by Emily Bowie
Noah tries to pull me out of the bay as I stare down at Kip’s lifeless body. The only way he could leave this life was in a body bag, he told me. We both knew without this decision we would have never had a choice.
SWAT comes barreling in, more guns fired. Everything is chaotic. Noah tries to pull me away, but my feet hardly move. I watch as my father runs, scared of anyone seeing him.
No one takes a second glance at Kiptyn. His dead body staying in the shadows where he thrived.
“We have to go, Kellie,” Noah tells me, no one taking much notice of us yet.
“I’m sorry, Noah.” I turn away from him, digging out the matches from my pocket. From behind, he tries to take them away from me at the same time I pull a match out of the package. Flipping the cover, I’m able to strike it, letting the fire fall to my feet. The fumes catch fire before it lands on the ground. As soon as that match hits the gas, it ignites, lighting a pathway of fire around the back half of the bar.
“I’m not leaving,” I tell him, taking a step back into the bay.
This scares Noah enough he leaves me alone. My eyes tear with the premonition that Kiptyn told me about if I made this choice. He said Noah would flee as soon as it got too real for him. Everything playing out in front of me is what Kip said it would be like.
I watch as the flames begin to engulf the old wood of the building. It takes no time for the fire to grow taller, circling around McGrath Mansion while I stand in the middle of the bay. Thick gray clouds ingulf the area, making it hard to see out the large door because of flames and smoke. I hear someone yell. A man comes rushing inside, lifting me up and moving me out of harm’s way.
It looks like all of Three Rivers’s cops plus surrounding counties are here. Police cruisers, ambulances, and fire trucks line the street for almost as far as the eye can see.
It won’t be long until the media gets a hold of this and my picture will be plastered everywhere.
The paramedics are trying to get my oxygen stats, but I can’t sit still, the little thumb thing coming off.
“Kellie!” Running down the street is my best friend with what looks like most of the Steele family right behind her. I recognize Rhett, and two other men are there as well. One of them being the man who met Kiptyn not that long ago.
“Is anyone else in the building?” a fireman asks me. I’m not sure what to say. Looking to Camilla, who’s still running, to the fireman, I respond, “Yes, I shot Kiptyn McGrath. His body is still in there.”
He talks into his radio, and I see a cop walking over to me. He flashes his badge as he comes into range. “Are you able to tell me what happened in here?”
I begin to tell them what Kiptyn and I rehearsed. Hoping I don’t mix up the two different versions.
“Kiptyn brought me to the bar, where he kept a gun on me. I was able to turn the gun on him and fire it, getting him in the chest.” The sound of the roof caving in breaks what I am going to say next. Camilla takes the opportunity to jump into the ambulance with me.
Another cop comes over, distracting the original cop, and I have a moment to embrace my friend. “I was so worried about you. Girl, don’t ever do that to me again.” She holds me tight.
The rest of the night goes by in a blur. The Steeles take me in, making sure I’m not alone.
CHAPTER 51
The next few weeks go by in a haze. I’m in and out of questioning, both in Three Rivers and Tennessee. The paparazzi continue to swarm me whenever I step outside, making it difficult to do anything. The only time I get some sense of privacy is in Three Rivers.
I’ve had to watch from within my Three Rivers home both my father and Noah being arrested on national television for money laundering. Half the Fallen Saints have been taken down with charges, all of their high-ups landing themselves in jail for the next decade. Three Rivers is a constant whispering of a once quiet town that now has outsiders poking and prodding into their lives. It has shell-shocked everyone, knowing they hosted one of the largest and most dangerous motorcycle clubs on their land and didn’t realize it.
Like most small towns, conspiracy theories begin to rumble, stating the MC was the reason there was no crime. Others state Kiptyn was the godfather-like figure who watched over Three Rivers.
All over the states, an influx of organized crime and white-collar crime continues to be taken down, causing huge ripples in the media.
It feels like it has been months since I’ve been able to see Camilla again. We sit inside Nelly’s in a tucked away booth. Unlike Nashville, no one is staring at us, no one is hiding, trying to get a photograph, and I’m ignored like a regular person. If Three Rivers was an object I could hug, I would. I’ve learned they protect their own, and I found myself in that circle. “I have to ask you something,” Camilla tells me.
She has this look on her face that scares me, thinking the worst. I watch her fidget with the cup of coffee in her hand, looking nervous. It looks like she’s giving herself a small pep talk before she looks back at me.
“I know we’re supposed to go on tour together coming up, but do you mind if I jam out? Rhett and I want to join our tours together.”
I can feel my shoulders relax immediately. “Thank goodness. I’m not ready to go back on tour. I don’t even know if I want to tour again.” Camilla looks at me like she already knows there’s more to it. “I’m stepping out of the spotlight. I wanted to become this huge singer so badly that I lost myself in the process. I need to get back the girl I want to be, before I do anything else. I need to get out of Nashville; I’m too recognizable. I’m tired of the media.”
“Where do you plan to go?”
I shrug. “I have a detective looking for my real mother, something I should have done years ago. It looks like she could be in Europe. I’m going to head there. Travel off the beaten path. Learn how to relax and be happy without needing other people’s acknowledgments or acceptance.”
“You deserve to be happy. I’m always here for you.” She places her hand on top of mine and gives it a small squeeze.
*
I spend the next month following leads for my mother all over Europe. Standing in front of a yellowing stucco building, I get this gut feeling that this is the place. Beautiful archways welcome visitors into the convent. A large tower houses the bell that rings through the small town. The building looks to be over a hundred years old if not older, yet it’s magnificent, drawing me in.
As soon as I see her, I know. We both have the same blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Mom?” My voice is a hoarse whisper, fearing she will disappear in front of my eyes. She stops and slowly turns toward my voice. I can feel my body shake as I look her over. Her crystal blue eyes tear up while her hand covers her mouth.
“My dear.” She hugs me like I’ve never been hugged before. “I saw on the news… I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger for you.” Her voice is soft spoken, making me strain to hear. Pulling away, she looks at me, her mouth opening and shutting like she doesn’t know what to say first.
I allow her to pull me to the church’s wooden bench and we both take a seat. She looks fragile and older than I envisioned. She has my smile; it has a way of making everything feel better, settling my nervous stomach.
Hearing my mother retell the tale has me realizing how manipulative my parents were willing to be. They were trying to get her committed to a psych ward by paying off the doctors. She knew they would stop at nothing. Somehow, she managed to convince them to pay her off. She took their money, hiding here in hopes that if they didn’t feel threatened, they would take good care of me.
I invited her to come with me, but she said her place was there. She’s doing something good with her life and needs to continue working for God, because he answered her wish, bringing me to her.
As the weeks went on, news of me, my family, and Kiptyn finally started to dwindle enough that I stopped holding any value to the tabloids, and my face was no longer front page. I no longer felt hounded, and life seemed to go bac
k to normal in the world. New headlines captivated the world, leaving me alone.
Sitting on a beach, I’m one of a million in this crowd. No one pays any attention to anyone, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You trying to get me to toss your ass over my shoulder with that blue bikini?”
Kiptyn’s rough voice hits me deep in my stomach. As I lift my head, he’s hovering over me, placing me in his shadow.
“I told you I would find you after everything died down.” He smirks at me, bringing his shades down to look me in the eye.
By me shooting Kiptyn and lighting the bar on fire, he was able to escape easily, allowing everyone to think he died, except for the cops. All the arrests came from the help of Kiptyn in return for a new life, with a new alias. He entered into witness protection, which Kellen Steele was able to set up with his contacts. We are finally free to live our life the way we want.
“You plan on kissing your wife or just standing there while everyone else thinks about doing it for you?”
A short growl escapes his throat as he bends down. My eyes close and my lips pucker, waiting for that kiss, only to be tossed over his shoulder. His hand slaps me on the ass like he promised.
“First off, I’m going to fuck you, then get you a one-piece bathing suit more suitable for the beach.” He sets me on my feet.
“I missed you too, husband.” We share a smile before he pulls me up into his strong arms.
My fingers instantly go up his light T-shirt, searching for any signs I may have hurt him.
“I promised you I can’t get hurt.” He brings my knuckles up to kiss. “Nothing like a bulletproof vest and some fake blood to do the job.” He winks at me before holding me tightly in an embrace.
I pull him in to my lips, needing to kiss him, another reminder this is real. We can finally have the love story we wanted, not the one other people tried to write for us.
He feels like home. A place I never want to be without.
CHAPTER 52
One year later
I watch Kellie walk along the ocean shore, picking up random shells that have found themselves on the white sand. Her shoulder-length blonde hair whips amongst the wind. Like she can feel my eyes on her, she turns and gives me a small wave with that smile I love so much on her face. Unconsciously, her hand goes to her rounding bump that continues growing.
I can’t help but feel like the man by getting her pregnant. Not that it was too hard.
“Stop undressing her with your eyes while you have company,” a laughing voice says to the side of me.
“Good thing you’re early or you may have walked in on something.” I smirk at Camilla and Sloan. I feel lighter than I ever have. I’m finally content, a feeling I had no idea existed until Kellie and I were able to live our lives freely.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Jones,” Kellen greets me, using my boring new last name. At least they could have given me something equal to my original one. He covers his chuckle, taking in my expression.
“I happen to love the name Ryan Jones,” Kellie’s voice says behind us.
I grunt, liking my old name better, but if it means I get to live out my days being with Kellie, I happily accept.
“Camilla, Rhett, I’m so happy you guys could make it.” She steps in, giving her best friend a hug.
“Thank you, Sloan and Kellen, for coming too. We couldn’t think of anyone else better to be here and witness our wedding.”
“I hear the last guy you married was a real piece of work,” Kellen teases, making everyone laugh.
“I need to make an honest woman out of her before this baby comes into the world,” I announce, even though I saw the girls eyeing Kellie’s tummy immediately.
Like girls do, they squeal in joy, catching on to what I’m announcing while hugging each other a hundred times. The men give me a simple handshake with congratulations.
Seeing Kellie with our baby growing in her has honestly changed me even more. I get what Kellen meant when he told me he was a family man now. I hold the world in my palm, and nothing could feel better.
I finally have a future that I can see further than the next month. I have Kellie to thank for giving me the strength to fully pull out of my old lifestyle, and Kellen to thank for making my dreams happen. I will forever be in his debt.
“Kellie, take everyone outside, and I’ll get us all drinks. What’s my son craving today?”
She laughs, rubbing her bump. “Our daughter would love a peppermint milkshake.”
“Trust me, it’s a boy.” I look at the guys, who are enjoying this little debate. “I went deep.” I wink at her.
“What does that even mean?” she asks, while the girls look clueless and the men are waiting for me to explain it all.
“It’s common sense. You go deep, you get a boy.” I shrug, showing her my hip thrusts, so she gets it.
“Uhh, we have company.” Her nose scrunches up, realizing I’m talking about how far my cock went in. But that smile never leaves her face. “And for your information it’s an old wives’ tale.”
*
Holding my daughter, Lola, for the first time, I knew instantly she would have me wrapped around her little finger like her mama. A fierce need to protect her overwhelmed me. The thought of her growing up scared me, knowing one day she would want to leave us.
Our daughter was born in the middle of the afternoon, after causing her mother hell all night. Kellie has never let me live it down that I was positive that I went “deep.” It’s become an inside joke of ours. All it did was give me a challenge. Our boy was born eighteen months later, arriving shortly after midnight, completing our family.
In the darkness of our house I stand watching our little boy, Russ. I went from having the friendship of just Russ to a family man. He was the only person that I knew had my back. He would have loved seeing me with a family. I miss him but he’d be so honored for my boy to have his name.
Late at night I find myself almost not believing the change, expecting something or someone to take it away from me. The thought of being a family man was so foreign to me once upon a time. Now I can’t imagine my life any other way. In my way of life, no one gets a second chance yet here I am living mine. I thank Kellie and God every day.
I can hear the soft patter of Kellie’s feet, before she speaks, “When are you coming to bed?”
I look up from my son’s crib to my wife. She’s standing in silk shorts and a matching tank that dips almost to her nipples. She’s even more beautiful now with curves on her hips that I love digging my fingers into when I’m fucking her. I crave her more than I ever have before.
“I thought maybe he was starting to wake, so I wanted to get to him before he woke you.” Standing, I walk over to Kellie, hugging her.
“Thank you,” I say into her hair, breathing her in.
“For what?”
“For making me the happiest man alive. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she pulls at my arm, “Come to bed, I’m cold.”
Going with her, I scoop her up, needing her closer to me, and knowing I’m holding my future in my arms. She kisses at my neck, my warmth radiating into her.
When I smile, I no longer feel like a stranger trapped in my own body. This is the life we have created together, and it’s perfect in every way. I even enjoy the way we fight, making the make-up sex hot as hell. I would never change our ending. It allowed for us to build our life the way we wanted. No one in our way or dictating our moves. We may have had to take a lot of wrong turns to get here, but in the end it was worth every mistake.
Continue reading for the prologue of Stolen Moments.
PROLOGUE
We all have defining moments in our lives that help shape our future. Some moments are huge, while others are so small yet completely life altering. My moment took a tenth of a second and changed the life path of everyone that mattered to me. It was ground shattering.
It was love that brought me here and love that broug
ht me down to my knees. My problem is that I always love too hard. The love I possess crushes souls; it’s a destructive force that I have no control over. Would I have changed this night if I could see into the future? I wish my answer could be yes.
With a smile on my face, I run through the short battered grass on the path that is starting to dry into what looks like withered up hay. The lush green field sings a whispering whistling sound as the start of the summer wind dances across the top. The warm air tangles with the smells of tree sap and the change of the fields that come every end of spring. Taking in a deep breath, the memories of growing up here all come flooding back. It was in this field I met the love of my life—at five years old. I had my first kiss here and I went to my first party on this very popular heap of earth.
Even with dawn fast approaching, I know my way; I would even if my eyes were closed. Screw college, I have bigger plans. This is my year and nothing will stop me.
That’s when I crash into another body, one that shouldn’t be here. The solidity of a warm body bounces me down to the ground, and I land hard on my tailbone and palms of my hands. As if on instinct, my hands swipe down my goose bump covered legs before I drop them to the ground to push myself up. Instead of the warm ground I expected, my hand connects with a cold metal object.
My eyes shift to the smooth metal barrel, goose bumps forming once more. Turning my head slightly, I stare in shock at the person before me. As they move, so do I.
Now standing and feeling rooted to my spot, our gazes remain locked on each other. We both know neither of us should be out here, and definitely not with the rusted old gun.
The gun goes off, my scream flowing in unison.
I guess this won’t be my year after all. I pray that I don’t go to hell, I’ve committed to enough Sundays that I should get to stand at the golden gates.
Dropping to my knees, the life I envisioned flashes before me, and I know instantly it’s forever gone…it’s forever changed.
