by Nicola Jane
The truck driver throws her over his shoulder, her lifeless body hanging limply. Anyone looking would assume she was passed out. “Shit, Riggs. Where are the cops? He’s getting her in the truck. They’ll miss him if they don’t hurry,” I hiss, hoping he can still hear me. As if my prayers are answered, the sound of sirens fill the air and I sigh with relief.
Reggie marches towards me and pulls my door open. He grabs me by the hair and pulls me out of the car. Police cars stop a few metres away and officers get out with guns pointed at us. “Get in the truck and drive at them,” Reggie tells the truck driver.
“Don’t be stupid, they’ll shoot us all,” I hiss as he tugs my hair tighter.
“Stay where you are. Put your hands above your heads and drop to your knees,” yells one of the cops.
“You come any closer and I’ll kill her,” yells Reggie, pulling a small handgun from his back pocket and holding it to my head.
The air is filled with men yelling. Cops are shouting over and over for Reggie to drop his weapon and he yells back threats to kill me.
“Reggie, it’s over,” I whisper. “Let me go.”
“No. If I go, then you go with me!” he warns.
“And who will look after our daughter?” I ask pleadingly. “Let me raise her away from this.” I carefully reach behind me for the knife. I grip the handle tightly and release it from my waistband. My heart beats rapidly knowing the police might shoot when they see the weapon.
“Hands where we can see them,” yells one of the cops.
“I don’t have a gun,” I yell back. “Please don’t shoot me.” As I say the last words, I raise the knife quickly and aim it over my shoulder, praying I hit a part of Reggie so that he releases me and doesn’t pull the trigger. Reggie’s hand lets go of my hair and I drop forward and away from him. I crawl quickly towards the police, who encourage me to move faster. A cop grabs me under my arms and hauls me back through the throng of police. There’s yelling and then a shot is fired. “My daughter,” I cry. “My daughter is in the car!”
The cop holding me yells into his radio. “Cease fire! There’s a child in the car! Cease fire immediately.”
I’m shaking so hard that my whole body is shuddering. The police move out and I can make out Reggie lying on the ground. My eyes are fixed on his jerking body. His hands are gripping his neck and he’s making a choking sound.
Another officer rushes towards me cradling Malia to his chest. He places her in my arms, and I hold her tightly to me. Her body is wracked with sobs and I dread to think what she may have seen through the car window.
Chapter Twenty
Riggs
The room is silent, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. The muffled sounds of Malia’s and Anna’s sobbing come through the cell phone and I bow my head to contain myself. “She’s safe now, brother,” says Cree. I nod because I’m too choked with emotion right now to use words.
“They’re taking her to get checked at the hospital as a precaution,” says Chains, pulling his cell away from his ear. “Shall I tell the officer we’ll meet them there?” I nod again and he relays that information.
“Arrange for Frankie to send the mayor’s wife some flowers with our condolences and a large bottle of bourbon for the mayor,” I say.
The connection between mine and Anna’s cell is cut off from her end. Eva is outside church when I open the door. She looks at me expectantly.
“She’s okay. They’re both okay,” I confirm. She throws herself into my arms and sobs into my chest. I hear Cree growl from behind me and I hold her closer just to mess with him. “I’ll take you to see her,” I say. “You can ride on my bike.”
“She’ll ride on my fuckin’ bike,” growls Cree, and I hold my hands up and smile.
“Okay, VP. She can go on your bike.”
My mom brings Ziggy over to me and I kiss his head. “Can you keep an eye on Michelle, Mom? I need to go and see Anna.”
She nods with a smile and Ziggy suddenly looks brighter. “Is Malia coming?” he asks.
I smile and nod my head. “Yeah, Zig. She’s coming home.” He smiles wide. It’s the first smile I’ve seen from him since we got him back. “And we’re all gonna go on holiday. Me, you, Anna, and Malia,” I add. He reaches for me and pulls me in for a hug. I realize he’s been feeling just as lost without Malia as I have without Anna.
When we get to the hospital, we’re ushered into a private waiting area. It often happens in places like this. We arrive in kuttes with our patch on and big boots and they’re afraid we’ll scare the other visitors.
I pace back and forth until the door opens and Anna stands there in a hospital gown.
We stare at each other for a few seconds before I march towards her and pull her to me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I bury my nose in her hair. The scent of her strawberry shampoo is missing, but she still smells like my Anna. My heart warms as I hold her, and it hits me just how badly I need her.
“Can I get a look in?” asks Eva, tugging on my arm. I smile and release Anna to her friend. “Anna, I missed you so much,” she sobs.
“I’m okay,” she insists, stroking Eva’s hair from her face. “Malia’s asleep. I think all the drama has exhausted her.”
“And Reggie?” asks Eva.
Anna shrugs her shoulders and looks to me to see if I know anything. I shake my head. “I’m waiting on a call,” I say.
“You guys can go. I’m gonna be here a few more hours. They’ve taken blood from me and Malia and we need to wait for the results. They also ran a pregnancy test,” she mutters, glancing at me.
I smile stiffly. It’s not like I didn’t know they were having sex. I can hardly get mad when she was just trying to survive. “I’ll stay,” I say.
“Really, it’s fine if you want to go—” she begins but stops talking when I take her hand.
“Darlin’, I’m staying right here with you and Malia,” I say firmly and she smiles.
Malia wakes and her eyes fall on me. I get up and approach her bed quickly, hoping she doesn’t cry and wake Anna, who’s sleeping soundly in the bed next to her. “Hey, you,” I whisper.
“Riggs,” she mutters, holding out her arms. I pick her up and she snuggles against me. “Where’s Ziggy?”
“He’s waiting at home for you. He’s so excited,” I whisper. She lays her head against my chest and I settle back into the chair, pulling a sheet around her. I feel my eyes grow heavy and Malia’s light snores tell me she’s drifted back off to sleep. This feels right. My two girls are safe and there isn’t a place I’d rather be. All we need now is to get back to Ziggy.
I hear voices. I’m not sure how long I slept for, but Malia is still snoring on my chest. “The pregnancy test came back negative,” says a male voice.
“Thank god.” Anna sighs. “Thank you so much for everything.”
“This is the cream you’ll need to apply to those nasty bite marks. The police officer will come to your home address to take your statement, but we’ve forwarded the pictures of your injuries to help with the case.”
“Thanks,” mutters Anna. “So, we can go?”
“Yeah. I just want to check we have the right address before you go,” he says.
“Erm, that’s not the right one. That’s my old home address,” says Anna, and then she reels off the clubhouse address. The doctor leaves and I smile. “What are you smiling at?” whispers Anna. I open one eye and she’s looking down at me.
“You’re coming home with me?”
“Well, someone’s gotta take care of your ass.” She sighs. “God knows what kind of bother you’ll get in without me there.”
I laugh and the movement wakes Malia, who rubs her eyes sleepily. “You girls will be the death of me,” I say. “But I’ll die a happy man.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Riggs
One Month Later
I kiss Michelle lightly on the head and wrap her into a tight hug. “Take care of yourself. Work at getting your l
ife back on track,” I say, and she nods against my chest.
“Thank you for everything, Riggs. I know I’ve been difficult, and you didn’t have to put up with that. I’m grateful,” she says. I nod in acknowledgment. “And I’ll write to Ziggy every week.”
“Yeah, that’ll be nice,” I say.
“Tell him I love him,” she whispers, and her eyes fill with tears.
“Get well again and you can tell him yourself. This isn’t forever, Michelle. Get sorted and we’ll take it from there.”
The Kings Reapers charter in Scotland will keep an eye on her for me, but she’s staying with a good friend of my dad’s. She’s got a farm there and a shop where Michelle can work. A fresh start and new friends are what she needs to get her life on track. This is her final chance. Any slips after this will be the end of the road for us and I’ve made that clear. Now the drugs are out of her system and she’s thinking clearly, maybe she’s ready to make the changes.
I watch the taxicab drive away. Anna appears by my side and slips an arm around my waist. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you too.” I kiss her on her head and inhale the strawberry scent of her shampoo. “I want you in the shower in ten seconds. I’ll give you a five-second head start,” I say, and she eyeballs me.
“Don’t start this again,” she grins, shuffling away from me.
“Five,” I begin to count, and she giggles.
“Riggs.” She laughs. “Stop.”
“Four . . . ” She takes off and I leave it two seconds before I run after her.
Anna screams as she dodges in and out of the brothers who stare at our very public display of chase. I knock one or two as I try and squeeze my huge body through. “Sorry,” I shout back at them. I catch her before she gets to the stairs and wrap my arms around her waist. “Not so fast, trouble,” I whisper, and she shudders in my arms. “You know how hard I am for you right now?” I ask, pushing my erection into her back. “But I have some shit to say first.”
I walk her back to the main room where I’ve gathered all of the Kings members and their families. I keep Anna in front of me to hide my bulging anatomy. “What’s going on?” she whispers.
“Brothers,” I say, and the room quietens down. “I think it’s obvious why you’re here. Some of you have been expecting this day since—”
“Since Anna swayed her cute ass into The Windsor that first time,” shouts Chains, and the brothers laugh and cheer.
“I did not sway,” she huffs. “I was annoyed.”
“I’m taking her swaying ass and making her my ol’ lady,” I announce, and the cheers get louder. Anna turns in my arms and smiles up at me. “If you’ll let me,” I add quietly so that only she can hear.
“I’m glad you know who the real boss is,” she quips.
“Always.” I smile.
“Do I have to get a tattoo?” she asks. I nod my head. It’s tradition for her to have my name somewhere on her gorgeous body. “Can I choose where?”
“You are the boss,” I say, and she grins.
“Fine. I’ll be your ol’ lady, but only because I love your mom and your kid. I guess you’re alright too.”
I kiss her hard and she smiles against my lips. “Shower, now.” I swat her ass and she takes me by the hand and leads me upstairs.
Anna
It’s been two weeks since Riggs laid claim to me, but it feels so much longer because we have been consumed with Reggie’s trial. It was rushed through the courts because of the mayor. He wanted it put to bed to help his wife grieve and move forward. I’m not sure the loss of a child can ever be something you move forward from, but having met the mayor, he’s not the emotional type.
I’ve spent the last three hours staring out this window as rain drizzles down the window of the courthouse café. Riggs places my third coffee down in front of me. The jury went out to reach their verdict at lunchtime yesterday, and here we are again today, still waiting.
I run over everything that I said in my head for the hundredth time. Reggie’s defence lawyer was an ass and tried to completely rip my story apart, but luckily, Riggs recorded the entire car ride of conversation, right up until I cancelled the call. Hearing Reggie’s confession to killing the mayor’s daughter brought back memories of seeing her lifeless body. It also came out in court that the truck driver had a history of necrophilia and he’d paid Reggie for her dead body.
I sigh and Riggs takes my hand. “I hate this waiting,” I say.
“I know. We can leave if you like. I can ask the clerk to call us with the verdict,” says Riggs. I shake my head. I want to look Reggie in the face when I hear his verdict because I’m certain he will be found guilty.
Crystal, whose real name is Rebecca, walks towards us. “They’re going back in,” she says with a smile.
The courtroom is big. It’s a daunting experience and one I hope I never go through again. We file in one by one and fill the seats of the gallery. Most of the Kings Reapers are here for support and I love that I’m a part of their family. Eva holds my one hand while Riggs holds the other. I notice Cree’s little finger resting against Eva’s little finger on her other hand and I smile. He’s so ridiculously shy that it’s sweet.
“All stand,” says the clerk as the judge enters.
“Be seated,” mutters the judge. He reminds me of a tired looking headteacher. “Let’s get straight to it, shall we,” he continues, looking down at some papers the clerk hands him. “Can the foreman for the jury please stand?” A thin man stands and glances around nervously. This jury was selected from the outer parts of London, where they hoped Reggie would have no reach. The mayor wasn’t letting him get off this time.
The judge continues. “For the first charge in the battery and assault of Mrs. Anna Miller, how do you find the defendant? Guilty or not guilty?”
The man coughs and the judge rolls his eyes impatiently. “Guilty,” he says, and Riggs squeezes my hand. My eyes fall to Reggie and he’s staring right back at me from his little glass-covered box. I smile triumphantly.
“For the charge in the murder of Elise Alice Knowles, how do you find the defendant? Guilty or not guilty?”
“Guilty, your Honour,” says the man with a look of relief passing over his face.
I let out the long breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. Reggie keeps his eyes fixed to mine. The wound where I stabbed his neck is visible and he now walks with a limp from the police officer shooting him in his leg.
“You’ll never see Malia again,” I say, leaning over the balcony so he can hear me amongst the chatter of the courtroom. “I’m filing for divorce, I’m removing your name from her birth certificate, and in time, she’ll forget you ever existed,” I say.
“You can’t do that,” he growls, and I smile wider.
“I have friends in high places, Reggie. It’s already happening.”
I sit back in my seat and turn to Riggs, kissing him. “It’s over now.” He smiles. “We can move on.”
The judge rambles on about how sentencing will take place in another week, but he warns Reggie that he’s facing a long time behind bars and that he’s looking to impose the maximum sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole.
I leave the courthouse smiling from ear to ear. He’ll never darken my doorstep again. Malia and I are finally free.
Riggs stops and spins me to face him, planting a big kiss on my lips. “Let’s get the kids and go to Vegas.” He smiles. “I want to marry you.”
I laugh. “I have to wait for my divorce to be finalised,” I say.
“No, you don’t. I was waiting until this was over to tell you that it’s all gone through. The mayor sanctioned it as urgent and, well, he pulled the right strings to make it happen on the promise that we invite him to the wedding reception when we return from Vegas.”
I stare open-mouthed. “Oh my,” I gasp. “I thought today couldn’t get any better and then you go and tell me this.”
“You know the guys are c
alling you Riggs’ ruin, right?” he asks, and I laugh. “Because you’ve ruined me for every other woman out there. There’s no one who comes close to you, Anna. Marry me?” He drops to one knee and I laugh nervously. People around us stop and watch as he pulls out a small box. “I’m the president. I don’t do romance, but this seemed right, and Eva said you’d love this,” he continues, glancing at her. She gives a small wave and smiles, the romantic in her finally getting to witness a grand gesture. “So?” he pushes, holding the box closer. A huge white gold diamond ring sits pretty, twinkling in the bright sunshine.
I nod my head and place my hands over my blushing cheeks. “Yes,” I say. “I’ll marry you.” The gathering crowd around us clap and cheer as Riggs sweeps me up into his arms and spins me around.
“Good, because our flight leaves tonight,” he whispers, and I laugh.
“I love you, Finn.” I smile, and he kisses me, thrusting his tongue into my mouth.
Eventually, he pulls back. “I love you too, Anna.”
The End
Author’s Note:
Writing Riggs’ and Anna’s story came very easy to me because they’ve been lingering in the back of my mind for some time. Cree is now starting to haunt my dreams, so I guess his story will be next!
I’d love to hear from you! Every author loves to know if you enjoyed their work and I welcome positive vibes. Don’t forget to look out for other books in the Kings Reapers series.
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