“But she can, Raelyn. Maybe that’s what she needs,” he tried to reason.
“And what I feel doesn’t matter?” I screeched. Billie Jean was back home, and I was still on my crazy emotional roller coaster.
Playboy tried to gather me in his arms, but I pushed away.
He sighed heavily. “Of course what you feel matters, Raelyn, but Billie Jean is living her life. She’s a big girl and can decide if she wants to move away.”
“And just what am I supposed to do if she leaves? She’s all I’ve ever had.”
Playboy grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. “You’ve got me now, pretty girl. You’ve got your own life to live.”
I stared at his hand and felt his warmth seep into my skin. “She’s always been there,” I whispered. “She’s my sister, and I’m supposed to protect her. I can’t do that two states away.”
Playboy reached for me, and this time, I didn’t resist. He lifted me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. “She’ll still be your little sister, and you can still protect her.”
“Yeah,” I whined, “from a million miles away.”
“I think it’s more like twelve hundred miles, pretty girl.”
“Same difference,” I mumbled.
He nuzzled my cheek. “Just think of the vacations we can take to visit her. Colorado is pretty beautiful during the winter. We can visit your sister and make a run up to Breckenridge for skiing while we’re there.”
“We, huh?” I giggled. Maybe snowy vacations with Playboy didn’t sound too bad. We barely ever got snow in Sacramento, and the idea of cuddling up by a fireplace with Playboy sounded pretty inviting.
“I want there to be a we, Raelyn. I know we’ve barely spent much time together in the grand scheme of things, but we’ve got forever to spend with each other, if you want.”
I tipped my head back and looked up at him. “Is the playboy giving up the game?” I laughed.
He shrugged. “I never really liked the game. I was just bored and playing until you showed up.”
“Is that so?” I laughed. “I think I just heard hearts all over Sacramento break.”
He delved his fingers into my hair and leaned close. “There’s only one heart I care about.”
“Hmm,” I hummed. “Such sweet words. Do you use them on all of the girls?”
“Just you, pretty girl. You’re all I see anymore.”
“But I’m nothing like those girls you used to date.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Two things. I didn’t date.”
I rolled my eyes.
“And the reason I like you is because you aren’t those girls.”
That got an even bigger eye roll. “You’re over the sexy and beautiful type?”
“Have I ever told you you’ve got some major attitude?”
“You might have mentioned sass a time or two.”
He gave me another kiss. “So, are you ready for your new normal?”
I pressed my forehead to his. “My sister moving far away? No. Not ready. But you? Yeah, I’m ready for you to be my new normal.”
“It sure is going to be an interesting ride, pretty girl.”
I sighed and kissed him. “I’m ready.”
*
Chapter Nineteen
Playboy
Who knows?
“Is she going to be okay?”
Barracuda shrugged. “The doc said she’ll heal.”
Six-Gun lowered his voice. “You know what I’m asking.”
“I don’t think anyone is going to know the answer to that besides Memphis.” Monk sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “I sure as hell wish I could go back and kill that fucker Jester again.”
We all felt that way. Killing him a hundred times wouldn’t be enough justice for what he had done to Memphis.
A week had passed since we killed Jester and his fucked up crew, but my blood still boiled at the thought of what he had done to Memphis and Billie Jean.
Yesterday, Raelyn and I drove Billie Jean to the airport to start her new life. The whole way there, Raelyn had tried to convince her to stay and be a police officer in Sacramento. Finally, Billie Jean had blown up at her and said she couldn’t live there anymore. She couldn’t live in the city that had almost destroyed her. Billie Jean was going through some emotional shit, and the only way she was going to get over it was to leave the place it had happened. Raelyn finally gave up trying to convince her to stay and decided to take on the supportive sister role. At least that was until Billie Jean was through security and Raelyn broke down.
She sobbed uncontrollably the whole way home, and she finally cried herself to sleep mumbling about roller coasters and wanting off the damn thing.
Billie Jean was going to be okay. I knew it was going to be hard, but she was tough.
Memphis, on the other hand, had the whole club worried.
“She doesn’t want to come out of her room. All she does is sleep.” Six-Gun sighed. “I have to force her to eat every day.”
Six-Gun had taken it upon himself to personally take care of Memphis. Raelyn had tried to step in, but he had told her he could handle it.
“We’ll take it one day at a time with her. No one knows what she went through besides her.” Barracuda sighed heavily.
Raelyn had talked to Billie Jean to see if she knew anything, but she didn’t. While Jester stuck to beating the hell out of Billie Jean because he hated her for being a rat, he always took Memphis upstairs. Billie Jean said she could hear her scream and cry the whole time, but she couldn’t say exactly what happened to her.
“Give her space but keep close,” Monk suggested. “If and when she needs something, we’ll be there for her.”
The Royal Bastards were just that, bastards, but when it came down to it, we all had basic morals.
Hurt only those who deserve it.
Protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Memphis was under the protection of the Royal Bastards, and nothing was ever going to touch her again.
*
Chapter Twenty
Raelyn
Leona!
“You were right?”
“Huh?” I asked Leona. It was Saturday afternoon, and Leona and I had pulled two chairs out into the parking lot of the clubhouse and were trying to get some sun. I had knocked on Memphis’s door to see if she wanted to come out too, but she hadn’t answered.
Leona and I were trying to be there for her but also give her space. I couldn’t imagine what she had been through and what she was feeling and thinking now.
Before Billie Jean left yesterday, I had asked her for advice because I knew she was going through sort of the same thing and she had told me to just listen to Memphis. Be there when she wanted us and let her be alone when she needed it.
It was going to be a long road for Memphis, but I believed she would be okay if she let me and Leona in.
“You were right about Barracuda.”
“Remind me what I was right about?” I laughed.
Leona reached over and smacked my arm. “About it being more than just fun.”
Oh. That. “Are you thinking of keeping a biker dude of your own?”
She glanced at me. “It seems to be working well for you so far.”
It was. When I sat back and actually thought about it, it was crazy that Playboy and I had only known each other for a little over two weeks. It felt like a lifetime.
The good thing about meeting someone and instantly falling for them was you still had a lifetime to spend with them. Also jam packing your short time together with a lot of craziness and ups and downs made you get to know each other pretty damn fast.
“I plan on keeping mine.”
Leona laughed. “Well, make sure you keep the receipt. I’m sure there’s free returns before ninety days.”
“You’re crazy, Leona,” I laughed.
“That’s why you need to keep me around, doll. I keep things interesting.”
She winked and pulled her sunglasses over her eyes. “Now I need to convince Barracuda to keep me around.”
“Well, I think you’re doing a good job so far.”
“Raelyn!”
I turned at Playboy’s voice.
“Done with your biker meeting?” I called.
“What are you do—”
A loud engine roared down the road, and I couldn’t hear him.
I stood up to walk over to him, and gunfire exploded all around me. I dropped to the ground and covered my head with my arms. “Leona!” I shouted.
I heard a scream rip from her lips, but I couldn’t see her.
The gunfire stopped, and the world was silent. My ears rang, and my eyes stung from dust when I fell to the gravel.
“Raelyn!” The world shifted beneath me, and then, I was in Playboy’s arms. His hand ran over me frantically , and I tried to see him through the haze.
“Leona,” I sputtered. “Where is Leona?” I knocked his hands away and tried to twist around to where Leona had been.
Barracuda barreled past us, and he fell to his knees. “Call an ambulance!” he shouted.
“Let me go!” I screamed at Playboy. “Let me go!”
His arms tightened around me, and he didn’t let me down. He moved in the direction of the clubhouse and away from Leona.
I struggled and fought to get out of his arms. “Put me the fuck down!” I twisted in his arms and couldn’t see Leona. Monk and Mace rushed by us and hit the ground next to Barracuda.
“Get her in the clubhouse!” Someone shouted.
I heard Monk shout into his phone that they needed an ambulance, and then, Playboy stepped into the clubhouse.
“We can’t leave her out there!” I shouted at Playboy.
“She’s not alone,” Playboy reasoned.
He set me on the couch, and I catapulted up. “What the hell are we doing in here?” I yelled.
Playboy caught me around the waist and held me tight. “Just stay the hell in here, Raelyn. It’s not safe out there.”
“And that’s why we need to get Leona the hell in here!” I got that Playboy was worried about me and wanted to make sure I was safe, but he needed to do the same for Leona.
Mace ran into the clubhouse. His shirt was covered in blood and so were his hands.
“What?’ I gasped.
“Shh,” Playboy whispered. “Just stay in here, Rae.”
My world tilted when Mace ran back outside with a huge first-aid kit. There was so much blood that he left a handprint on the door and there were droplets on the floor.
“Leona,” I wailed. I fought against Playboy’s hold. “Let me go!” I scratched his arms and managed to break free. I darted out the front door, my hand touching the blood Mace had left there.
“Raelyn!” Playboy called after me.
I had to get to Leona. I had to make sure she was okay. She was my best friend. She was my only friend.
My sandal caught on the frame of the door, and I fell. The gravel cut into my bare knees, but I didn’t feel it.
Leona.
I had to get to Leona.
I shot up and burst through the crowd around Leona.
Barracuda had his shirt off and was holding it to Leona’s chest. The shirt was soaked with blood, and his knuckles were white from gripping the shirt so tightly.
Mace threw open the first aid kit, but I didn’t know why.
Leona’s eyes were open and lifeless. Barracuda was putting pressure on a bullet wound, but there were at least four other ones on her body oozing blood.
I dropped next to her and put a hand to her cheek. “You can’t leave me, Leona. I need to keep you around, remember? We were gonna each have a biker dude.” Tears clouded my vision, and a sob escaped my lips. “You can’t leave me,” I wailed.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and arms circled around my waist. Playboy’s familiar touch was there. His touch was the only thing grounding me to the Earth.
Leona laid lifeless in the gravel as the ambulance pulled up and two paramedics jumped out.
Barracuda lifted her limp body into his arms and carried her to the back of the ambulance.
He jumped into the ambulance with her and laid her on the stretcher. A paramedic hopped in back with her and the other rushed back to the driver’s seat.
They took off in a whirl of sirens and dust.
Playboy pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “It’s okay, Raelyn.”
A blood curdling scream ripped from my lips, and I fell to the ground.
Leona was gone.
*
Chapter Twenty-One
Raelyn
The new normal...
“I brought you purple flowers.”
The wind whipped around me.
“You love purple.” I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes. “I bet you would have had purple flowers at your wedding and made me wear an obnoxious violet dress.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t tell me I would have worn whatever she told me to.
“You weren’t supposed to leave me, Leona. You and I were supposed to live my new normal together.”
One month ago, Leona had died in the parking lot of the Royal Bastards’ clubhouse.
The doctor had said she was gone before Barracuda had loaded her into the ambulance. Five gunshots to the chest would do that to a person.
I opened my eyes and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“Barracuda still isn’t back. Monk has been acting as president.” I sighed. “So many things changed, but I guess that makes things the new normal right?”
Every week, I had been coming to the cemetery to tell Leona what was happening. She was dead, but she was still my best friend. I told the wind my thoughts and let them ride on the breeze up to her.
Playboy told me when Barracuda found out Leona had died, he went crazy at the hospital. He smashed a window in the waiting area and took off on foot. He made it back to the clubhouse, packed a bag, and took off.
No one had heard from him since.
I sighed and glanced over my shoulder. Playboy stood there like he always did. He waited for me. No matter how long it took, he waited.
“I love him, Leona,” I whispered. “He’s helping me heal. He’s so much more than I thought he was. He makes me happy when all I want to do is cry.” The days had passed slowly, but each day, I cried a little less and I loved Playboy a little more.
“I wish you were here to see it, but I know you’re watching.” I looked back at the large stone with Leona’s name scrawled on it. “I better go, Leona. I’ll always miss you.” I touched the stone and closed my eyes. “Keep an eye on Barracuda. I think he needs it more than I do.”
I stood up and brushed off my knees. I walked back to Playboy and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
He reached out when I was close and wrapped me in my arms. “Good talk?” he asked.
I tipped my head back and smiled. “Yeah. She was always a good listener.”
“Ready to go?”
I nodded. “As long as you’re with me.”
This was my new normal.
It was a heartbreaking ride. I had lost one of the most important people in my life, but the roller coaster kept going. And as long as Playboy was right next to me, I knew we would make it.
Life was about the ups and the downs and who stuck by you through it all.
Playboy and I were stuck with each other, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
*
Need more?
Six-Gun
Royal Bastards MC: Sacramento
Book 2
coming December 22nd.
Coming Soon
Passing the Torch
Devil’s Knights 2nd Generation, Book 1
May 29th
Midnight Wreckage
Kings of Vengeance MC, Book 4
July 29th
About the Author
Winter Travers is a devoted wife, mother, and aunt turned author w
ho was born and raised in Wisconsin. After a brief stint in South Carolina following her heart to chase the man who is now her hubby, they retreated back up North to the changing seasons, and to the place they now call home.
Winter spends her days writing happily ever afters, and her nights being a karate mom hauling her kid to practices and tournaments.. She also has an addiction to anything MC related, her dog Thunder, and Mexican food! (Tamales!)
Winter loves to stay connected with her readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact her.
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Have you met the Devil’s Knights?
Loving Lo
Devil’s Knights Series
Book 1
Chapter 1
Meg
How did just stopping quickly to get dog food and shampoo turn into an overflowing basket and a surplus pack of paper towels?
“Put the paper towels down and back away slowly,” I mumbled to myself as I walked past a display of air fresheners and wondered if I needed any.
“Oh dear. Oh, my. I ... Ah ... Oh, my.”
I tore my thoughts away from air fresheners and looked down the aisle to an elderly woman who was leaning against the shelf, fanning herself. “Are you ok, ma‘am?”
“Oh dear. I just ... I just got a little ... dizzy. ” I looked at the woman and saw her hands shaking as she brushed her white hair out of her face. The woman had on denim capris and a white button down short sleeve shirt and surprisingly three-inch wedge heels.
“Ok, well, why don’t we try to find you a place to sit down until you get your bearings?” I shifted the basket and paper towels under one arm to help her to the bench that I had seen by the shoe rack two aisles over. “Are you here with anyone?” I asked as I guided her down the aisle.
“Oh no. I’m here by myself. I just needed a few things.”
“I only needed two things, and now my basket is overflowing, and I still haven’t gotten the things I came in for.”
The woman plopped down on the bench chuckling, shaking her head. “Tell me about it. Happens to me every time too.”
Playboy Page 13
