by Jade Kuzma
The knife fell harmlessly from his fingers and bounced to the ground. The rest of him followed.
I got on top of him and started throwing punches. Poison was dangerous. Too dangerous. I couldn’t leave him where he was.
My fists keep hitting him. My knuckles felt like they were breaking. I had to keep going.
“Sean!”
Her voice cried out to me again.
I looked up and saw Lydia tied to the chair. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed loud enough that it echoed through the warehouse.
“It’s over,” she pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”
Her voice was so calming. It was like the world around me was melting and I was floating on a cloud.
For her…
“Don’t do this.”
I looked back down at Poison and saw what I’d done. His face was a mess. Blood all over it like someone had spilled a bucket of red paint on him. His eyes were flickering like he was barely there. But he was breathing.
I slowly got back up to my feet and rushed over to Lydia. I untied her as quickly as I could. When I did, she wrapped her arms around me. Feeling her soft skin and warm body against mine shaking as she sobbed against me… I wanted nothing more than to keep my arms around her.
“It’s all right,” I sighed. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
She didn’t say anything. She just kept her arms tight on me, squeezing me like she was going to fall if she didn’t.
I brought her to her feet and we slowly made our way to the exit of the warehouse. Right as we did, the unmistakable sound of police sirens started approaching. When we got out of the warehouse, I saw the squad cars all surrounding us. Sheriff Sutton got out of the lead car and walked toward us.
“Are you all right?” he said as he looked at Lydia.
She nodded her head.
“Get me an ambulance, right now!” Sutton barked to his men.
“Look out!”
One of the cops shouted suddenly. I spun around and saw Poison walking toward us, his arm raised and a pistol in his hand.
My instincts took over. I grabbed Lydia and wrapped my arms around her. I squeezed her tight as the gunshots filled the air.
It lasted for a few seconds before everything went silent.
She was still warm in my arms. She was still breathing. She was still with me.
I looked down at her and saw the innocence in her eyes, the only reason I’d done any of this.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
She gave me a nod, a faint smile of relief.
I turned around and saw Poison on the ground. His body was lifeless as some of the other cops started to check on him.
“Lydia!”
Ben rushed up to us to check on her.
“Holy cow!” he said. “Are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” I said. “She just needs some space.”
Chapter 24
LYDIA
“How are you feeling?”
I sighed a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling as the doctor looked down at me.
“I feel fine,” I said. “Fine as I can be, I suppose.”
“You took a few nasty blows to the head.”
“Am I going to be okay?”
“A mild concussion. There’s nothing you should concern yourself with. Still, I’d like to keep you overnight for observation.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. There’s nothing I want more than just a good night’s sleep.”
“That’s what I’m prescribing for you.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
He gave me a kind smile then excused himself from the room. I closed my eyes and listened to the door close. I sighed again as I was left alone in my hospital room.
My heart was still pounding in my chest. Thinking about everything that happened tonight would make it hard for me to get to sleep. But I had some measure of peace knowing that the night was over.
I felt myself drifting off. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the sound of the door opening woke me.
I slowly opened my eyes and tilted my head.
It was Sean. His face bloodied with cuts. His leather vest covered in dust. His hair messy on his head. A couple of bruises on his cheeks swelled his eye.
But he was still as fucking handsome as he always was.
He walked up to me and whispered.
“Hey…”
It hurt just to smile but I did it anyway.
“Hey,” I responded.
He stood right next to me, his eyes peering down at me.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” I said. “The doctor said it’s nothing serious. He wants to keep me here overnight but it’s nothing I need to worry about… You look like you need to stay here overnight, too.”
“It looks like it. I figure I could use a break.”
“You look like you could use more than that. How are you feeling?”
He grabbed a chair and sat down next to me. I reached my hand up to his face and caressed his cheek softly.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Would it surprise you to tell you I’ve taken a punch before?”
“No,” I said with a giggle. “That wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
“He landed a few more punches than they usually do but nothing I couldn’t handle. I think I’ll live.”
“Good.”
He put both of his hands on mine and pulled my fingers away from his face.
“Do you remember what happened?” he asked.
“It’s starting to come back to me… I was at the bakery with Ben. Next thing I know, that guy, Poison… He’s on top of me. He’s dragging me to his bike and we’re speeding off down the road.”
I looked up into his eyes. His stare was more tender than it had ever been.
“How did you know?” I asked. “How did you find me?”
“Ben came to me.”
“Ben came to you? Why would a police officer come to a motorcycle club for help?”
“Because he’s been doing his research. He knew who Poison was and he knew why he took you. It was obvious that you were targeted because you and I were…”
His words trailed off.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I knew where he was hiding you. Right next to the same spot where I killed his brother. He wanted to take revenge on me there. Justice, as he tried to put it.”
“But what about Ben?”
“I told Ben I needed to be the one to save you. If he came up rolling in with the cavalry, Poison would have probably killed you right then and there. I only told Ben our location when I arrived.”
“That gave you enough time to talk him down.”
“I figured I could convince him not to do anything stupid. Then Ben would take over once I did my job.”
I shook my head, thinking about how close I was to losing it all.
I put a hand up to my neck and felt the mark that Poison’s knife had left on me.
“How did you know?” I asked. “How did you know you could convince him to fight you?”
“Because as crazy as he was, he was still a biker at heart. He knew that his brother wouldn’t want me to kill myself. True justice would have been killing me with his own hands.”
“He had a gun. He could have shot you.”
“He could have but he wasn’t going to. He might not have a patch but he still has to live by the by-laws of all clubs.”
“…Honor,” I sighed. “Every biker has it.”
“Even someone like Poison.”
I smiled at Sean. Seeing him there with me felt like a dream. It was so surreal that it was all finally over.
“I suppose I should thank Ben, too,” I said. “Then again, I wouldn’t have been in that situation if he hadn’t bothered to use the bathroom.”
“The bathroom?”
“Um… It’s nothing. I’m just glad everybody is okay.”
“Me, too.”
&n
bsp; His hands still on mine, Sean shifted his gaze to the floor as he spoke.
“I wanted to tell you something.”
“Yeah. What is it?”
He sighed a deep breath before continuing.
“These last few days without you… I was miserable. In my younger days, I would have never admitted something like that.”
I giggled at him.
“You’re still young,” I said. “How old are you? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-six.”
“You talk like you’re an old man. You’ve got a long life ahead of you.”
“I know. And I want you to be there with me.”
“Sean—”
“Lydia, please. I don’t know what this is between us. But I know there’s something. I… I can’t explain it but I’ve never felt it before. Not until I met you.”
“Sean…”
“I love you. I love you. I love you so much. You’re more important to me than anything. I’d do anything for you. I’d do anything to protect you.”
“I know. You’ve proven that. And…”
I hesitated for a moment. But the feelings in my heart couldn’t be denied. It was like a warmth in my chest, consuming my entire being.
“…I love you, too.”
I sighed after I said it.
“But I can’t handle this life,” I said. “I want to be by your side. I want to be your old lady. But I left the big city because I wanted to avoid all of the drama. I can’t be with a man who’s always putting his life in danger. I don’t want to wonder every night if there’s someone out there who’s going to hurt you.”
“I know. That’s why I’m done.”
“You’re… done?”
“I lost my parents. The club was the only family I ever had. It was everything to me. But now I have you. I want to be with you. Only you.”
“Sean… What are you saying?”
“I’m leaving the club. I don’t need to be a Black Reaper anymore.”
I knew he was being sincere. The sound of his voice shaking told me he meant every word. I stopped a tear from streaming down my cheek and shook my head at him.
“I can’t ask you to do that—”
“You don’t have to ask me to do anything,” he interrupted me. “I need to do this. It’s time for me to move on. I’ve been through too much. I’m tired, Lydia. I’m just as tired of you are of all the bullshit. Let’s just fucking leave it all behind.”
“What about the club? Would Garnet just let you leave like that?”
“Garnet is like a father to me. He’s been in love. He’ll understand. The club has my back. I know they do.”
There were no more excuses.
Sean wanted the same thing I wanted. There was nothing left to stop us. The only thing left to do now was be together.
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “I want to be with you.”
“I promise you, you’ll never have to worry again.”
He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the forehead. My eyes closed, my heart eased in my chest.
Chapter 25
SEAN
The president of the Winter Cobras Motorcycle Club was a man named Jordan Harris. They called him Shooter. I didn’t know how he got the name. Frankly, I didn’t give a shit. They were all Snakes as far as I was concerned. No exceptions.
That’s why it felt so uneasy to have some of the damn Snakes in our clubhouse. It was one thing to have a few bikers from other clubs stop by for a drink. That’s how the Grindhouse stayed in business. But knowing that the Cobras were here to talk business was a different story. They were Snakes for a reason. You could never really trust them.
I sat at a table with Needle on one side and Ghost on the other. Sitting at the table across from us were a couple of Cobras. Their president leaned up against the edge of the table, his arms crossed and this annoying fucking look in his eyes.
“Thanks for meeting us,” Shooter said.
“It was an easy decision to make,” Garnet said as he stood right next to him. “We have a lot of business to discuss.”
“This is important.”
The clubhouse was silent as Shooter straightened up. He paced back and forth as he spoke.
“A lot of shit has gone down in this town in the past few weeks,” he said. “Too much shit. I’m sure we’re all up for that kind of action but Ivory just isn’t that kind of fucking town. Small pond. There ain’t much room for too many big fish.”
“What are you saying?” Needle spoke up. “You trying to push us out—”
“Calm down,” Garnet cut him off. “Let him finish.”
“Thank you,” Shooter continued. “Now… First things first. The situation with Poison.”
Shooter eyeballed me.
“It’s a shame what happened to Razor,” he said. “Losing a patch is never easy. But the cops swooped in. They arrested our friend Brash here and he did his time. Nothing we can do will ever bring back our brother.
“Poison didn’t listen. That’s why he lost his patch. His attempt at revenge failed.”
He stopped pacing and stood between both tables of Reapers and Cobras.
“Let it be known right now,” he said. “The Cobras hold no ill will toward the Reapers for the death of Razor. We will not seek revenge. We will not seek retribution. The actions of Poison were the actions of a man who wasn’t even a nomad. A man with no patch and no allegiance. We disavow everything he had done. Now that he’s dead, you have nothing more to worry about. Not from us.”
Shooter kept his eyes locked on me. I stared right back at him. Even though I believed every word he was saying, it didn’t make it any easier for me to handle.
“Now that that’s over with, we need to talk business,” he said.
“We’re not doing business with you,” Garnet said.
“We have no intention of doing business with you. But it’s no secret about what’s going on. Shit is stinking so bad that even the pigs can smell it. We need to do something.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. Surveillance in Ivory has picked up. Our business isn’t hurting yours. Yours isn’t hurting ours. We keep things as they are. Mind your own business and we’ll mind ours. A truce.”
He stuck his hand out and held it to Garnet. The two presidents stared hard at one another. Shooter’s hand dangled out in front of him.
“The last thing we want is to start a war in Ivory,” he said. “That wouldn’t be good for anybody.”
Garnet looked over at us. Ghost nodded slightly. Needle looked reluctant but gave him the same nod of approval. Knowing my opinion didn’t count for much, I didn’t do or say anything.
Garnet turned back to Shooter and shook his hand.
“A truce,” Garnet said. “You have my word that none of my men will show any hostility to yours.”
“And you have our word.”
“Just so you know, if you even think about breaking the truce—”
“Don’t threaten me. You know damn well that anything that happens would be just as bad for you as it is for me.”
The two were shaking each other’s hands so firmly, veins appeared on their forearms. Their faces next to each other, they stared hard as if they were trying to break the other man. Eventually, they let go.
“Come on, boys,” Shooter said, snapping his fingers. “Our business is done here.”
The other Cobras stood up from the table and sauntered toward the exit. Shooter followed right behind them.
I got up from my seat and walked with them to make sure that they were leaving. But just before he left, Shooter turned around and looked at me.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” he said. “Truly. Poison might have had a legitimate beef with you but to bring your lady into it—”
“It’s over,” I said.
“Yeah. Water under the bridge.”
He gave me a nod before finally leaving the clubhouse. As soon as the door closed, I let out a deep sigh of relief. I turned arou
nd and Needle had a big smile on his face as he kicked his feet up on the table.
“Fucking Snakes,” he muttered. “Can you believe those motherfuckers? They’re the ones who asked for a truce. After all the shit they tried to pull with us—”
“Knock it off,” Garnet said. “It’s already been made. Don’t dishonor their act of good faith.”
“Hey. No problem. You won’t see me fucking with any of them. But a truce with the Snakes? Shit, now I’ve heard everything…”
Garnet continued to have a discussion with Needle but I wasn’t interested in the details. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t have much to do with me. Not anymore.
I took a seat at the bar and grabbed a beer. As I sipped on it, Ghost sat down next to me.
“How is she?” he asked.
“She’s fine. She’s back at the Bakery. Nothing has changed.”
“It’s been a few days… I’m surprised she took you back so quickly. I guess riding in on your bike like some knight in shining armor… Shit, you’re her hero.”
“I wouldn’t need to be a hero if I didn’t get her in trouble in the first place.”
“Still, it must be nice for you to be with her again.”
I didn’t say anything. I just sipped on my beer, staring forward into space.
“What’s wrong?” he said. “You got something on your mind.”
“…Lydia took me back.”
“I know.”
“She took me back because I told her she was the only thing that mattered to me.”
I turned my head to Ghost and looked right into his eyes. It took a second but he figured out what I was trying to say.
“I knew it,” he sighed. “There’s no cure for something like this. It’s terminal.”
“Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad. It happens.”
“What do you think Garnet will say?”
We both turned and looked at the president, who was still having a conversation with Needle about the Cobras.
“You’re more than just a patch,” Ghost said. “You’re a brother. I imagine he’ll want you to stay but he won’t stop you. No man can. You have to make the right decision for you.”
“Not for me. For Lydia.”
“Do what you gotta do, Brash.”
