by Nina Levine
Devil’s vein in his neck twitched as he said, “Fuck, my brother was broken into a couple of nights ago.”
Hyde was murderous. “Fuck!” he roared, standing. He looked like he was about to explode from his anger. “My sister owns a convenience store and it was held up two nights ago.” His gaze zeroed in on King. “This is Silver Hell, isn’t it? Those motherfuckers!”
If I thought Hyde was murderous, King was positively insane. He slammed his fist down on the table and looked around the table. “Those motherfucking cunts!” Giving his attention to Devil, he said, “I want you to look into this, you and Kick, and report back ASAP, yeah?”
Devil’s eyes met mine, and we nodded. “Yeah, boss, will do,” he agreed.
“Any other business to discuss?” King demanded, his wild eyes searching the room. When no one spoke up, the gavel came down and Church was done.
Fuck.
Shit just got real.
***
I gazed at Evie sitting in the bed. She’d progressed from lying down all the time to sitting for a while each day. I knew from experience how painful broken ribs were, and I also knew how long they took to recover from.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, keeping her eyes on mine.
I smirked and pushed off from the wall to walk to the bed. Sitting next to her, I said, “I was thinking that my dick could shrivel up from lack of use over the next month or so.”
“Really? Such deep thoughts you have, Kick,” she said with a wink.
“That was your opportunity to tell me we could work without your pussy on this.”
“Well, we could . . . you’ve always got two hands to take care of business,” she responded, with a teasing gleam in her eye.
“Sweetheart, I’d much rather your hands sign up for this job.”
She laughed and fuck if that didn’t turn me the fuck on. Jesus, Evie only had to look at me these days and I was almost blowing a load. Her laugh didn’t last long, though, because it caused her pain and she winced. But then she grew serious and asked, “Do you ever think we’ll get to play with your toys?”
I shifted off the bed and threw my hands in the air. “Fuck, baby, you can’t do that to a man when he’s got no fuckin’ hope of getting a hard-on taken care of.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring your toys up.” She really did look apologetic, but that was no good to me once my dick was already hard.
I placed my finger to my lips. “Shhh, don’t mention the toys again. At least not until you can fix this shit,” I said, pointing to my hard cock.
Nodding, she opened her mouth to say something, but we were interrupted by a knock at the front door. I left her and went to answer the door. My brother and sister stood on the other side, surprising the hell out of me. Lina pushed past me before I could stop her, and asked, “Is Evie in her bedroom?”
I’d forgotten she knew this house; Evie and Lina had been close until the last time I broke up with Evie. “Yeah, just go on through,” I muttered, knowing full well my sister wouldn’t listen to me if I told her to wait.
Braden grinned at me as he took a step inside. “How are you, little brother?”
“Fuck, man, I’m tired. It’s been a long week. And you?” I closed the door behind him.
“I’m good. Heard you had a blow up at Mum.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, that woman . . .” my voice drifted off as thoughts of her cut through me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever work my anger at her out of my system.
“I get it. I told her not to come around my place anymore, too,” he admitted.
“Good. She doesn’t deserve a place in our lives.”
We’d made it to Evie’s bedroom and she caught the last piece of our conversation. She looked up at me and asked, “Who doesn’t deserve a place in your life?”
“Mum.”
Lina piped up. “Oh, speaking of people who don’t deserve a place in our lives . . . Dave has been given a transfer for work. He’ll be leaving in a week.”
I was concerned for her, and what this would mean but at the same time, I was over the fucking moon he wouldn’t be around to harass her anymore. “Are you okay with that?” I asked, watching her closely for her real feelings on the matter.
Her face lit up with a smile. “Yes, because it gives us both space to move on, and it also gets him away from me and the kids when he’s been drinking, which seems to be more often than not these days.”
Evie reached for Lina’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “That’s great, Lina,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah, thank fuck,” I said, meaning every word of it.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like our families were healing and growing, and good shit was happening.
It had been a long time coming.
Chapter Twenty-One
Evie
Excitement bubbled through me at the fact I was finally getting to meet Kick’s friends. As we walked into the clubhouse, I let my gaze roam over it, taking it all in. I’d imagined something similar, but not exactly the same. The non-descript brick building didn’t scream biker to me, however the high fence surrounding the large building, and the obvious presence of security and a guy manning the front gate, did tell me something. The club took their security and protection seriously.
Once inside, I noted the dated paint on the walls, the worn carpet and the tired furniture. This clubhouse had seen better days, but I doubted the guys even saw it. The front door led down a long hall that was lined with framed photos of members. A quick glance told me some had passed, but mostly it appeared these photos were of current members. Once we were about halfway down the hallway, Kick turned left and walked through a wide doorway that led us into the bar area. And shit if I didn’t get a surprise in there. This room had been freshened up, and it seemed to me it had been done by a woman. It had a lick of new cream paint, the carpet had been pulled up, and the cement floor had been polished. The lighting in this room was also different, brighter. Not to mention the furniture. New wood tables and chairs were scattered throughout, and today they were all occupied as bikers laughed and drank. My eyes narrowed on the couches. They were the only things in the room that did not look new, and by the quick glance I took, they didn’t look like anything I would ever sit on.
Kick’s arm came around my shoulder and he pulled me close. “You okay? Are your ribs giving you grief?”
Always looking out for me.
It had been a few weeks since the car accident and while I was still in a great deal of pain, I’d assured Kick I was up for today. A barbeque with the boys . . . no way was I turning that invitation down.
“This must be Evie!” a voice boomed from behind me.
Turning, I found a tall, built guy coming towards us. His dark hair hung down to his shoulders, and although it was messy looking, and he had a scar running down the left side of his face, and even though the glint in his eyes seemed crazy, I had to admit, this man was hot. Scary hot. Scary as in crazy, fucked-up, but hot nevertheless.
“Evie, King,” Kick introduced us, and I gave King a huge smile. I didn’t care if he came across as scary, he was the man who helped save battered women from their abusive husbands, and he was the man who helped Kick take care of the asshole who tried to kill me.
“Hi,” I greeted him.
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Fuck me, how the fuck did Kick score a woman as beautiful as you?”
“Fuck off,” Kick said, and I practically felt the possessive vibes circle me.
Shit, my man’s caveman side had kicked in.
And I kind of liked it.
King laughed, and Jesus, if that man was hot before, he was fucking sexy when he laughed and his eyes lit up.
Another guy entered the room and zeroed in on us. Shit, another good-looking dude. This one had short dark hair and a beard. His arms were covered in tattoos and his brown eyes held a sadness to them. He smiled at me, but it was like his mouth was pretending because
the smile sure as hell didn’t hit his eyes.
Kick introduced him, “Nitro, this is Evie.”
“Hi darlin’,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
Good Lord, he would make some woman very happy one day.
“Hi,” I said, watching as his gaze on me changed from looking at me to pretty much looking through me. His eyes turned vacant, and I wondered where he went. My arms wanted to circle him in a hug and make it all better for him, whatever it was.
He excused himself to go and get a drink, but almost as soon as he’d left us, another two guys wandered in and came straight to us.
Huh . . . turned out Kick’s friends were mostly all hot. Out of these two, I found one of them extremely attractive with his almost bald head, tattooed muscles and piercing blue eyes. It turned out his name was Devil, and I instantly liked him the minute Kick introduced us. The other guy scared the hell out of me. Sure, he was good looking, but I couldn’t get past the hard, cold eyes that tracked my every movement, or the indifference I heard in his voice. It was like there was no feeling there, and as far as I was concerned, people who felt nothing were the scariest of them all.
“Hyde,” he introduced himself.
“Evie,” I replied, giving him a small smile. Even if he scared the shit out of me, I could still be polite to him. He surprised me with a smile back.
“Do you want a drink?” Kick asked.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want to chance it interfering with my painkillers.”
“Shit, I forgot about that. Good call, babe,” he said.
“You want a beer, Kick?” Devil asked.
“Yeah, thanks, brother,” Kick replied, and Devil left to take care of it for him.
Hyde walked away, too, which left only me, King and Kick. King lowered his voice a little when he spoke. “The info you gave me on that drunk driver last week? I took care of him for you.”
Kick stared at him and then nodded. I had no clue what they were referring to, but kept silent. If Kick wanted to fill me in, he would. And it turned out he did. He looked at me with a new sadness in his gaze that hadn’t been there before. “The guy that killed Jeremy,” he said softly, and I felt the pain in his words.
“Oh,” I said, not sure what else to say, guessing that when King said he took care of him, he meant he took care of him.
King’s face clouded over with anger. His gaze shifted between Kick and me when he said, “Assholes like that don’t deserve to fucking live, sweetheart.”
I sucked in a breath. He was right. “No, I don’t suppose they do,’ I murmured, holding his gaze.
He stared at me for a couple more moments, the angry mask still in place, and then he broke out in a grin and turned to Kick. “I like her,” he declared, and then he left us to go and talk to the woman behind the bar.
I soaked in the atmosphere, looking around the bar at everyone having a good time. Without knowing these people, I could still sense the family vibe. Kick had spoken to me about his reasons for joining Storm, and the main reason was the family he found within the club. And I could grasp that now.
Devil came back to us, handing Kick his drink. Eyeing me, he said, “I hear you’ve agreed to marry this fucker.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, not that he actually proposed to me.”
“Bullshit,” Kick said, “I proposed.”
My eyes widened, and I placed a hand on my hip. “Oh, really? Was I asleep or knocked out from painkillers when you did it? Because I don’t remember it,” I challenged him.
Chuckling, he leant close to me, and let his lips brush mine before saying, “I suggested we should get matching rings. Do you seriously not remember that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my god, Kick, that is not a proposal.”
Devil interjected. “What would a proposal look like, sweetheart? Like, say, if Kick were to propose right now, what should he do?” There was a glint in his eyes that I couldn’t pinpoint, but I decided to play along anyway.
“For a start, there’d be a really big, fucking ring. And then he’d get down on one knee and tell me how much he loves me and that he can’t live without me. And he’d assure me that I was the only one for him and that we’d be together forever.” I stopped and took a breath. They were both staring intently at me, and it unnerved me.
Devil raised his brows. “Anything else?”
I looked at Kick and shook my head. “No,’ I said softly. He was watching me with a strange look, almost as if he was soaking in everything I’d said and filing it away for later use.
And then Kick made my heart expand and find more space inside it to fill with love for him. With his eyes firmly on me, he reached his hand out to Devil who placed a box on his palm.
A ring box.
He took it and got down on one knee. Devil put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Kick looked up at me through eyes that were full of love. Taking my hand, he said, “Evie Bishop, I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I’ve never stopped loving you. And I never fuckin’ will. I can’t live without you, and I’m not just saying that. When I don’t have you, I wander aimlessly; I have no purpose. But with you by my side, I belong, and I know what I’m doing. And as far as there being any other woman for me . . . no woman even comes close, never has, and never fuckin’ will. I could be in a room of women and all I’d see would be you, and all I’d want would be you.” He paused and pulled the ring from the box. It was a really fucking huge diamond ring. “Sweetheart, will you let me get us some matching rings? And then spend the rest of your life with me?”
Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. I smiled through them, though, and nodded. “Yes,” I whispered, and as he slid the ring on my finger, the room erupted with whistles and cheers, and lewd comments being yelled out at us. I was too damn happy to pay any attention to any of it. Instead, I threw my arms around Kick when he stood. I ignored the pain shooting out from my ribs. This wasn’t an occasion to let a little bit of pain interfere with. “I love you, Kick Hanson,” I said as his arms came around me.
He kissed me, and when he ended it, he said, “I love you, too, baby. And I’ve always known we’d be together forever. It just took us a little time to figure our shit out.” He grinned and added, “You made me work for it, but I knew you still loved me, and that I’d eventually get you to relent.”
“You’re a sneaky bastard,” I chastised him.
Grinning harder, he admitted, “Only where you’re concerned. Anything for you, Evie Bishop.”
I let the tears fall then.
Tears of happiness.
It had been a long, hard journey for us, but we’d eventually made it to where we were meant to be.
And I was so damn glad he’d made me relent.
Epilogue
Kick
I listened to the words coming out of Devil’s mouth, and let him get them all out before I said anything. “It’s been three months of bloodshed and loss, at their fuckin’ insistence, and now they want to call a truce?” I flicked my gaze to King. “What the fuck do you think, Prez? ‘Cause, for the record, I am against it. I say we bury those fuckers. And if you ask Nitro, he would say that, too.”
King contemplated this new information regarding Silver Hell. I’d expected him to agree with me, but he threw me off when he didn’t come straight out with it. Fuck, he’d experienced loss at their hands, too. Why the hell wasn’t he saying ‘fuck yes, bury them’? Instead, he said, “Kick, it’s your wedding day. Can we just get you the fuck through this and then make a decision?”
Devil seemed as stunned as I was. “I’m with Kick, I say bury them,” he said.
A vein in King’s neck ticked and he lost his loosely contained shit. “I say we don’t fucking decide today!” he roared. “I just want one fucking day without those motherfuckers ruining it. Do you think we can have that?”
Jesus.
I shoved my fingers through my hair and then stretched my back and arms. Nodding at King,
I agreed, “Yeah.”
King huffed out a harsh breath and desperately tried to shake some of the tension out of his tightly wound body. “Good. Now let’s get this wedding underway.” He slapped me on the back as he pushed past me to head out of the clubhouse bar to the marquee we’d set up on the land we owned out the back of the clubhouse.
We watched him leave, and then Devil asked, “You ready for this, brother?”
I grinned. “More than fuckin’ ready.”
“You’re a lucky asshole, to find a woman as good as Evie.”
Fuck yeah.
“Kick!” We turned to see Lina rushing into the bar, looking stressed.
“What?” I asked, my own stress levels rising. Fuck, with all the shit we’d been through over the last three months, every little fucking thing stressed me.
“Evie’s here. You need to get outside so you’re waiting there when she walks in.”
“For fuck’s sake, Lina, don’t do that. You had me worried something had happened to her or to someone else,” I complained.
She pursed her lips. “Just get your ass out there.”
I did as she said and walked out to the marquee to wait for Evie. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning and, fuck, I ached to see her. How the hell I’d gone three years without her, I had no clue, because these days, being away from her a mere twenty-four hours was hell.
I’d asked Braden to be my best man, and he leant next to me now and said, “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“What?” I asked, not taking my eyes off where Evie would enter from.
“The day my brother got married.”
Something in his voice caused me to turn and face him. He was emotional about this. “Yeah, me either,” I admitted, “but thank fuck she came back to me.”
“Who would have thought, all those years ago when you two were kids, that you’d end up married one day?”
I wasn’t the kind of person to look back too often in life. My motto was to keep going forwards, but Braden was a sentimental bastard. Instead of replying to him, I simply nodded in agreement.
“You know,” he mused, “it’s sad, but I think in a way Shelly’s death brought you two together.”
