by C. M. Allen
I knew that if it hadn’t been for my quick thinking to pull that fucking old refrigerator down over myself that day that I’d be lying next to them in that graveyard right now. Well, that and the fact that asshole Dekes had two bombs go off in the warehouse. Luckily the first one was on the other side where I wasn’t, giving me the chance to pull that refrigerator open and over me.
Next time though I gotta remember to pull those fucking racks out first. I chuckled to myself, hoping like hell there wouldn’t have to be a next time.
The FBI Agent that had hassled Harper, Agent Waters, was still sniffing around about what had really went down that day at the warehouse as well as Harper’s kidnapping, but from a distance. He knew from our last run in a few months back that I had no qualms about decking a man of the law. He had to learn that shit the hard way when he was in town the last time Butch and I were in the slammer and had made our deal. He’d gotten drunk and out of hand and attacked one of the strippers at The Bunny Bungalow, and as I’d said before, that shit didn’t fly with me. But that was something we’d kept just between us, him and I... for now anyways. It was always good to have one of those get out of jail free cards handy for when you might need one in the future.
He did end up being useful however when he had given us the news that we’d all been waiting for, that Dekes’ remains had been identified at the explosion site. That alone was worth the time I had to be in this fucking hospital, knowing that Harper and my club were now safe from that prick was all I’d wanted out of this mess.
“You ready to get the hell out of here or what?” Harper smiled down at me once I was seated in the wheelchair.
Reaching my hand out to her, I grinned wide. “Absofuckinglutely.”
Nurse Grace frowned at me for my use of the curse word and we all laughed as she pushed me out of the room, my beautiful woman and the five closest members of my club at my side.
The second we approached the glass doors that led to my freedom, I began to tear up a little at the sight before me on the other side. Now, I’m no sniveling bitch, but when I saw everyone that had showed up today to see me home, I got a tear from that shit.
As we made our way out the doors, I saw bikes and members from both of The Deviant’s chapters lined up... and The Slayer’s? “You know, Skull came to the hospital twice to see you.” Stunned at Harper’s words, I looked up at her in astonishment before redirecting my attention back out to the cheering crowd as we passed through the doors. Getting up out of the wheelchair, I went down the line and shook every man’s hand and hugged them, thanking them for all showing up here today as well as for what they did that day at the warehouse. It was because of all of us and what we all did as a club and as a group that Dekes now laid six feet under and the hell out of our lives for good.
When I reached Hatchet, he held his hand out and I took it in mine. “Appreciate you showin՛ up here today and all you did to help us get rid of that prick.” He only nodded his head in response as I made my way to the last man that stood in the line.
Skull.
“Harper tells me you came to see me when I was laid up. What, you tryin՛ to figure out how to kill me while I was out cold?” I asked with a smirk on my face.
“Yeah, but I couldn’t quite make it past that bodyguard of yours that held her post next to your bed,” he chuckled before getting a serious look on his face. “You did good, Maverick. The Slayer’s owe you for includin՛ us in gettin՛ rid of that piece of shit, Dekes. You could have easily kept your plans all to yourself and allowed him to take my club out, but you didn’t.” He looked anywhere but at me before he finally said. “Your Ma and Pa would be mighty proud of the man you’ve become.” At the mention of my parent’s, it took everything inside of me to remain calm, knowing his club was the reason they weren’t here with me today to see that man I had become. But then his next words left me twisting in the wind. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you the real story about what went down that day,” patting me on the shoulder, he nodded to the other members of his club that came with him and they all mounted their bikes and rode off.
“Well, I think we can call all say that was an intense asshole puckerin՛ few minutes there.” Gunner said, causing a few laughs in the group.
With everyone’s attention on me, I announced that I had intended on going by the graveyard to pay my respects to the fallen members of our club before I headed back to the clubhouse. To no surprise of my own the other’s asked to come with me.
A few moments later the parking lot was empty of bikes. All except for Butch’s who I had asked to stay behind. “How are things with you and Raven?”
Wiping a hand down his face, he let out a heavy breath. “Complicated as fuck.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his words. “Sounds about right when you have a woman involved in your life. But in all seriousness, there are some things you and I need to discuss tomorrow after the celebration tonight. So meet me in my office at noon, ok?”
The look on his face was one of understanding. It had been no secret that I tried to give my club the most normal existence possible, maybe he could already see the writing in my eyes.
When the SUV pulled up to the gravesites, I asked Harper and the others to give me a few minutes to myself before they all joined me.
Making the small hike up the grassy hillside, I stopped to look down at the freshly dug graves that had been added to The Devil’s Deviant’s Graveyard, took a deep breath and tried my best to convey just how much they all meant to me. “You know... we all come into this club with the knowledge that we may not make it back out alive. But when someone you care about dies protectin՛ the club, that loyalty shit just gets all twisted up in confusion and questions. Like could I have done things differently that day to protect you all and prevented this? Why does this shit even have to happen? Is it even worth it, the fight? For what I asked of you I will always hold your deaths on my shoulders. I hope when we meet on the other side one day that you can all forgive me for what I’ve done and cost you. I’ll love you all... until my end of days. My brother’s... and my sister.”
I moved over to my parents’ gravesites next and dusted off their headstones, placing a kiss to my fingers before laying them on my mother’s headstone. “Finally did it, Pa. Finally made your vision for the club a reality. And Ma, I sure do wish you could have met Harper. I think you two would have gotten along real well, she’s a strong woman, just like you.”
Looking back over my shoulder after a few moments of silence with them, I signaled Harper and the others to join me in paying our respects as a club to our fallen brothers and sister.
Back in the SUV next to Harper, the grip I kept on her and the one she had on me was never released the whole way. I think both of us knew just how close we came to never having moments like this together ever again. Leaning over, I kissed her again for the hundredth time since we’d gotten into this car. “I told Butch that I wanted to talk to him tomorrow afternoon in my office.”
Knowing what I was talking about, she asked. “How do you think he’ll take it?”
“I think he already has a feelin՛ about what I want to talk to him about, so hopefully well. But, who knows until we talk.”
“What about the rest of the club?”
“I think they’ll respect my wishes.”
Placing her hand on my cheek, she pulled me to look at her. “You’re sure this is what you want? I don’t want you giving anything up for me, Maverick. I wouldn’t be able to live with you resenting me for it later down the road. I...”
Kissing her on the lips to stop her from speaking any more of her worries that had no validation, I assured her. “This is my choice, ok? I’m makin՛ this choice for me and for you. I love you Harper, and I want nothin՛ more in this world than a normal life with the woman I love. Besides, after I’m fully healed, I’m ready to make you my wife and get to workin՛ on those little Harper’s and Trevor’s to have runnin՛ around.” When she looked at me funny, I asked. “What?
”
“That’s the first time I think I’ve ever heard you refer to yourself as Trevor. Are you going to start using your legal name when you get out of the club?”
“Probably not. Been called Maverick for so long I may not answer if someone calls me by my legal name.” I chuckled.
“Good. Because I’m too used to calling you Maverick to try and start calling you something else,” she smiled back, kissing me.
When the car pulled up to the clubhouse, we found that those fuckers decorated the place like it was fucking Christmas time with all the lights.
Walking into my clubhouse, I was immediately met with a beer shoved into my hand, cheers and congratulations all around. I hugged every single one of my members before they started chanting the word speech.
Stepping up onto the bar, under Harper’s very watchful eyes, I might add, I held up my beer. “Well, here's to the best damn club around!” We all cheered and then took a drink before I added. “And one more thing. Here’s to that fucker Dekes for not havin՛ a backup plan for death!” Everyone in the room went crazy at my words and clanged their drinks together.
That night I took it all in and filed it away. All the memories. All the good times. All my brothers. All of it.
And this morning Harper woke me up the best way a man could ever ask for. While I was still healing and couldn’t have sex with her just yet, that shit didn’t stop her from giving me the best damn blow job of my life.
That woman and her mouth were going to be the death of me.
Sitting in my office and going through the books, I heard knuckles rapping on the door and knew it had to be Butch. “Come in!”
“Hey man, how you feelin՛ this mornin՛?” he asked, walking in and taking a seat across from me.
“Shit, I’m alive, that’s all I can ask for.”
“Amen to that, brother. Can’t tell you how happy that makes me, but I will still argue the fact that it should have been me as the last one out of that warehouse instead of you.”
“And I thank you man for sayin՛ that, but as the President of this club it was my duty to make sure everyone else got out of there. But, that shit is over and done with now.
“Just glad you’re ok.”
“Me too, brother. One thing I do want to address before we get started on why I asked you here is, does anyone know what happened to Roxy after all that shit went down? I don’t want to have to worry about her tryin՛ to get at Harper out of some sort of twisted need for revenge.”
“She and her son are in Florida, put them on the bus myself. I gave her a small pass after knowin՛ Dekes was usin՛ her sons’ life to blackmail her into doin՛ all that shit. But a very small one since when you add to that her hate for Harper՛.” Surprised by his decision on how to handle things with Roxy, I just nodded my head in response. “Trust me when I tell you that I made it beyond crystal fuckin՛ clear to her that it was only because of her son that she was gettin՛ out of here alive for what she had done. And that it would be the only pass she would be gettin՛ from the club. She knows that if she so much as steps out of Florida ever again that we won’t be so forgivin՛ next time.”
“Good. I don’t want her near Harper ever again.”
“She’s nothin՛ but a bad memory, and she’s goin՛ to stay that way. So... what is it you wanted to talk to me about this mornin՛?”
Taking a deep breath, I leaned back in my chair. “I think you know how I feel about makin՛ all our lives around here as calm and as normal as possible. It’s the biggest reason I had for takin՛ this club legit. I was sick and tired of all the bloodshed and bullshit our parents dealt with.”
“That’s somethin՛ we’ve both wanted, not just you.”
I nodded my head, knowing that he was right. “But only one of us is still happy livin՛ this lifestyle with the club.”
Sitting up straight in his chair, he cocked his head to the side. “What are you gettin՛ at, Mav?”
“I want out, Butch. Not today. But soon. I want to take this second chance that I’ve been givin՛ and live a normal life with Harper, makin՛ babies together and shit.”
“You’re just sayin՛ that because of what happened.”
Shaking my head, I enlightened him about the plans that had been sparked in my mind for this new life I wanted with Harper a while ago. “No, it’s not. We had discussed this long before that shit ever went down at the warehouse with Dekes. I want a normal life with her. It’s why I asked her to marry me, I want the whole fuckin՛ enchilada, brother.”
For a moment he just sat there, processing my words. “You know she never left your side the whole time you were laid up. All of us tried to get her to go home, get a decent night’s sleep, or a hot meal that wasn’t some kind of takeout, but she refused to budge. All she kept sayin՛ was that she didn’t want you thinkin՛ that she’d broken her promise to stay by your side until you were able to come home too. Hell, the only time I ever saw her leave your side was to use the restroom or the shower that was in your room there. She’s a good woman, man.”
Even though I had an idea that she’d never left my side, to hear about it was even better. “She is. She’s worried that I’m doin՛ this for her.”
“Are you?”
“If she had never come into my life, I’d have probably still found a way to fade myself out eventually after I got us on the right path. But she’s given me somethin՛ to look forward to in this life for the first time since I lost Nicole. And as much as losin՛ her broke me, I never had with her what I do with Harper. It’s stronger, you know?”
Chuckling, he said. “I think I’m startin՛ to know exactly what you’re talkin՛ about.”
“I’m nominatin՛ you for President, Butch. While the others will still have to vote on it, I’m pretty sure they all know you’re the man for the job.”
“Thank you man, means a lot to me that you would choose me to fill your shoes. You’re not just goin՛ to up an disappear on us, are you?”
“Fuck no. I’ll be around. Already discussed that with Harper. She knows I’m here if you or the club need me for any reason. The family legacy with this club stops with me though. My son or daughter will never know this life. And if they want to, I know that I can count on you as their uncle to help me make sure that shit don’t happen. Everyone in this club will always be my family, just not a place for my family anymore, understand?”
“Loud and clear. Just happy you’re not cuttin՛ us out.”
“The fuck if that will ever happen, man. Brother’s ˋtil the end, remember?”
We both got up and hugged one another.
Later that day I informed the rest of my men of my intentions.
EPOLOGUE
3 YEARS LATER
Harper
Well, it had been three years now since Maverick stepped away from the club and started a normal life, as he always liked to call it, with me. The first thing we did was finish all the repairs on my parents’ house and put it on the market. Staying there for those few months had allowed me to really finally grieve the loss of them from my life even more than I had ever had the chance to before. It also kept Maverick closer to the club, so he was able to help Butch fill the role he took over as President of The Devil’s Deviants.
We were married not too long after we finally sold the house. The wedding ended up being at the cabin, our new home out by the lake. It was perfect. Maverick and I had decided to move up here and we're building new memories every day to keep the old ghost’s that lived here company, so they wouldn’t invade Maverick’s mind every time he stepped foot onto the property. It had taken a while, but he loved this place now as much as I did. That’s not to say I didn’t have my own ghosts that lingered from that night I was taken from here to get over. But it had come time to just let all that crap go and make a good life with the man I loved.
I will say, however; certain areas of the house had been fully remodeled. Like for instance the area out back beneath the house that was used for shall we say questi
oning people? It’s now a workshop for Maverick. He ended up doing all the work on the place himself and does odd repair jobs for people around the area on their homes.
You know, a normal job.
Even though we had the money from the sale of my parents’ house, the diner and the income the club had insisted Maverick keep from the legit business’s he helped get started, he still wanted to get a part time gig to keep himself busy.
Our first year together here though was a little rough. Some things had happened, and Maverick had gone back to help the club out.
Actually, he’d had to go back a few times.
He’d now become more of a silent co-president of the club, always counseling Butch on things when he came up to our place, which was a lot in the beginning of Butch’s reign over the club. One of his first orders of business had been making Roman his VP.
Other members too had visited us almost as much as Butch did. And they were all always welcome at our house.
My parents’ diner was still thriving and doing quite well. Danny had done such a great job of running the place by himself that I decided to make him the manager. Though I still dropped in every once in a while to check up on things whenever Maverick and I were in town for a club function we were invited to.
There was a lot that had went down with the club in the past three years that were both devastating and wonderful, but as the club saying goes... that was their stories to tell, not mine.
My story, however, was one that fairy tales were made from. It was the kind of life that I could have never seen coming that day at the gas station when I heard the sound of pipes.
Now I have the man that I love.
A son, who we named Trevor after his dad of course.
Then there was this beautiful home we all lived in out here in the peaceful countryside.
Little Trevor was just over two years old now and he and his father were each other’s biggest fans... as well as partners in crime.
We had learned that I was pregnant a few weeks after the wedding and I swear to God Maverick would have wrapped me in bubble wrap if he could have. That man was the sweetest, but the biggest pain in my ass the whole pregnancy. Even so, we decided to do it all over again. I was currently five months pregnant with baby number two, our little girl. We’d decided to name her Autumn after my own mother, and we couldn’t wait to meet her.
