by Brook Wilder
Anger shot through her, drowning out the fear. She was so tired of being afraid of him.
“You are nothing but a coward,” Melody hissed, temper making her voice shrill and hard like a shard of glass, and she used it to cut at him. “A coward and a fool. You really think you’re getting out of this alive now? The only chance you have is letting me go.”
“Stop talking.”
“If you let me go now, they might spare your life. Maybe. It’s a pretty big maybe. They don’t like you very much at the moment.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Enrique shouted.
Melody could hear the tremble in his voice. Good. She wanted him afraid. She wanted him shaken.
“It’s your choice now, Enrique. If you want to live, you know what you have to do. If you hurt me, you’re dead.”
Melody forced absolute certainty into her voice, praying that his narcissism wouldn’t let him put himself in danger. That his self-preservation would outweigh his need to hurt and torture her.
“If I let her go, you let me go! Deal?!”
Enrique shouted the words, still hiding behind her body, the gun still jabbed against the side of her head.
Melody flicked her gaze to where Christian stood, helpless and agonizing over her. She tried to tell him with her eyes that she was okay, that everything was going to be okay, but his gaze was still worried.
“That already was the deal, you idiot,” Bones said, actually yawning as he spoke. “Let them go. Then we’ll all leave and pretend this never happened.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Bones voice hardened. “I’m getting tired of this. Let her go. Now!”
Melody felt Enrique tense behind her, and she closed her eyes, dread fluttering inside her, as Enrique’s words whispered harshly against her ear.
“Whatever happens now, you’re still mine. I will always own you.”
He slid his hand around her body, groping her hard enough to bruise. Melody cried out at the pain. But before she could react, Enrique shoved her hard at Christian, sending them both toppling backwards in a tangle of arms and legs.
With a scream of rage, Enrique turned and charged in the opposite direction, trying to flee.
“Uh-uh. I don’t think so,” Craig said, stepping out of the shadows in front of Enrique and pulling him up short with a gun of his own pressed hard against the man’s chest.
“Drop the gun,” Craig said, grinning sardonically at Enrique. “You didn’t think you were going to get away that easy, did you?”
Melody watched Enrique’s lip start to quiver as he dropped to his knees in the ground, crying and sniveling as he pleaded for mercy, pleaded with them to spare his life.
Chapter 30
Christian pushed himself up, pulling Melody up alongside with him, holding her body close against his. As always when they were together, the rest of the world disappeared. Craig, Hub, and Bones were dealing with Enrique. The man was pleading, crying like a baby now that his own life and wellbeing were being threatened, but Christian let the sounds wash over him and drift away.
Nothing could touch him here, in this sacred space where only he and Melody existed. Nothing could reach him.
“I was so scared I was going to lose you,” Christian whispered fiercely.
He was holding her too tight. He knew that. And there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.
“You were scared?” Melody said with a scoff, pulling back just enough to look up into his battered face.
Gently, she swept a finger down the side of his jaw, careful not to touch anywhere that was injured. Which was impressive, since his entire face felt like a crisscrossing network of bruises and cuts.
“When he was hitting you, all I could think about was our baby…” Melody’s voice hitched on a sob. “That our baby was going to have to grow up without a father.”
“Hush,” he tried to comfort her, pulling her close once more. “It’s not going to happen. I’m fine. See? Just fine.”
“You don’t look fine, son,” Hub’s gruff voice suddenly interrupted, and Christian reluctantly turned to look at his father.
He still hadn’t let go of Melody. He wasn’t sure he could.
Hub’s eyes widened as they took in the state of him.
“In fact, you don’t look fine at all. What did the guy do, throw you through a woodchipper?”
“More like used him for a punching bag,” Melody said softly, sweeping his blood matted hair back from his forehead.
“I always said he’s got a hard head,” Hub shook his head. “Now I know he does.”
“Hard enough to keep Enrique busy until the cavalry showed up. Although I have a feeling the next couple of days are going to be rough,” Christian said with a soft smile as he gave his dad a pat on the shoulder. “Thank you, by the way. If you hadn’t showed up when you did…”
Christian trailed off, unable to finish the words. He couldn’t even bear the thought of what might have happened.
“Oh, well, you know I wasn’t about to let anything happen to my grandbaby,” Hub said roughly, and then pulled Melody in for an unexpected hug. “You took ten years off my life, girl.”
Christian was just as surprised when his father gave him a hug next, pulling back with a stern look.
“You keep her out of trouble now.”
“I’ll try. But I’m not making any promises,” Christian said with a rueful shake of his head. “She never does what I expect her to do.”
“Hub, what about… what about Enrique?” Melody asked, her voice quiet.
But there was a strength there, underneath the worry. Pride filled Christian, and he held her close as Hub answered.
“Don’t you worry about him,” Hub said and then spat on the ground at his feet, “That man won’t be bothering you, or anyone else, ever again. Bones made sure of that.”
Hub grinned then, and the sight was enough to make even Christian nervous. Later, he would find out the details, but he was sure that it wasn’t something Melody needed to know. At least, not now.
Christian gave his father a long look before turning back to Melody. She was biting her lower lip, a worried look in her dark eyes.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. The Devil’s aren’t going to let him hurt you or our baby ever again,” Christian promised her.
She looked up at him, her gaze gleaming with hope so sharp it was nearly painful.
“It’s over? It’s really over?” she whispered, her voice just as soft, just as fragile.
Christian swallowed hard, kissing her despite the pain that ratchetted through him. It was worth it.
“It’s really over.”
He stared down at her, all the love that he felt, all the emotions that he couldn’t put into words, shining in the depths of his bright blue eyes. Christian smiled as a lightness stole over him.
“And now our story can finally begin.”
Chapter 31
“Damn it, Luna!” Melody cursed, glaring down at the fluffy white cat. But her anger melted away in a soft chuckle as the animal shamelessly rubbed against her ankles. “I know. This is a lot of change for all of us. You included.”
Melody sighed, rubbing the small of her back as she started unpacking yet another box. Looking around their new living room, and the stack of boxes making unsteady towers throughout the space, she wondered if they were ever going to get through it all. They were running out of time.
“Aren’t we, sweetheart?” Melody murmured.
Only, she wasn’t talking to the cat this time, but to the baby that was kicking restlessly inside her womb.
“Oof! You’re ready to be born, aren’t you little guy?” Her voice dropped even more. “Well here’s a secret. Mommy is too.”
She rubbed her rounded belly. They had only another week to go before the baby was due, but she was more than ready to meet her child and welcome him, or her, into the world.
Melody smiled softly. They had decided to
wait to find out the sex of the baby, even though Christian still insisted that it was going to be a boy. She wasn’t so sure, but she kept her thoughts to herself. They would find out soon enough.
She glanced around helplessly. Melody just hoped they could get everything in order before the baby came.
They were still unpacking boxes in their new home.
Home.
Melody blinked back tears as the word echoed in her mind. Not just her home. But theirs. Hers and Christian’s. Together.
It was more than she ever could have hoped for or imagined.
After everything that had happened at Enrique’s, Christian had been taken to the hospital with Bianca and patched up before being released.
But at the hospital, they had gotten a visit from the President of the Devil’s Martyrs himself. He’d come to tell them thank you for helping to apprehend Enrique. And then he’d told Christian that he was out of the gang, that both of them were.
Both of them had been ecstatic.
Bone’s had said something cryptic about accounts being settled, and then he’d left. It wasn’t until they had gotten home that Melody and Christian had found out what it was that he meant.
Bones and the Devil’s Martyrs had given them the money from Enrique, and more besides. Enough for them to get free, to move to a different area, and finally start living their own life.
Melody unpacked the next box and stopped as she held up the small leather jacket, shaking her head. It had been a baby shower gift from Bianca and Hub. Melody held the tiny jacket close, picturing it on their child and smiled.
There was a sudden feeling of pressure low in her stomach, and panic flew through Melody.
“Uh, Christian?” Melody said, raising her trembling voice.
“What is it, honey? I almost got the shower rack up?”
“I think the shower rack is going to have to wait.”
“What?”
Christian came out of the bathroom and walked towards her, freezing in place as he took in her suddenly pale face.
“Mel? What is it? Is it the baby?”
“Yes.” She looked up him, “My waters just broke.”
Christian silenced the curses he wanted to shout at the nurse as his wife was wheeled into the delivery-room.
“She’s in labor,” Christian growled, wanting them to hurry. Why the hell were they all moving so slow? “The baby is coming! Now!”
“Just calm down,” one of the nurses said, giving him a look that said she’d been through this more than once.
“It’s okay, Christian. They know what they’re doing,” Melody said, way calmer than she had a right to be.
He was a total mess.
He rushed to her side and grabbed her hand as the other nurses helped her up into the bed and took her vitals.
“I’m not leaving your side. We are in this together.”
“Together.” Melody repeated, shooting him a beautiful smile.
But it was only a matter of time before he got shuffled out of the way as more nurses and a doctor came in to the room. He took to pacing, as they all pretty much ignored him.
Minutes ticked by into hours, and Melody’s cries and shouts ate at him, driving his nerves up even higher.
But he’d told her the simple truth. He wasn’t about leave her.
“Christian!” Melody shouted his name, and he was by her side in an instant.
He grabbed her hand, and she squeezed it tight enough to cut off the circulation.
“Mel? I’m here. I’m right here.”
Christian swept her hair back from her sweat soaked forehead.
“Listen to me, baby, I love you so much. I can’t… I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I swear to you I will spend the rest of our lives together making sure that I do.”
She glanced up at him. Her eyes were especially dark with pain and exertion, but she still managed to shoot him a grin.
“I love you too, Christian. So much.”
“Okay, now, the baby is coming. Time to push,” the doctor ordered.
Melody grit her teeth. Christian stood with her for every second, giving her all the strength and support he could. A moment later, a loud cry filled the room.
Melody let out a sigh of relief as the nurses quickly cleaned off the newborn before walking back towards the bed.
“Congratulations, both of you. She’s a perfect, beautiful baby,” the nurse said, laying the bundled infant in Melody’s arms.
“She?” Christian said softly. “She?”
“Our daughter.”
“I thought…a girl…”
Christian shook his head, looking at Melody with tears of awe in his eyes.
“We have a daughter?”
“A perfect daughter,” Christian said wonderingly, sweeping a finger down the impossibly soft skin of her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Melody sent him a questioning glance and he had to fight past the emotion in his throat before he could speak.
“Thank you for crashing into my life, Melody. You have given me more than you can ever know.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you have a lifetime to try then, isn’t it?”
Christian cupped her cheeks and kissed her, gentle and tender.
“A lifetime is just the beginning. You and I are forever.”
Melody sighed, smiling up at him. “Forever.”
THE END
END OF BOOK 6
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OTHER BOOKS BY BROOK WILDER
DEVIL’S MARTYRS MC SERIES
DEVIL’S DEAL
DEVIL’S SEED
DEVIL’S BARGAIN
DEVIL’S PACT
DEVIL’S VOW
DEVIL’S PASSION
GHOST RIDERS MC SERIES
BOUGHT
SHACKLED
DIRTY CRUISERS MC SERIES
RIDE HARD
RIDE ROUGH
RIDE WILD
RIDE FREE
RIDE DEEP
RIDE HOME
CONTARINI CRIME FAMILY SERIES
CLAIMED BY THE DON
CHAINED BY THE DON
BOUND BY THE DON
BROKEN HOUNDS MC SERIES
RENEGADE
REVENGE
REDEMPTION
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