Chapter 24
Hudson
Two weeks later, the movie was finally finished, and we had the wrap party. Everyone who had anything to do with the success of the shoot, from cameramen and actors to the writers and producers, were there. It was a casual event, but people usually dressed up for it. All of my movies before had been low budget films, but this time, they rented out a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for the event.
I parked my car on the street down the road from La Trattoria and started for the restaurant. I could see lights from the sidewalk, and people mingling around outside. Chloe and I had talked earlier in the day and agreed not to announce anything about “us” until we were well and truly in the clear, which was more for her benefit than mine. I was at the point where I didn’t care anymore what Simon did me. I just wanted Chloe to be happy, comfortable, and know her career was safe. But until Simon was in our rearview for good, I didn’t know if that was an option.
As I walked up to the gate that lead to La Trattoria’s front patio, I saw a flash of pink, and suddenly, Ariel was at my side.
“Hudson… Simon knows. And he’s pissed,” she whispered in a panic.
“Knows what? I don’t understand.”
“He knows you and Chloe are back together. Just watch your back. He’s on the war path,” she said quickly and then ran away. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. Damnit, I thought as I walked into the restaurant. All of the tables had been cleared away and waiters were wandering around with trays of appetizers and champagne. In the corner, I saw Chloe talking with a few of the other assistants. I had to remind myself not to wave, so instead, I walked up to the bar and ordered a whiskey neat.
“You thought you could pull one over on me you son of a bitch?”
Simon’s voice made me cringe. I didn’t turn to him. I just drank down my whiskey and ordered another. “Nice to see you too, Simon.”
“Don’t give me that. We had a deal. You’re done. Both of you. You and your little bitch girlfriend.”
That was all I needed. I spun around and got up in his face, the gesture sudden enough that it drew everyone’s attention. “That’s it. I’ve had it with you. I don’t care who you think you are or what you think you deserve. But you’re done. You’re never going to hurt another woman again. You’re never going to threaten another woman again. And I don’t care what it means for me. All I care about is taking you down. And if I have to go down with you, so be it. But you. Are. FINISHED.”
For a moment, the restaurant was filled with stunned silence. And then, an eruption of applause echoed from every corner. I could hear Ariel and Chloe’s voice above everyone else’s. For a second, I thought Simon was going to hit me. But when he realized every eye was on him, he just turned on his heel and stomped out.
Chloe was in front of me a second later, a giant grin of her face. But I felt like crap. “Chloe, I’m sorry for making a scene like that in front of everyone. But I love you and after the way he treated you, I just couldn’t let it keep going on. I should have been a man and just put my foot down in the beginning. I apologize again for hurting you and I hope…”
She got up on her tip toes and kissed me on my lips. I felt a rush of a panic for a moment but then I realized it didn’t matter anymore. The movie would be out soon and then our talent would speak for itself. There was nothing else Simon could do at that point, especially once word got out what a monster he was.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Chloe said, smiling. “In front of everyone like this? I just… I didn’t expect it to happen this way.”
“You’ve already been through enough and I wasn’t going to allow him to talk about you like that. I know that you knew the truth, but just the thought of what he wanted to do sent me into a rage. He is going to get what he deserves, that’s for sure.”
“You love me?”
“Do I love you?” I asked with a smile. “Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt. I knew it the first day I met you.”
“I love you too, Hudson.”
Her eyes became misty as she smiled, then hugged me again. I hoped that we would be able to endure whatever else came our way and the tighter we held on to each other, the more I was sure of it. We were together, finally, officially, and nobody was going change that.
EPILOUGE
Chloe
Before the movie even had a chance to come out, everything Simon had done over the course of his entire career finally came to light. It turned out that Simon had hurt so many women and ruined so many careers before he even got to me and Hudson that he was forced out of the business. Not only had he been blackballed from the industry, but no one had any idea where he had gone. The last anyone had heard, he was in some resort in the Bahamas, pretending to recover from “sex addiction.” But the truth was, nobody cared. The industry was already better off without him and a lot of people had done a lot of healing in his absence.
After Love Struck came out and stayed at number one for a month, Hudson and I both had no trouble finding working. Not long after the release, a new comic book movie had announced they were looking for someone with leading-man good looks to take on the lead, and it only took two auditions for Hudson to nail the part. If Love Struck was Hudson’s jumping-off point, the super hero was his golden ticket. I couldn’t have been more of him.
It certainly didn’t hurt that the director of Hudson’s movie was a Claire Reynolds, one of the most sought-after women in the business. When she heard about the “Simon Debacle,” as it came to be known, as well as my role in it, she was intrigued enough to hire me on as her second assistant director. It was a huge opportunity and one I lucky to get.
Now, it was our first day of shooting on Manager Zero and the one-year anniversary of Hudson and I making our relationship official. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Places, everyone, places!” Claire said from her director’s chair, with me by her side. “I am happy to be working on this movie with all of you talented people. We’re going to have an amazing first day and if anyone needs anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Everyone on set cheered happily, but suddenly, Hudson stepped front and center.
“Wait,” he yelled out, “I need to say something.” He looked directly at me. “I need to have a minute with our brilliant second assistant director. Chloe, you are an amazing woman. Your talent and charisma are unparalleled and this past year of my life with you has been nothing short of a utopia.”
“Uh, Hudson?” I asked nervously as I shifted. “What are you doing?”
He stepped closer to me. “I told you from the very first day I met you, I knew you were the one.” I felt tears welling in my eyes. I knew what was about to happen. “Chloe, I love you more than life itself. You are literally my better half and today…” He went down to one knee and pulled a tiny black box out of his pocket. “I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of allowing me to be your husband?”
Everyone stood around nervously in anticipation of my answer. Tears rolled down my cheeks and my heart thumped in an excited panic. I couldn’t even speak because I was too choked up, so I nodded my head and reached out to him with a laugh. Everyone clapped as we embraced each other.
“I love you, Hudson.”
“I love you too, my brilliant girl.”
I barely heard the cheers of the cast and crew as I melted into his arms. I had everything I had ever wanted, and the future had never looked brighter.
I had found happiness at last, and I would never let it go…
~ The End ~
Protected by the Biker
by Savannah Rylan
Chapter 1
Thorn
Gun shots pierced through the quiet night making my heart start to race.
“Get cover!” Enzo hollered.
My brothers scattered, running from the shipping container that they were unloading to take cover.
Enzo was our president of the MC. He was crouched behind his Harley with two of our oth
er members. Flashing blue lights coming from unmarked sedans were the only thing besides a few rusty lights on the edge of a warehouse that lit up the darkness.
“Put down your guns!” a voice on a megaphone yelled. “We have you surrounded.”
Enzo was yelling again at everyone, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying over the sound of bullets whizzing by me. Enzo jumped up and returned fire at the ATF agents that were coming out of the fucking woodwork.
The rest of my brothers followed suit and started firing at anything that moved. They needed to get out of there before more agents showed up. I tried my best to yell at them to leave but none of them listened to me. I felt my throat start to become raw from trying to get their attention.
I heard the sound of sirens get closer as more police officers and agents drove inot the port.
Four of my brothers decided to make a run for it, and try and hop over a nearby fence. I watched in horror as four of them were gunned down. Their bodies fell to the ground in heaps and I tried to rush over to them to help them, but my feet wouldn’t budge.
All I could do was let out a loud scream.
My body shot up from my bed with a start. Sweat covered my body and my bedsheets were kicked to the ground. I knew I was dreaming because I wasn’t there the night that my club got busted. I should have fucking been there with my brothers. More importantly, I should have looked into our Mexican contacts more. I should have realized that their deal was too good to be true. Because of my mistake, now our President, Enzo, was in jail.
The fucked-up thing was, Enzo wasn’t supposed to be there at the port either. He didn’t usually attend the collection of our gun shipments because we all knew that it was risky for the President of an MC to be there for a collection. That night, however, because we were getting a shipment from our brand-new contacts in Mexico, Enzo decided to go. He wanted to oversee it himself; especially since I wasn’t going to be there to look into it.
I had gotten shot the night before, right on my shoulder during a shootout with one of our rival clubs. The Steel Skulls had tried to raid one of our storage warehouses and steal some of our AK-47’s. The bastards had been trying to get into the gun business for months, and we had managed to lock them out of ever deal. SoCal was our fucking territory and we weren’t going to let them take it.
We defended our assets and scared the fuckers off, but not before one of them snagged me in the shoulder. The wound was nothing to worry about, the bullet just grazed my skin. I tried to convince Enzo and the boys that I was fine, but they told me that I needed at least a day to recover. Now, I wished that I hadn’t listened to them. I was blaming myself. Maybe if I was there that night, I might have been able to do something differently.
Every time I closed my eyes, I was pictured the moment that the ATF raided the port. Even though I wasn’t there, I kept imagining it in my sleep. Enzo and my brothers, going about their business, talking about what a goldmine these new contacts in Mexico were. Little did they know that all of it was a fucking set up.
I had my doubts about them from the very beginning, and I should have listened to my gut. When something seems too good to be true, it probably was.
They had been working with the ATF all along. It was a trap. We all knew that the ATF had been working hard to infiltrate our club for several months or catch us in an act that they could then hang over our heads. Raiding our secret port at night, in the middle of a weapon shipment being collected was ideal. They were able to arrest all the club members who were present at the time.
Thankfully, the rest of us were still free. They had no hard evidence on us, not yet anyway.
Now, four of my brothers were dead. Six of them were arrested, including Enzo. Our club was under attack, and I was sitting in my apartment, drinking endless cans of beer and watching some shit on the television. I didn’t need rest; there was nothing wrong with my shoulder. I should have been there with my brothers, putting up a defense, fighting beside them. I deserved to be in jail with the rest of them if that was our fate.
Maybe we wouldn’t have lost the four others if there were more of us on the scene.
I woke up in a cold sweat, panting.
Our club had taken a bad hit. We were without a President. Enzo was the man we all looked up to. He was our guide. He was fair and harsh, and we all respected him. Now he was sitting in prison, and there was nothing that the club could do for him to get him out.
Enzo had taken me under his wing several months ago; as the new VP and now with him gone-the natural progression was for me to take over. I didn’t know if I was ready to be the President of The Grim Reapers motorcycle club. I didn’t know if I could handle the responsibility. I was just a tough kid from a rough neighborhood who was given a break by The Grim Reapers. I didn’t know if I had any leadership skills, I didn’t know if I could replace Enzo-but what choice did I have now?
I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Every night, for the past three days since the ATF busted us, had been like this. I hadn’t slept more than a handful of hours since then. My mind was wrecked with thoughts of the night, what I could have done to help, what I was going to do now that I was President, what Enzo and my brothers were going to face in prison now.
I paced around my apartment in the dark, till I cracked open a can of beer to calm myself down. It was four in the morning and all I’d been fueled by in the last few days was alcohol.
My phone rang in the bedroom, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I rushed to it and answered on the fourth ring. It was a collect call from the local prison, and I knew immediately who it was. I accepted it and waited for Enzo’s deep calm voice at the other end.
“Did I wake you, Thorn?” he said, and I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes.
“I don’t remember what it feels like to be sleeping,” I said, and when I heard Enzo chuckle, my shoulders relaxed a bit too.
“I could say the same. Anyway, they’re transferring us to County jail tomorrow,” he continued, and my eyes flew open.
“I’ll set up a protection ring inside for you and the others,” I said, still pacing around the apartment as I spoke to him.
“That won’t be necessary, Thorn, we’re already on it,” Enzo said, and I was surprised again by how calm he sounded. By how calm he had been through this entire thing. It was like he trusted me to handle all this completely. I didn’t even trust myself.
“What I need you to do is handle things on the outside,” he continued, and I gripped the phone tighter in my hand.
“I’m going to figure out a way to fight back. Those assholes in Mexico need to be shown that nobody snitches on us,” I was gritting my teeth hard as I spoke, and instead of Enzo agreeing with me, I was surprised to hear him clucking his tongue. Like he disapproved.
“See, that is exactly what you need not to do, Thorn,” Enzo said, and I stopped pacing in my tracks. My brows were crossed. I was confused, and my veins were pumped with adrenaline.
“I need you to lay low. You think you can do that?” Enzo’s voice sounded firm and hopeful at the same time. I shook my head, my eyes small and burning with rage and confusion.
“You want us to lay low? You don’t want us to fight back? What are they doing to you in there, boss?” I asked, and I heard him take in a deep breath.
“Nothing. We took a big hit. Four of our guys are dead. Six of us are in prison. What do you think is going on, Thorn?” he sounded angrier now and I gritted my teeth.
“Our club is under attack,” I said, in a low deep growl.
“That’s right, and now is not the time to launch our own attack. You hear me, Thorn?” Enzo said. I said nothing.
“You are President now, and I picked you as VP for exactly a situation like this. I need you to be calm, to lay low, stay away from weapons and all the other bullshit, so the whole club doesn’t end up here,” he continued.
“What do we do then? You want us to just sit around and do nothing?” I was barking into the p
hone, but Enzo was still calm.
“I know you’ll figure something out, Thorn. This is what you’re good at. You know how to figure shit out,” he said, but I could hear the worry in his voice. He might have been pretending to be calm and like he was in control of what was going on around him, but underneath the surface, he was just as fucked up about this as I was.
“Yeah, I’ll figure something out,” I replied in a deep quiet voice.
“Good. I’ll see you on the other side, soon,” Enzo said, and with that, he had ended the call.
I waited for a few moments, listening to the white noise of the disconnected call and then, in anger, I threw my phone to the ground. Stopping myself just in time from stomping on it. I wasn’t mad at Enzo. I was mad at myself. Mad at those fucking assholes in Mexico. Mad at the ATF.
I should have been there. I should have looked into the new contacts. I should have sniffed out that something was up.
I picked up my phone again and sent a text out to my core team. I was calling for Church first thing in the morning. We needed to figure this shit out. If laying low and staying away from trouble was what Enzo wanted, that was what I’d give him.
Picking up my discarded can of beer, I sat down on the couch in the living room and waited for the sun to rise.
Chapter 2
Ensley
I walked back towards my dressing room, with the sound of receding cheers in the background. It was my third late-night talk show of the week, and just like all the other ones, this one too had been a complete success. It was surprising how comfortable I had gotten with being in the public eye. I enjoyed the attention and the love that people around the country were showering on me. It made me feel like every decision I had made till now, had been the right one. They had all got me here, to this moment, when I was on national TV.
Baby and the Biker: The Ghost Riders MC Page 35
