Sparrow watches Bishop closely for a moment before nodding his head and escorting him around the truck. Viking and Wolf have already dismounted and are waiting for us to reach the front. Across from us, I can see Riot’s jaw tense at the sight of his son with his hands tied.
“Send my son over,” he hollers at us.
Sparrow lifts a booted foot, which he then plants behind Bishop’s knees, forcing him forward and into a kneeling pose. Just as fast, he whips a pistol from underneath his cut and points it directly at Bishop’s temple.
“How about I shoot your puta son right in front of you and you can know what it felt like to watch my wife blow up and burn?” Sparrow questions with an eerie calm.
“Don’t you dare touch my son.” For the first time since this mess started, I can hear the panic in Riot’s voice. It seems that the psycho may actually have a weakness.
Placing my hand on Sparrow’s shoulder, I stop him from speaking. The muscles in his arm ripple with the force he is using to try to contain himself.
“Perhaps we can do this more agreeably. The deal is we give your son back, and you and Sparrow will sort your shit out man-on-man and everyone else will be left out of this?”
“Correct,” Riot answers. “You have my word.”
Nodding, I signal for Viking to untie Bishop and help him to his feet. Sparrow watches everything closely and the vein in his forehead is visible to anyone with eyes.
“Relax, brother,” Wolf whispers to him. “We won’t let him get away.”
Sparrow doesn’t answer but watches Bishop and Riot like a hawk, while Wolf scans the area around us. Taking a deep breath, I can smell the rain on the horizon. The clouds have been gathering since early this afternoon, promising rain.
We don’t have a moment’s notice as Sparrow draws his weapon and fires at Bishop.
“Motherfucker!” Riot roars from across the lot as he returns fire.
Everything turns to chaos in the blink of an eye. People are firing left and right as we all scramble to take cover. Wolf is beside me in a moment and already I can see the red seeping through his green shirt from the wound in his shoulder. Bikes start up and the rumble fades away as Riot’s men hightail it into the distance. We have them outnumbered as our guys come from all sides, and they know it, choosing to beat a hasty retreat rather than die here.
Moving from my spot behind the van, I see the destruction in front of me. On the ground lies Bishop, Sparrow, and two of Riot’s men. Mad Dog is crouched beside Sparrow, feeling for a pulse. His gaze collides with mine and sadness shows in his gaze as she shakes his head. Sparrow is dead, as is Bishop.
Slowly, we load Sparrow and Bishop into the back of the van and head back to the clubhouse.
****
As we drive up to the compound, our plan comes to fruition. I was starting to think this whole charade was a waste of time when suddenly the van is hit from the side, sending it skidding across the wet road. Everyone is disorientated for a moment before starting to right themselves. The back door of the van is wrenched open and Riot stands there in the downpour. His white shirt is stained with blood, though I’m not sure whose, and his gaze is wild as it tracks between the men in the van.
“I am taking my son. But be sure to say all your goodbyes, because I will come for each and every one of you. Nothing will stop me.” Riot screams at us as thunder drones in the distance.
He grips Bishop beneath his arms and starts to drag him from the van. When he gets to the edge, he turns to lift Bishop out. Three men stand behind him, semi-automatic rifles pointed at us, keeping us in place. Before Bishop is completely out of the van, Sparrow rises from his spot and holds his blade to Riot’s neck. The men facing us have no idea what to do so they wait for further instruction. Bishop starts to move and in his shock, Riot lets him go.
Bishop faces the men with the guns trained on us.
“Leave now and you may survive this. Get your men, go, and don’t come back. Tell King the Gypsy Bastards are ready.”
They stare at him for a moment, then hightail it out of sight. Clearly, they weren’t expecting the turn of events. Bishop turns to his father.
“You did this to yourself.” Riot spits in Bishop’s face.
“No matter. Today the almighty Riot comes to an end. Do you have anything you want to say before Sparrow ends your miserable existence?”
“I regret nothing.”
Sparrow slides the blade across Riot’s throat, pulling him into the van at the same time. He doesn’t release him, just sits there with his head resting on his lap as he bleeds out. Watching him, seeing the life leave him.
“Neither do I.” Lightning flashes across the sky, showing Sparrow’s vacant expression.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Storm
It has been two weeks since I last spoke to Pope. He stops at the apartment to pick up Brogan but doesn’t talk to me. Perhaps I was wrong and the love I thought we shared was simply one-sided. But perhaps I was right and love really isn’t enough to overcome all obstacles. I live in a perpetual loop of hopelessness, wishing he would show up and we could sort this out, but I’m too proud to go to him and fix it myself.
Today is the hardest day of all. I would love for nothing more than to spend my birthday at the clubhouse as I have done these past few years, but it just isn’t reasonable. All the guys have been around to see me, telling me he loves me, they love me, telling me to come home. But I can’t and I won’t, not until he asks me himself. Although I am still pissed at him for pushing me away, and I know this isn’t the feminist thing to say, I would run to him if he only asked.
A knock on the apartment door draws my attention. Hadley and Wolf have already been by today, bringing little Ainsley by to cheer me up, and Brogan and Pope left about an hour ago. Tonight is the first night that Brogan will not be coming home after visiting with his father. And although we are no longer together, I want them to have a good relationship. Brogan deserves to have a relationship with Pope even if I don’t.
As I open the door, a smile forms on my lips. Bishop.
“Hey there, beautiful. What are you up to?” He leans against the railing.
“Not much.”
“Well, do you want to help me out with a problem I’m having? I’ll feed you in return.” His smile is infectious and I can’t help but smile back.
“No problem, as long as it’s sushi.”
He pulls a face but doesn’t protest. Moving into the lounge, I find my flats and slip them on, lock up, and follow him to his truck.
“Where are you taking me? And what is this mysterious problem?”
“Well, since the police found Riot’s body, his paperwork has been moving along and I finally got the all-clear on my mom’s farmhouse.” He opens the passenger side door for me then moves around the truck and gets in. He starts it up and gets it underway. “It was her favorite place in the whole world and I have been doing some upkeep on it these last few years, so it’s in pretty good shape.”
“Okay, so what help do you need from me? Hadley is much better at decorating than I am.”
“No, no nothing like that. I want to sell the farm, house and all. All my best childhood memories are there with my mom but she isn’t there. My memories of her will always be with me, I don’t need the house. Besides, it’s way too big for me. I need an apartment like yours.”
“A bachelor pad?” I laugh.
“Yup. But I need someone to tell me if it looks okay. I just want your opinion on if you think it is ready to go to market or if I should do some more work.”
“Well, I’m not a pro on this or anything, but I can give you my opinion. You may want to get a second opinion though.”
Bishop laughs as he turns down a gravel road leading to a double-story farmhouse surrounded by lush green trees. The garden is well kept and I can see a family living here. Kids and dogs running around the yard. For a moment, I can imagine it being me, Pope, and Brogan living here. The thought fills me with longing
and I’m instantly sad. Bishop must feel the change in me as he shuts off the truck and turns to me.
“Everything will work out fine.” He kisses my cheek and jumps out of the truck, coming around to open my door.
To say that I am beyond shocked is an understatement, but I don’t mention it, I only follow Bishop. The house has a beautiful wraparound porch with a porch swing. It is all painted white except for the shutters that are painted a bright, brilliant green. Bishop wastes no time leading me through the house.
All the bathrooms have been modernized and the hardwood flooring has been redone. As he leads me into the kitchen, I almost start crying. It’s my dream kitchen. Beautiful dark countertops, cherry wood cupboards, and stainless-steel finishings and appliances. Before I can tell him what a beautiful house this is, how lucky someone would be to buy it, his phone rings. He pulls it from his pocket and checks the screen.
“I have to take this, but head out into the backyard. I know you’re just going to love it.” Turning away from me, I hear him speak as he heads back into the house.
Making my way to the sliding door, I stare outside and my breath catches in my throat. Standing in the fading sunlight are Pope and Brogan, each holding a bouquet of daisies. The first tear falls down my cheek as Brogan runs toward me and moves the door open. He takes my hand in his and leads me toward Pope.
“I love you both,” Brogan says giving us each a hug, handing me the bouquet he was holding, and running back into the house.
Staring at Pope, I have no words. Thoughts tumble through my mind but I’m terrified to say anything at this moment. He stares at me before handing me the daisies in his grasp.
“Storm, I love you. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I’m a hard-headed fool and I almost lost you because of it.” He takes my face in both his calloused hands and plants a kiss on my lips. “I want you and only you. I want us to be a family and I want you to be my old lady. I need you by my side or I won’t be able to survive. You, me, and Brogan belong together.”
He stops speaking and stares at me, waiting for me to say something.
“Please say something?” he pleads.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” He looks confused for a moment.
“Yes. I want us to be a family. I want to be your old lady. Yes, I love you.”
He plants his lips on mine again, kissing me until I feel dizzy.
“Good thing. I just bought this house off Bishop and don’t know what I would have told him if you said no.”
We both burst out laughing
Epilogue
Pope
Nothing is the same anymore. Some things are better and some things not so much. After I finally got Storm to take me back, we moved into the new house and Bishop took over the lease on Storm’s apartment. He has also decided to stay on at the club and is currently our newest prospect.
These last three months have been the happiest of my life. We spend every second we have together, as a family, and I couldn’t ask for more.
Brogan has blossomed into a brilliant young man. We got him a rescue pitbull and the two have been inseparable since that first meeting. They spend their time roaming around the farm or at the clubhouse and Scraps—which is what he named the dog—has become a mascot to the club. He is always being fed, or scratched by someone, and simply lives for the attention.
Storm has opened a bakery. She has an incredible hidden talent for baking that none of us ever knew about. She has gotten so busy at the bakery that she even had to hire help. My mum was the first person she asked, and the old woman hopped a plane and moved back to the States, surprising the hell out of me. I shouldn’t have been, though, Storm is one of my mum’s favorite people and she wants the chance to get to know her grandson better.
I had forgotten that my mum used to be part of the MC lifestyle when she was still married to my dad, but that all came rushing back pretty quickly the first time we took her to the clubhouse. I may have to keep an eye on her and Viking, though.
The part that made our journey less than stellar was Sparrow. After killing Riot, he couldn’t stay in Gypsy Falls anymore. He sold what was left of the house he had with Luna before packing up Gage and moving six hundred miles away from us.
He wanted to hand in his patch and formally leave the club, but he got his ass outvoted. He is officially our first nomad member. Hopefully, time will heal his wounds and he will be able to return to us sooner rather than later. But I get why he left. Everything and everyone reminds him of his loss. He was made for Luna and Luna was made for him. This isn’t going to be a quick fix.
The rest of our family and friends are happy and healthy. The club is flourishing and we haven’t heard anything from King or the Iron Disciples since that day, so I am cautiously optimistic. All we can hope for is that tomorrow will be as good, if not better, than today.
The End
Gypsy Bastards MC–The Pope Playlist
Usher ft Alicia Keys – My Boo
Thomas Rhett –Marry Me
Selena Gomez – Love you to love me
Miranda Lambert – Vice
Chris Jansen – Drunk Girl
Five Finger Death Punch – Jekyll and Hyde
JP Saxe ft Julia Michaels – If the world was ending
Gabby Barette – I Hope
Kelsea Ballarini – Homecoming Queen
Maddie & Tae – Die from a broken heart
Shane West – What could have been
Claire Bowen and Sam Palladio – I will fall
30 Seconds to Mars – Stay
Florence and the Machine – Addicted to love
Cory Marks – Outlaws and Outsiders
Five Finger Death Punch – I Apologize
Kane Brown ft Laura Alaina – What Ifs
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have so many people that I want to thank. First off Stacey, Audrey and all the other Evernight Publishing staff members. Without you all, none of this would have been possible. My husband for having a ton of patience and supporting my dream. My daughter, for encouraging me when I feel like quitting.
My lovely beta readers Surita van der Merwe, Jessica Kuhn, and Celia Moolman. I love your feedback and enthusiasm. You make even my darkest days brighter. To Mr and Mrs van Zyl, for enjoying my work so thoroughly and pimping me out to all your friends. Even if you did call me graphic…
To Angie C Cody, Madhuri Palaji, and all the other lovely reviewers for taking a chance on a new author. Thank you to each person that purchased a copy of my first novel, and a special thank you to anyone who left a review. Each person brightened my day and gave me insight into what they would like to see going forward.
Lastly, to each and every friend, new and old, for your tremendous support. I love giving my stories to you.
Enjoy.
LHR
Jade
Other Books by Jade Marshall:
www.evernightpublishing.com/jade-marshall
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
Devil’s Destiny by Winter Sloane
Bred by the MC VP by Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino
Turtle by L.M. Kennedy
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The Pope Page 9
