EPILOGUE - Carlos
“You don’t have to do this,” Sylvia said softly, staring out the passenger window into the night sky as we got closer and closer to our destination. “I know this isn’t really your scene.”
I might’ve believed she was serious, repeating my own words back to me. Except I could see the small grin on her lips in the reflection of the glass. She was openly bullshitting me, and it was difficult to be mad when she was making it so obvious.
“And what would my scene be, exactly?” I asked, playing along. We were well into Oakdale by now, having passed through downtown a good ten minutes ago. I could still see red and green lights twinkling in the rearview mirror. It was easily smaller than Charlotte, but as far as decorations go, I think they might’ve had my city beat.
She glanced at me, eyebrow lifting. “Luxury, of course. Like you even have to ask. You wear cufflinks worth more than some cars.”
“You know I’m more than expensive suits. Have you seen what I’m wearing?”
“Clothes that I picked out for you. Casual clothes.”
“Which was completely unnecessary,” I reminded her, taking the turn she was indicating. I would have likely found the street easily enough. The rows upon rows of black and chrome motorcycles on either side made the whole thing fairly obvious. “There was nothing wrong with the outfit I had picked out.”
She laughed, a sound I would never get tired of hearing. “Nothing wrong with it? You were going to wear a fucking turtleneck. A turtleneck. You were nice enough to make sure I didn’t completely stick out like a sore thumb, so I returned the favor. If you showed up like that, not only would they never let me live it down, but someone would’ve opened their fat mouth and gotten themselves stabbed.”
We pulled up in front of the giant hunting lodge belonging to the Seven Sinners. There were only a few other houses scattered about, each of them dark and empty. Behind the main clubhouse was nothing but woods as far as the eye could see and a column of gray smoke rising into the air.
I killed the engine, turning to face her. “You would stab one of your own on my behalf?”
Her eyes glittered when they met mine and she was so fucking gorgeous it hurt. Her outfit was similar to her usual affair. Black boots, jeans and a long black sweater, with a huge matching wool coat to go with it. The toboggan covering her head was also, unsurprisingly, black.
There was a single splash of color. Sylvia was wearing a royal purple scarf, wrapped around her so many times it almost covered her chin.
“Anyone fucks with you they fuck with me,” she said. “They should already know better, but that's no reason to present them with an easy target either. So yeah, if they come at you wrong my response will be twice as sharp.”
I leaned across the center console and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Part appreciation, because it was no small thing to adamantly state she would stand at my side instead of theirs if it came to it. Part selfishness, because this would likely be the last time I had her to myself for the rest of the night.
Oh, and in part because it was cold as a witches tit outside and kissing my woman's lip rings tended to be a gamble in this sort of weather. Better to remind myself of the feeling now, while the car’s heat kept us warm, than to try it again when we might end up stuck together.
We got out simultaneously and made our way to the back of the clubhouse where we could look into the woods behind it. Sounds of revelry reached us, the combined chatter of many voices and aggressive music. There was a bright, orange glow in the distance. Had to be a sizeable bonfire going, given the smoke. I scanned the tree line, breath fogging in the air. I wasn't sure what I was looking for until I didn't find it.
“No guards?”
“I'm sure you've wondered why we never claimed Charlotte.”
“Isaac and I have considered it a few times,” I admitted. “We made a lot of guesses but never came to a satisfying answer.”
“Small town perks.” She buried deeper in her coat, glancing at me. “Check the windows.”
I sought out the quiet, empty houses spread across multiple acres. Only because I was searching for something out of place did I realize what the reflective flashes in the upper windows around us were. Scopes sweeping back and forth, catching the moonlight from overhead. My mood sobered quickly.
“Despite the savagery of their reputations, Rebel, Texas and Creed think more like generals. A big city would be a show of power, but a small town is easier to control. Everyone knows each other, so strangers stick out like sore thumbs. They would've flagged your car long before we crossed into the town proper.”
“And no one minds being the eyes and ears of one of the most notorious biker gangs of the age?”
She shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. “Not everyone is a fan. But as for the rest, why would they? Twenty plus years ago, the only thing Oakdale had to offer was a failing lumber mill and a drug problem. Compared to that, dealing with the Sinners is a pittance.”
I shook my head at how casually she had described something so terrifying. No wonder Rockwell had warned me of what would happen if Creed and his soldiers came out in force. This went deeper than them considering this place their home base. They had entwined themselves in the very fabric of an entire town.
There were implications to that which would keep me up at night.
“Enough of the history lesson,” she said suddenly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Let's go before I turn into a popsicle.”
Sylvia threaded her fingers through mine and started tugging me along at a hurried pace. The further we got away from the sparse streetlights, the more the darkness swallowed us whole. We reached the edge of the woods, and she plunged ahead without pausing.
My foot connected with something solid almost immediately and I cursed at the dull throb. Could've been worse. The brown boots I was wearing felt heavy and unfamiliar but I was glad to have them on.
Sylvia kept me upright and coughed into her free hand, the sound fake as fuck.
“Something funny, diosa?” I scowled at her even though she couldn't see it. Hell, I could barely see her as it was. How she was navigating without missing a step was yet another mystery.
“Nothing at all.” As if I couldn't hear her smiling. “Just try to keep up.”
“It would help if you weren't in such a sudden hurry. We could've left earlier if I'd known we had to be here at a certain time.”
“I'm not worried about being late. I'm just…”
“Half forest creature?” I supplied.
Her thoughts remained unfinished while we continued to go deeper, and we were steadily bathed in more and more light from the fire I could now hear snapping and groaning over the ensuing party. But where was everyone?
Sylvia slowed, taking the next dozen steps at a more reasonable pace. I saw why a heartbeat later. We were positioned on a ridge, looking down into a man-made bowl in the earth. There were steep slopes on all sides, dropping a good ten, fifteen feet towards a basin filled with fine gravel. I couldn't make out how wide it was, but there was plenty of room for the hundreds of people living it up below us, moving around a bonfire piled high with-
Christmas trees? Seriously?
I blinked, but my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. For a moment I thought they might have something against the holiday, except that didn't make sense either. The town was decorated to the nth degree and a large portion of the people below us were wearing Christmas colors. So it must've been a tradition I was simply out of the loop on.
At least it made sense now, why she'd been so adamant about wearing thin layers. The fire was already hot enough to be noticeable. I was sure we would barely feel the cold air once we headed closer.
“I’m excited,” she said suddenly, drawing my attention. Her face was bathed in warm light and she was chewing on the inside of her cheek. “And really, really nervous.” A few heads turned our direction. Hands holding red cups and beer bottles lifted. Sylvia returned a half hearted wave.
/> I pulled her against me, noting the tension in her body as I tipped her chin up. Someone whistled. I ignored them completely, slipping my hands inside her jacket to feel the warmth of her skin. “Talk to me.” Her eyes glistened, tears welling, and it felt like someone was hitting my heart with a fucking hammer. “Hey, what is it? Should I go? Tell me what you need and it’s done.”
“Don’t go.” Her head fell against my chest and I took her weight. “You’ve done everything right. It’s just...I never got a chance to do...this.” She waved her hand, indicating the party below us. I felt the frown coming before she clarified. “I never got a chance to introduce my family to someone I’m in love with.”
My resilient queen. She bad been robbed of so much more than one person should have to bear. I would return to her what I could. And this, this I could give her now.
“Then let’s change that,” I whispered, rocking her slowly. “I'm honored to be the first. And the last.”
Her shoulders jumped and she leaned back, but not before smacking me across the stomach. “The last, huh? Someone's feeling confident.”
“I can propose now, if you like? We both know where this is headed.”
Watching her mouth drop open in shock was a greater reward than the fountain of youth. It only lasted a handful of seconds before she regained her composure, but oh was it so incredibly worth it. I was also only halfway kidding. But that was a surprise better left for another time.
The gigantic black diamond stashed away in the depths of my closet wasn't going anywhere.
Sylvia was smiling while she shook her head at me. “For someone so organized, I'm pretty sure you just skipped a ton of steps.” Her eyes cut to the side, then did a double take at the realization of how large our audience had grown. I wished I could see her ears because I was sure they were flushed red.
“And now look what you did,” she complained without any trace of threat in her voice. “Ugh. I knew I would never hear the end of this. Let's get down there already before someone starts singing.”
In spite of her cute rant - which I would never admit to even under interrogation - she took my hand again as we made our way down the sharp incline. Given there was enough alcohol going around I could smell it in the air, I briefly wondered how anyone who got drunk was going to scale this hill at the end of the night. Fortunately, not my problem to solve. Same with why they were burning perfectly good Christmas trees.
There were some things better left alone.
We reached the bottom without issue and I felt a moment of surprise. There were more people than I had guessed, each of them moving to the low bass floating through the air as they danced and talked, and I'm fairly certain there was a couple fucking right on top of a picnic table. Other than some loud cat calls, no one paid them much attention.
Bikers, I reminded myself. They were certainly a different breed.
If there was one constant, it was that drunk or not, everyone in the crowd knew my woman and knew to step well out of her way while she walked.
There was blatant fear on some faces as they waved or offered quick words, but they weren't the majority. I saw surprise and relief. Awe and respect. The latter was in abundance, especially among those wearing their leathers. Pride swelled inside me and I walked like a man ten feet tall, doing my best to keep my face neutral.
The spectrum of looks sent my way was nowhere near as varied. Wariness and resentment were common, although I was hardly concerned. No one would be fool enough to start something right here in the open. Not when the monster holding their leash was so close by.
We rounded the fire, skating close enough the heat had me blinking. But the cluster of individuals we came upon, and the distance they kept others at bay simply by existing, had me focusing up real fucking quick.
The four individuals standing almost shoulder to shoulder wore no regalia, even the leathers were missing in favor of dark jeans and black shirts. Yet their identities were unmistakable, and being the center of their combined attention was similar to having a spotlight sweep over your eyes while you stared directly at it. Overbearing and impossible to ignore.
Kane and Saze were the two I was least familiar with, and the most openly friendly. A clever deception, considering they had dropped a small building on two dozen men not long ago. Still, the twins wore matching grins on their deeply tanned faces as they glanced back and forth between us before clicking their beers together.
“Prez gave us the rundown,” said Saze. “Impressive fucking work, both of you.” I nodded in acknowledgement but he was already done paying attention to me. “Now if only you’d listened a little closer when I went over rigging claymores it might’ve gone-”
Sylvia marched directly into the midst of them and covered his mouth with her hand. “Stop right there. We’ve talked about this. Explosives and I don’t mix and they never will, so hush.”
Her hand dropped in the wake of sudden silence. I glanced around us, noticing the crowd we had drawn and how quiet they were. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the show we were unknowingly putting on either.
Creed folded his arms over his chest and I knew no one within twenty feet had missed how violent he could make such a simple movement. Where I had glanced, he glared. Unrepentant. Unbending. Fury sparking like a live wire. “Fuck. Off,” he said simply, never so much as raising his voice.
The effect was similar to an air raid siren warning of an impending bomb run.
People scattered immediately, leaving a large bubble of space around us.
Kane snickered like a kid, slapping his thigh and everything. “Harsh, man. Mad fucking harsh. You gave us the heads up she was talking and I still nearly choked on my own tongue. So many minds just got blown to smithereens. What a beautiful thing.”
Even his comparisons are bomb related. I’m not even surprised.
The twins convinced Sylvia to give them a play by play of Narciso's downfall and pulled her somewhat off to the side. She glanced back at me the moment Creed and Texas closed the distance, but I waved away her concern. This had been a long time coming. And I had left behind the terrified boy they knew in the fires of my childhood home.
“Well, what's it going to be?” I asked before either of them could get a word in. “I made a list of threats you would probably use but I'm open to improvisation.”
Texas pulled a small container from his back pocket, sweeping a hand through short, dirty blonde hair. The smell of mint hit me a moment before he tossed a toothpick between his lips and let it dangle there. But the towering wall of muscle said nothing, choosing instead to stare with cold, unreadable eyes.
Nothing to be gained there.
I focused on the man with depictions of war and death covering most of the visible skin on his body, except for his face. His arms remained folded, jaw working in a slow grind. He set my teeth on edge, even standing still as he was. His fucking blinks felt like swinging fists waiting to happen.
Creed spat to the side, eyes burning. “Guess I won't have to kill you after all.”
Texas broke free from his stoic stance with a chuckle that came from the cavern of his huge chest. “I fuckin’ called it!” he yelled in a distinct drawl. “You just can't help yourself.”
Creed glared at him but the other man was unconcerned. I simply watched in confusion. This wasn't how I expected this meeting to go.
“You know what this means, don't ya? Time to pay up.”
“It was a stupid fucking bet anyway,” said Creed. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out several hundred dollar bills, passing them to the big man who readily tucked them away. “I don't know why I agreed to that bullshit.”
“Ignore him,” Texas said to me, extending his oversized paw. Part of me was certain this was some kind of trick but I shook his hand anyway. His grip was firm, and much to my surprise, he didn't try to crush my hand with his. “He wouldn’t know how to do appreciative if it bit him in his ornery ass. What he meant...was thanks.”
Am I
being pranked?
“Thanks,” I repeated, trying to catch up. “For what exactly?”
Creed flashed his teeth but he tipped his head to the side. “That.”
I followed his line of sight, smiling when I saw her. Sylvia was talking animatedly with two women. One had blonde hair down to her waist. The other had red curls piled atop her head in a messy bun.
They both froze in surprise when she pulled them into quick hugs before jumping around her in excitement. The blonde wasn’t concerned with being the least bit discreet when she looked over my woman’s shoulder and waved at me. Sylvia pulled her hand down before I could respond, and made a point of not looking my way, but I grinned anyway.
“She told you everything,” said Creed. It wasn’t a question.
My grin fell away, fists clenching. “She did. And I’m not sharing a fucking word of it so don’t bother asking. If she wanted either of you to know she would’ve told you.”
They shared a glance I wasn’t able to decipher. Creed showed me his middle finger but he sounded as calm as a man like him ever could. “That’s not what I was getting at,” he said. “She kept those memories to herself, wrapped around her like a fucking suit of armor no one could attempt to get through without having their head bitten off. But she finally took it off, because of you.”
“You’re not going to read me the riot act about getting her involved in my war?”
“War is in our blood, always will be. That’s why I’m not going to threaten you.” He didn’t smile, but I got the sense of his amusement and it was a mean thing on its own. “You ever fuck up, she’ll add another notch to that blade she carries without me lifting a finger.”
“It'll never happen.”
We might have stared at each other for the rest of the night but Sylvia and the two women with her chose that moment to join us, effectively ending the tense spell.
A quick round of introductions took place and Creed managed to stop channeling pure murder while the red head, Caitlin, took shelter beneath his arm. Lizzy pressed her back to Texas’s front and his wingspan enfolded her, hands resting on her stomach. Sylvia wrapped an arm around my waist, smiling up at me.
Saved by a Sinner Page 36
