by A. M. Myers
I try to rip my face out of his hand but he just holds me tighter and my jaw starts to ache. “No.”
“Oh, yes. In fact, maybe I’ll take that heart of his that you’re so fond of and put it in a jar on our mantel so you can have him with you always. How does that sound, baby?”
My stomach churns and I suck in a breath to keep myself from gagging as he laughs. The motion detector goes off and he jerks away from me, turning toward the door as more bikes than I can count roll into the driveway. I smile as I turn back to him.
“It’s over for you, Oliver.”
“Biche!” Noah’s voice booms through the cabin and I turn back to the open door as he steps into view, looking downright dangerous as rage contorts his face. His gaze immediately finds mine and relief washes through me before he looks away. “Let’s end this, you son of a bitch.”
“If you don’t start doing your goddamn job, I’ll put a bullet in you,” Oliver growls to the man standing on the side of the doorway and he nods as he draws a pistol out of his belt.
“Noah, gun!” I scream just before he turns and charges outside, shutting the door behind him and cutting off my view as gunfire explodes around us like a war zone. Glass breaks in the living room and one of the girls screams from the bedroom as Oliver lifts his hand and slams the butt of his gun down on my head. My world spins as pain explodes through my body and I whimper. I glance back up at Oliver as he shakes his head.
“You really shouldn’t have done that.”
“Biche!” Noah roars again and I cry out in relief. Oh, thank God, he’s okay. “Your man is getting handcuffed as we speak. You gonna come out here and end this?”
“Looks like this is it. I’ll be sure to open the door so you can watch your boy die.”
I jerk forward, fighting against the ropes. “Think about this, Oliver. There are a lot more of them than you. You can’t win this and if you go out there now, there’s a very good chance you will get killed.”
“Aw, baby,” he whispers, grinning as he crouches down next to me and cups my cheek. “I knew you cared.”
My stomach rolls as I nod. I don’t give a single shit if Oliver dies. In fact, it would make my life a hell of a lot easier but I can’t stand the thought of Noah getting hurt in this, too, and I know how determined Oliver is.
“You know… I’m good with that as long as I take Noah with me. I’ll open the door again so you can watch as your boy takes his last breath.” He lightly slaps my cheek and stands as tears form in my eyes. The ropes dig into my skin as I struggle against them, my heart thundering in my ears.
“No, please,” I beg as he walks to the door and pulls it open, not even sparing me a second glance as he raises his gun and starts firing. The door swings open just in time for me to see Oliver crumple to the ground and I release a breath as I scan the crowd for Noah. Our eyes lock and I sob as he starts walking toward me. Another gun shot goes off and I jump as my gaze falls to Oliver. His hand falls back to the ground and my gaze jerks up to Noah as he grabs at his stomach. Dark red blood stains his shirt and I scream his name as he falls to his knees in front of the porch.
Oh, god.
No
“Noah!” I scream, pulling against the ropes so hard that they slice my skin but it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters except Noah. The guys all rush around him, cutting off my view and I lift my head up as I scream.
This can’t be happening.
I can’t lose him again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Noah
“You listen to me, Noah LeBlanc,” she whispers, the ache in her voice reaching through the darkness to torment me as she grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I love you so that means you don’t get to leave me.”
Never, baby.
I try to open my eyes and turn to her but my body doesn’t do as it’s told. I try to move again. Pain shoots through me, so intense that it feels like every nerve ending in my body is on fire and I groan.
“Noah? Can you hear me? You will wake up, you hear?”
“Leave it to you to think you can order me out of a coma,” I answer, my voice hoarse and my throat aching as I struggle to swallow.
“Oh my god. Noah.”
“Yeah, baby?” I whisper. Fuck, I need some water.
“Oh my god, you’re okay. Can you open your eyes?”
I suck in a breath as I accidentally move again and send another bolt of pain rocking through my body as I crack my eyes open.
“Fuck,” I groan at the bright sunlight streaming in through the blinds. “Water, please.”
She nods and grabs a cup from the table next to my bed before bringing it to my lips and tilting it so I can get a drink. I take a couple small sips before brushing her away.
“What happened?”
“You were shot.”
I turn to her. My eyes widen at the sight of the cuts on her face, the bruises on her eye, and the bandages around her wrists. “What the hell happened to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. How are you feeling?”
I roll my eyes. “Like I got fucking shot. Now, tell me what happened to your face.”
“How much do you remember?”
Turning to stare up at the ceiling, I go over the last thing I can remember. “I was at the clubhouse, getting ready for our wedding and Chance came running into my room saying that Biche was at the cabin…”
“And after that?”
I shake my head. “We all raced over there and all I could think about was how I was going to finally end this. After that, it’s just bits and pieces. Why, what happened?”
“Biche is…”
Someone knocks on the door, interrupting her, and we both glance up as Rodriguez walks into the room. “Hey, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”
Why the hell does everyone keep asking me that?
“Like I got shot in the gut.”
He nods. “You up for answering some questions?”
“Sure.”
“So, what can you tell me about yesterday?” he asks, sitting down in the chair next to my bed as he pulls a notepad out of his pocket. I shake my head.
“Honestly, not much. I was just telling her that I remember being at the clubhouse, getting ready for the wedding, and Chance ran in saying Biche had the girls at the cabin.”
He nods. “And how did Chance know this?”
“Carly called him.” I’ll never forget the look on his face as he ran into the room. Both of our worlds were in danger so I can’t say that I didn’t look the exact same way. Hell, Smith about put his fist through a wall.
“So you all went over there?”
I nod. “Yeah. I remember driving there but after that, not a whole lot.”
“Okay,” he says, turning to Kady. “Can you fill in some of the blanks for me?”
She nods as she grabs my hand again. “I was getting ready for the wedding when the motion sensors went off. I was back in the bedroom and my gun was in the kitchen so I told the girls to hide in there while I went after it.”
“That’s the shotgun that we found on the kitchen table?”
“Yes,” she answers and he nods for her to continue. Goddamn it, I told her to keep that gun with her at all times so shit like this wouldn’t happen. I shoot her a glare but she ignores me.
“Before I could get to it, one of his guys crashed through the door and tackled me.”
Rodriguez holds a hand up. “Do you know which guy?”
“The one that went outside.”
“The man we found dead?” he asks, glancing up at her and she nods. He starts writing again and nods. “Okay.”
“He slammed my head into the floor before tying me to the post. Oliver came in then and started saying how he had to fix this problem he had and how he had to get Noah out of the picture permanently.”
I squeeze her hand as I clench my teeth. That stupid motherfucker really thought I was going to let him take my girl from me again? Hell, no.
“So he wasn�
��t there to hurt you?”
She shakes her head. “No. He was there to take me and kill Noah.”
“Did you see who shot Mr. Ford?” he asks and I turn to look at her as her gaze flicks up to mine. She shakes her head. I cock my head to the side and study her as she starts flicking her thumb - her tell for when she’s lying. What the hell is she lying about?
“No, I didn’t.”
He sighs, slapping his book shut. “Okay, I think that’ll do it.”
“Wait, why does it matter who shot him?” I ask, turning back to him. “I mean, he was holding four women hostage.”
“Well, technically, it doesn’t,” he answers. “Unless, of course, it was you since you’re out on parole and that would most definitely send you back to jail.”
I shake my head as I search my memory. I remember having a gun but I have no clue if I actually shot Biche or not. But based on Kady’s reaction when he asked her, I’d be willing to guess it was me. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think so either since Blaze already copped to it but it was in self-defense and he has a permit so all should be just fine. I just had to ask.”
My eyes widen and I nod as he tells us good-bye before watching him leave the room. When I’m sure that we’re alone, I turn back to her.
“I shot him, didn’t I?”
She nods.
“How is everyone else?”
Biting her lip, she meets my eyes. “Everyone is okay for the most part. The girls got knocked around a bit by the guy that was guarding them and Streak took a bullet to the leg but he’s being a pretty good sport about it. He told Kodiak it didn’t hurt that bad and he was a big ass baby when Tate shot him.”
I laugh as I imagine him taunting Kodiak. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Smith got grazed in the arm but he’s good, too. All it took was a gauze pad and some tape to fix him up.”
Reaching out, I gently run my finger down her face. “And you? Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay, actually.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “For starters, you’re okay. I was so sure that I was losing you as I watched you fall in the dirt.”
“It’d take a whole lot more than that to keep me from you, baby.”
“Oh, and I heard from Kelly and TJ. They’ve decided to tell Nicholas about us and they’re going to let him choose when he’d like to meet us.”
My heart swells as she beams up at me, happier than I’ve seen her in a long time.
“That’s amazing, babe.”
“I know. I can’t wait to meet him. Oh, and when we think the time is right, Blaze gave us a little leather jacket for him. He said he’s officially a part of the family.”
“Blaze,” I breathe, shaking my head. “I can’t believe he took the blame for me. Why the hell would he do that?”
Smiling, she presses her hand to my cheek. “Because that’s what family does, baby.”
Epilogue
Kady
Two Months Later
“Can I go now, Mom?” Nicholas asks, fidgeting in front of me and I beam down at him as I nod. He turns to Noah at the end of the aisle and starts walking toward him, proudly carrying his ring bearer’s pillow with his head held high. Kelly and TJ smile and wave at me from the back of the crowd.
About a week after Noah was released from the hospital, Kelly and TJ gave us a call to tell us that Nicholas was ready to meet us. We were nervous as hell but our boy marched into our house like he owned the place and was so happy to finally meet us. He had lots of questions and we followed their lead as we answered them honestly and when he finally knew the truth, the rage in his green eyes made him look even more like his daddy than he already did. At first, Kelly and TJ were leery of our involvement with the club but it really didn’t take long for the guys to win them over and they’ve even got TJ riding a bike now. They are just as much family as the rest of us and we get to see Nicholas at least once a week now. It’s not the same as having my son back all to myself but I’m grateful for each moment I get with him.
“Hey, you ready?” Blaze asks, stepping up behind me as he holds his arm out for me. I smile.
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
I hook my arm through his as he leads me out the door of the cabin. The sun shines off the water as I meet Noah’s eyes at the end of the aisle and he smiles. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri plays as I walk toward him, Blaze holding me back from running down the stairs like I want to and when we finally reach each other, he takes my hands as Blaze claps him on the shoulder.
“These two have been waiting to marry each other for a damn long time,” Hannah says as she stands in front of us. When we started planning the wedding again, she insisted that she get ordained on the internet and marry us herself. It only seemed fitting since she’s been by my side since the beginning. “So we’re just going to cut right to the chase. Noah?”
Noah turns to me and pulls a piece of paper out of his suit jacket. “When I was trying to write my vows, I thought about all the ways I’ve described us and our love and I wanted to read you some of them… Destined. Written in the fucking stars.”
A few chuckles ring out around us.
“End game and I’m sure there are more but those are the ones that popped into my mind first and the ones that seem most fitting. Since the moment I met you, I knew we’d end up here, which is a weird thought for an eleven-year-old boy to have but I never had any doubts. Even when I was locked up and you disappeared, I always believed I would find you again. So, when I tell you that I’m going to love you until well after my heart stops beating, you can take that shit to the bank.”
I giggle, smiling through the tears welling up in my eyes.
“You own me, baby. You’re the queen of my heart - you always have been and you always will be. I promise to bend over backward to make sure you feel that everyday. I won’t get complacent and I won’t ever forget just how much you mean to me or how fucking lucky I am to get to call you my wife. I love you.”
“Noah,” I breathe as a tear drops down my cheek and he smiles as he wipes it away. Hannah clears her throat as she wipes away a tear or two of her own. She nods to me.
“Kady?”
I grab his hands and smile up at him. “Noah Thomas LeBlanc, you are the kind of man I always dreamed of finding every night I laid in an orphanage bed, wishing for a family. I admire your unwavering, steadfast love for me and the way you’ve never given up - even when I was doing everything I could to push you away. We’re here today because of you, baby. I’m never going to forget how lucky I am that you saw me that day sixteen years ago and decided that we were meant for one another. You’ve been my strength for so long but today, I promise to be your rock when something shakes your faith and to be your shelter in whatever storm life dishes up for us. And I promise to make sure everyday that you know just how loved and special you are.”
“The rings?” Hannah asks and Nicholas bounces forward before presenting us with the pillow as he grins.
“Here you go, Dad.”
Noah smiles and ruffles his dark brown hair. “Thanks, buddy.”
He bounces back to his spot in line after we take the rings from him and we turn back to Hannah.
“Noah, place the ring on Kady’s finger and repeat after me, I, Noah Thomas LeBlanc, do take you, Kady Jane Sinclair, to be my lawfully wedded wife, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer until death parts us.”
“I, Noah Thomas LeBlanc, do take you, Kady Jane Sinclair, to be my lawfully wedded wife, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer way past when death parts us.”
I laugh as she slips the ring on my finger and Hannah turns to me, repeating the same thing. I turn back to Noah and say the vows as I slip the ring onto his finger and when I’m done, he grins and pulls me into a kiss.
“I’m not done, y’all!” Hannah yells and everyone laughs around us as Noah’s fingers tangle in my hair. “Oh, fuck it. I now pronounce you m
an and wife.”
Cheers fill the air as he pulls away, his eyes shining as he flashes me a full grin, the one he saves just for me.
“Oh, Mrs. LeBlanc… I’ve got plans for you.”
“Wait,” Hannah growls, wiggling in between the two of us and I laugh. “I have to give you my present first.”
I nod. “Okay, Han. You really didn’t have to get us anything but what is it?”
“Shut up, you know I had to get you something.”
“No, you did…”
“You know how much I love you, right?” she asks, interrupting me as she grabs my hands and I nod as I glance up at Noah. He shrugs.
“Of course.”
“Well, the thing is, after growing up the way we did, I’ve decided that I don’t ever want to have kids of my own but I have this perfectly good uterus here so I was thinking… maybe I’d help you two have a baby or two.”
“What?’ I breathe, tears springing to my eyes as I stare at her. She smiles and nods.
“Hannah, that’s…” Noah whispers, his voice trailing off as he shakes his head.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. Just know that the offer is here whenever you want it.”
I yank her into my arms as I start crying and she hugs me tight as I look up at Noah as he smiles and nods his head. In one single day, I’ve gotten everything I wanted in my life and it’s as overwhelming as it is amazing. And for the first time in a really long time, I can finally look into the future and feel excited about what life has in store for Noah and me.
Never Let Me Go
Bayou Devils MC
Book Six
Chapter One
Juliette
“Baby,” someone whispers through the fog, his voice calling out to me through the haze of the endless darkness swallowing me up. It claws at me, frantically trying to pull me back into its debilitating embrace but that voice… it commands me, urges me to fight the faux warmth of the darkness. “I miss you. Open your eyes… please.”
