.
“Clean up?” Autumn said.
“You hit the guy in the head pretty good, baby. You don’t want your staff seeing blood in the hallway and your office,” Chains replied.
Autumn’s face fell. “That’s right. What am I going to say to them … to Mark and Marian? This is awful. Should we call the police?”
“No badges,” the blond growled.
Chains cupped the sides of her face with his hands. “We’ll handle things, darlin’. Don’t worry about it.” He looked at the bikers. “Do you want me to help out?”
“Nah, we got this. Diablo and Shotgun are out back,” said one of the men—this one had dark hair.
“I owe you,” Chains said as the men bumped fists then retreated behind the reception area. Are you ready to go home?” he asked Autumn.
“Yes. I’ll go get my things.”
When she walked into the office, she saw four bikers who immediately stopped what they were doing and waited for her to gather up her files, coat, and purse.
“Thank you,” she said before leaving the room.
The men grunted and she quickly walked down the hall, grimacing when she saw the trail of blood on the shiny floor.
“Do you have an extra key?” Chains asked. “The guys will need to lock up. Write down the code to the alarm so they can secure the building when they’re done.”
“Okay. Are you sure we shouldn’t call the cops?”
“Positive.”
She handed Chains a piece of paper with the information about the alarm system and a spare key from her ring. In less than two minutes, he was back. He put his arm around her and they walked out into the night.
When they arrived at Autumn’s house, she was still spooked from the events of the night. It was like she’d been wound up real tight and hadn’t been released.
“You need to calm down,” Chains said as he brought over a bottle of wine and set it on the table.
“I’m trying,” she said softly. “I’ve never had anyone pull a gun on me. This whole thing is surreal.”
“Let me get you a glass and grab a couple of beers. I’m hungry as hell and pizza sounds real good.”
“Okay. Your friends were nice to help out. Are they in your club?”
“Yeah. We have each other’s backs, and now that you’re my woman, they have yours. What do you want on your pizza?”
“I’m not that hungry, so whatever you want is fine.”
Chains placed a glass in front of her then poured a healthy portion of red wine into it before pulling the tab on a can of beer. “I know what you went through is traumatic. We can talk about it if you want.”
“Order the pizza first. I’m going to change into something more comfortable. I’ll be done in a few.” She wanted to take a shower and block everything from her mind.
Thirty minutes later, she heard Chains yell, “Pizza’s here,” from the bottom of the stairs, and she combed her damp hair then went down to the family room.
“Are you feeling better, baby?” he asked as he opened the pizza box and put a slice on a paper plate then handed it to her.
“A little. It was just so scary. You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you think you’re going to die? Well, nothing like that happened. The only thing on my mind was getting away from him.”
“The instinct of survival. It wasn’t your time, darlin’.”
She took a bite and chewed, then said, “Do you really believe that?”
“Yeah, I do. I’ve been in some close situations and I’m still breathing. I had a friend in high school who got shot the week before we graduated. He was in Pueblo visiting family and he got caught in the crossfire of two guys gunning for each other. Three shots were fired, and they all went into him. Died on the spot.”
“That’s awful.”
Chains nodded. “Yeah, it was bad, but it’s life. Some people do dangerous as hell things and they die old, some do nothing and they’re killed in a car crash or whatever. What happened to you tonight could’ve been real bad, but you were smart and called me. I’m just happy as fuck you didn’t get hurt.”
“I feel so grateful.”
“And that’s a damn good thing. Be grateful for the life you have and live it to the fullest.” Chains brought the beer bottle to his mouth.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He leaned over and kissed her. “Now let’s discuss our new home.” He grabbed another slice of pizza and took a big bite.
F
or the next hour, they talked about the construction of their new home. Cinder slept in her favorite corner of the couch, close to Autumn, while Thor stretched out on the rug in front of the sofa, next to Chains, and she sat beside the love of her life. The flames dancing in the fireplace cast an orange glow around the room, and after Chains had reassured her that she was safe along with a few glasses of red wine, the incidents from earlier that night seemed like they’d never happened, like it had all been just a bad dream.
“Do you think your parents will ever accept me as part of your family? Your mom has never called me about the breakup, which actually surprises me,” Autumn said as she leaned back against the cushion.
Chains quirked his lips. “Bret told my mom bullshit about the breakup which put him in a good light.”
She grimaced. “I wondered about that. I like your mom, and I hate that she thinks bad things about me.”
“She’ll never believe he was the jerk in all of this. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve spoken with my mom, and I haven’t talked to my dad since the brunch. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t need to know what the hell I do. What about your parents? What do they think about us getting married?”
“They think I’m crazy, but they both told me they’ve never seen me happier. It turns out, they weren’t all that fond of Bret. I kind of picked up on it, but they never said anything to me when I’d ask. They can’t wait to meet you, so I thought we could go to Denver for Thanksgiving. Would you be game for that? The holidays are big in my family.”
“Yeah, that’s cool. I want to meet the people who made such a sexy and special woman.” He winked, then picked up the bottle of beer.
“They’re going to love you. They may not get the whole biker thing, but they’ll definitely relate to the rebel in you. Both my parents were hippies before they realized money is a necessity if you want a decent life. My dad’s still a rebel at heart, joining protesters whenever he feels there’s been an infringement on our rights. I’d say he’s a Constitutionalist for sure. He’d have been right beside George Washington.” Warmth spread through her. “He’s the best dad. My mom is less radical, but she’s a free spirit for sure. I really lucked out with both of them.”
“I can’t wait to meet them, and I’m with your dad all the way. The fuckin’ government is trying to eradicate the Constitution and throw our rights in the damn garbage. It’s good that your dad stands against it. We’re gonna get along just fine.”
“Do you think you’ll ever make amends with your family? Your sisters seemed nice.”
“I just don’t fit in. It used to bother me when I was a kid, but it hasn’t for a long time. The only thing we have in common is that we share the same blood. That doesn’t mean shit to me. You know who my real family is.”
“And they’re great. Some are really scary, but I know that they’ll always watch over me because I’m with you.”
Nodding, Chains put down his beer. “That’s the brotherhood.”
“I wonder if your parents know about Bret’s addiction. I’m still reeling over that.”
“Nah—they think he’s perfect, especially my old man. If they ever found out, they’d twist it so it’d somehow be my fault.” He laughed.
“So you’re not going to tell your mom? I think you should. I know you think she doesn’t care about you, but deep down she does. She was thrilled you came to the brunch and upset when you left early.”
“I guess she’s okay, she’s just not loyal to anyone but my dad. If the old man turned against Bret, she’d be on his side. And that kind of shit, isn’t what I want. If I told her about Bret, what would be gained from it? She’d just worry and my old man would talk her out of believing it, and then she’d think I was lying because I wanted to get back at my brother for some dumb reason.”
“Well, you know your family better than I do, but I hope for his sake, he gets help. That guy was not joking around. If Bret’s not careful, he’s going to wind up seriously hurt or killed.”
“I’m sure he knows the risks—it’s up to him to make the right decision. I can have a talk with him. I want him to know the shit he caused tonight.”
“And I better file a quitclaim tomorrow. I want him off the deed to the property.”
“Agreed.”
“I do think it would be good if you talked to him. Even though he put me in danger, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. He really needs some therapy.” She patted his hand. “I wish our house was already done. I can’t wait to break ground in the spring. It’s going to be beautiful.”
“It’ll kickass.”
“Oh, Breanna called me the other day and asked me to join their old ladies’ night out.” Autumn giggled. “It sounds so funny calling myself an old lady.”
He chuckled. “You’ll have a good time with them. It’s important to build a strong bond with the other old ladies ’cause you’ll be spending a lot of time with them. You may not like all of them, but after time, they’ll grow on you.”
“So far, they all seem pretty nice except for Shannon. I don’t think she likes me.”
Chains shook his head. “Rooster’s her old man, and she and Sam—Tattoo Mike’s old lady—had a run of the club for years. They got bumped down when Steel got hitched to Breanna and then our vice president—Paco, you met him, hooked up with Chelsea, pushing those two further down the ladder. Shannon’s also pissed because Rooster sometimes has some fun with the club girls.”
Autumn looked away. “Do you think that’s okay?”
“I think it’s their business. If you’re asking if I’m cool with having fun on the side, the answer is—no fucking way. We’re a team, and loyalty and respect mean everything.”
Picking up his hand, she kissed it. “I knew that, it’s just nice to hear.”
“You’re it for me, darlin’. I’ll be right back.”
Autumn stretched her legs out and petted Cinder while she watched the flames flicker.
“Here you go,” Chains said as he handed her a wrapped box.
“What is it?” she asked, untying the silver ribbon.
“You’ll see.”
With her heart beating a mile a minute and her stomach fluttering like crazy, she opened the lid on the blue velvet box. Inside was a sparkling solitaire diamond ring with emerald baguettes on each side of the stone. She picked it up.
“It’s gorgeous,” she murmured.
Chains took it from her and slipped it on her left ring finger. “I thought you’d like a citizen’s symbol of our engagement.”
Her lips quirked up. “Was the vest—I mean cut—the biker symbol?”
“Yeah—it tells bikers’ to back the fuck off, and now this ring will tell citizens the same.”
“You’re so cute, really.” Autumn looped her arms around his neck. “I love you too much.”
“There’s never too much when it comes to our love, woman.”
“We’re going to have a wonderful life.” She nestled closer to him, then held up her hand, admiring the engagement ring.
“Never doubt it. You just need to understand that the club is a part of me, like your parents are for you. I’d never ask you to choose between them and me, and I don’t want you asking me to choose between you and the brotherhood.”
“I won’t.”
“Then, we’re good.”
“I feel so complete now.” Autumn tilted her head back and met his gaze. “You are the man I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
“You rock my world, woman. We were meant to be together.”
After two broken engagements and a few dating disasters, Autumn had finally gotten it right. Snuggled against Chains, his arms wrapped protectively around her, she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be than right there with him. She was so excited for the next chapter in their lives, and she couldn’t wait to be his wife and for Chains to be her husband.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Chains put a finger under her chin and tipped her
head backward. His gaze met hers. “And I’ll always love you, darlin’.” Then he claimed her mouth. He buried his fingers in her hair, tugging her head back a bit more to deepen the kiss. After a long while, he pulled up. “Fuck, baby, once I start kissing you, I just can’t stop.”
Autumn yanked him back toward her. “Then don’t,” she said before pressing her lips on his.
And as they kissed and then made love, she lost herself in his touch, his scent—his everything.
Together they made each other whole, and it was simply perfect.
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Notes from Chiah
As always, I have a team behind me making sure I shine and continue on my writing journey. It is their support, encouragement, and dedication that pushes me further in my writing journey. And then, it is my wonderful readers who have supported me, laughed, cried, and understood how these outlaw men live and love in their dark and gritty world. Without you—the readers—an author’s words are just letters on a page. The emotions you take away from the words breathe life into the story.
Thank you to my amazing Personal Assistant Natalie Weston. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Seriously, I’d be lost without you. You keep me organized and on track. I so appreciate that! Your patience, calmness, and insights are always appreciated. Thank you for stepping in when I’m holed up tapping away on the computer, oblivious to the world. You make my writing journey that much smoother. Thank you for ALWAYS being there for me! I’m so lucky you’re on my team!
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