by Voss, Deja
“One day out of the church and this is what you come up with?” she said, laughing. “Just go for the kneecap. Or the dick. Neither one’ll kill him.” Breaker pinned him to the ground so he couldn’t move. I’d never shot a gun before, had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I needed this. I needed to do this to put my past behind me. Racheal steadied my hand, helping me aim, and I shot the bullet into his kneecap. Then another. Then another. His screams sounded like music to my ears.
“Police!” someone shouted from outside. “We’re coming in!”
Breaker hopped off Jacob’s body, and Racheal wrapped her arms around me, hugging me close. “They’re gonna take you to the station, sister. You’ll be out by tonight. I promise. You did nothing wrong. You can tell them everything. Everything will be alright.”
I looked at Breaker, my eyes watering. He picked me up off the ground, and I pressed my lips to his, giving myself one second not to worry about the chaos going on around me. I knew, in his arms, everything would be alright.
“You’re gonna need an ambulance,” Racheal said to the officer as he walked into the bathroom. Jacob was passed out, so much blood running everywhere.
“I did it,” I said to the police officer. “It was self defense. You don’t have to cuff me. I’m turning myself in.”
He walked me out to the police car, Breaker and Racheal following behind.
“This is a first,” I said as he opened the door for me, and I sat inside.
“I’m so proud of you, babe,” Breaker said. “Love you. I’ll see you soon.”
“We’ll meet you at the station,” Racheal said. “Don’t worry about anything. You’re going to be fine.”
I knew I would be fine. I leaned my head back against the seat and began to cry, but not because I was sad. I was crying because it was over. I was crying because I was finally free. Free in the back of a police car. My life was ready to begin. Breaker’s hand was pressed against the glass, and my heart fluttered, knowing that soon, the two of us could officially start our lives together. No more looking over my shoulder. No more worrying about the day that Jacob might come crashing in and try to ruin things. I was completely unafraid, even as the car pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Even though my hands were covered in blood.
I was finally free.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Breaker:
“She’s good to go,” Racheal said, walking down the corridor at the police station.
“Where is she?” I asked, jumping up from my seat. Hannah followed behind her. She looked exhausted, but the smile on her face was brighter than the afternoon sun. She ran for me, jumping into my arms, and I caught her, hugging her tight, knowing that now I officially had her. Now she was mine, and she wasn’t going anywhere ever again. “You okay, babe?”
“I’m kinda hungry,” she said. “Kinda sleepy. I don’t know. I’m kind of just… blah…” she said, pressing her head into my shoulder.
“Well, let’s get out of here,” I suggested. “This ain’t exactly the kind of place we enjoy hanging out in.” Law, Colt, Rosey, and Tressica all made the trip up to wait with me. Wasn’t every day a bunch of outlaws voluntarily hung out in a cop shop, but for Hannah, I’d do it every day. Hell, any of us would.
I set her down to the ground, and she ran over to Tressica and hugged her. “What’s everybody doing here?” she asked.
“We take care of our own, sweetie,” Tressica said. “You’re one of us now.”
“Don’t scare her,” I said with a laugh. “She had a traumatic enough day already.”
She squeezed my hand, and we walked out into the parking lot, the sun already setting in the sky behind us. “We’re gonna take the truck home.”
She nodded enthusiastically, and I opened the door to my big black pickup, helping her in.
“Hey!” Racheal shouted, chasing behind us. “Let me get a minute?” I stepped aside, and she stood in the open door. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I’m sorry for everything. I wanted to tell you.”
“I don’t know what to say to you,” Hannah stammered. “If you really loved me, you would’ve never let all this stuff happen to me.”
“You don’t understand,” she pleaded. “I needed you. We needed to make a case.”
“Racheal, you are my sister, and I will always love you,” she said with a sob. “But I can’t see you ever again. I wish you the best in everything you do, but you’re going to have to do it without me.”
She slammed the truck door and Racheal stood there, her hands in her pockets, looking all sad. “Don’t hurt her. Please don’t hurt her. I’ll respect her wishes, but if you so much as look at her wrong, I will do whatever it takes to make your life a living hell.”
“She’ll come around,” I said. “Take care of yourself.”
I could kind of relate. I, too, had a sibling that was cut from the cult cloth, not that I even knew about it until today. Turned out it didn’t matter who you parents were, you could still turn out alright. I was still reeling at the idea that I had a brother out there, a whole family running around I didn’t know about. What my mama sacrificed to keep me from getting wrapped up in that shit. My life wasn’t perfect, but she did the best she could.
I got in the truck, staring at Hannah for a moment, taking a second to soak her in, study her face, remind myself this wasn’t a dream. This was real life. This was our life.
“I can’t believe…” she stammered. “can’t believe I did that. All those times I’d imagined it.”
“Did it feel as good as you wanted it to?” I asked, putting the truck in drive, heading down the long highway home.
“Better,” she said. “I’m sorry I shot your brother.”
“Honey, that man ain’t my brother. Blood don’t mean jack shit.”
She started laughing.
“What?” I asked, gripping her knee.
“I’m just imagining you in a straw hat and a pair of suspenders.”
“Oh, get out of town.”
She rested her head on my shoulder, sighing that sweet little contented sigh that made me feel all goopy inside. Softened me.
“Just to be clear, you’re not like my sister or some shit,” I asked. “I mean, I don’t know how you people are.”
“I can assure you, I’m not your sister. And don’t think you can throw that ‘you people’ stuff around with me anymore. Technically, you’re one of us,” she said, cackling like a wild woman.
“I’m not one of them. Neither are you, babe. We got our own thing now. Fresh slate. We can go anywhere. We can do anything.”
“Take me home,” she said. No sweeter words I’d ever heard as she nestled her head on my chest.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue:
Breaker:
One Year Later:
“Are they coming?” Rosey asked, the sound of car tires rolling across the gravel parking lot. He pulled the blinds aside. Tressica parked the car, and Hannah hopped out.
“She look happy? Sad?” I walked over to the window, trying to get a read on her body language. Today was her final exam for her vet tech certification. She had to go to a testing center in the city to do it. I wanted to go with her, but she didn’t let me. Told me she’d be too embarrassed to look at me if she failed. I knew she wasn’t going to fail, and even if she did, wouldn’t change one fucking thing. She wanted this so bad, though, worked so damn hard every day, studying, doing lectures online, making me read notecards to her before she went to sleep every night. She was committed. It was hot. I never saw myself with the kind of woman who studied.
Her face was blank. Her walk was normal. I opened the front door. “How’d you do?” I ask.
She frowned, hanging her head. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight.
“I’m just kidding,” she said. “I aced it. It was so easy.”
“I knew you would,” I said. “I’m so fucking proud of you.” I pressed my nose to her hair, the sweet smell of honeysuckle that drove
me wild filling my nose. She hiccoughed loudly, her breath reeking of strawberries and tequila.
“She might’ve had a couple celebratory margaritas,” Tressica said.
Her face was blushing bright red, and she stood on her tiptoes, whispering in my ear, “I’m ready for a different kind of celebration now. The kind where I take my pants off.” She started giggling like a hyena.
“You’re gonna have to wait a minute. Everybody’s here to congratulate you.”
“Breaker,” she said, punching my shoulder. “What if I didn’t pass?”
“Then everyone would be here commiserating with you. Sorry, babe, you signed up for this.”
It was crazy how she took to this place like a fish in water. I’d been looking for a house for just the two of us for the last couple months, but she was so comfortable living in the clubhouse, she didn’t even want to talk about it. She was fast friends with everybody, even Colt, who was the hardest nut to crack. It was like she was born into this life. Seeing her happy was all that mattered to me.
“Yes!” she cheered, rubbing her hands together as she eyed up the spread Reena had put out for her. Apparently they didn’t have ketchup at the compound. These days her favorite foods were anything you could put ketchup on. Maybe a couple foods you really shouldn’t put ketchup on, but she did anyway. She piled some macaroni and cheese on her plate and unloaded the red goop all over it.
I fixed myself a plate too and grabbed us a couple beers from the bar. “Wanna go outside and sit?” I asked.
This might’ve looked like a simple graduation party, but in all actuality, it was a big day for me, too. I waited until today to go buy her a ring, only because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hang onto it for any amount of time. I couldn’t keep shit from her, even if it wasn’t something bad. I hoped she wouldn’t think it was something bad. I didn’t think I had any reason to be nervous, but something inside my guts made me wonder if now that she’d got her degree she was gonna leave me, go off on her own to see the world. I wouldn’t blame her. I didn’t want her to, but I wouldn’t blame her.
“Sure,” she said. We went out on the front porch and sat in some camping chairs. She shoveled forkfuls of macaroni into her mouth, and I just pushed food around my plate, too nervous to eat.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re hardly eating. Are you mad that I’m drunk?”
“I’m not mad, babe. You deserve to have fun. You worked so hard.”
“Are you sick?” she asked, feeling for my forehead. I definitely wasn’t sick, even though I felt like everything was spinning. Felt all nervous and sweaty. This was the most important day of my life so far, and I didn’t want to fuck it up.
“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. I set the plate on the little glass patio table, and reached my hand into my pocket, thumbing the little velvet box. “I guess I’m just speechless. You always know how to make me speechless.”
“Is it because of the ketchup? I know that grosses you out. You don’t have to pretend anymore.”
“Hannah, you’re making this really fucking hard,” I said, laughing nervously. “I’m trying to be serious here.”
“Oh,” she said. “Okay.” She sat up tall, resting her hands in her lap. “Tell me lover, what are we being so serious about? Do you have to go out of town on business? Is there a problem with your motorcycle? Are you pregnant?”
“Hannah!” I shouted, throwing my head back and cracking up. It was now or never. I dropped down on my knee in front of her, holding the box in the palm of my hand. “You want this?”
“Oh, Breaker,” she said, her voice a couple octaves lower than usual. She slapped her hand over her mouth.
“You haven’t even seen it yet,” I said, popping the box open. I knew she would love it, the princess cut hunk of sapphire surrounded by little diamonds, sparkly like her eyes. Different but beautiful, just like her.
“Put it on me,” she said, fanning herself.
“Are you gonna marry me?” I asked. It felt so weird coming out of my mouth, but it felt so right. I’d never been so sure about something before. There was no point in my life before her I even imagined doing this, at all. With anyone. Ever.
“I would marry you right this moment, with no hesitation, Breaker,” she said.
“Now don’t go saying that,” I teased, slipping the ring on her finger. “Old Judas is a certified minister, and I’d think a girl like you might want a little more for her wedding day than macaroni and ketchup and me in my dirty old jeans.”
“No,” she said with a casual shrug. “Everybody says your wedding day is supposed to be the best day of your life, but every single day with you is the best day of my life. I don’t care where or how we do it. My family is all here. My friends. You. That’s all that matters.”
I kissed her sweet lips, knowing that it didn’t matter if we got married right here right now or in twenty years. Wouldn’t change nothing. Wouldn’t change the way I felt about her. Every day with her was the best day of my life.
“Well, I personally want to wear a bridesmaid’s gown,” Tressica said from the doorway. “And I want to see all these dirty motherfuckers in tuxedos.”
“Guys!” I shouted, looking over my shoulder at all my brothers crunched up in the doorway spying on us. “Can’t get a second of privacy around this place!”
“Guess we all just had to see it with our own two eyes,” Rosey said. “Never thought this day would come. Old party boy is handing over his balls.”
“Oh please,” Tressica said. “Hannah’s been carrying them around in her purse since the day she turned up here.”
“Are you crying?” Hannah stammered, watching Law wipe his eye.
“I can’t lie to you, sweetie. Shit like this gets me.”
I chuckled, pulling her onto my lap. She held her ring finger up in the air, swirling the stone in the sunlight, admiring its shine. “Maybe we can do it in the fall,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Whatever you want,” I said. “For the rest of your life.” I’d spend every second of my life making sure she got whatever she wanted, making sure I was the best possible man I could be. I already got mine. She already saved me.
“Who’s that at the gate?” Colt asked. A man in a white Lamborghini got out of his car and was pushing on the buzzer. “Anybody?”
Everyone shrugged. I’d never seen the dude before. Really didn’t care, either. All I cared about was getting Hannah inside and consummating our engagement. Sure, the MC was my life, but today, I think I got a hall pass.
Colt and Law ran down to the edge of the driveway, and a few minutes later, they came pacing back as the man sped off.
“What was that all about?” Rosey asked.
Law shoved through the crowd, head down, not saying a word, the sound of his boots heavy on the hardwood floor, then slamming doors.
“I don’t fucking know. New neighbors I guess. Some bitch in the car got him all affected,” he shrugged his shoulders and took a long swig from his beer. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow. I ain’t gonna let this shit take away from your big day, princess,” he said, grabbing Hannah’s chin.
She smiled at him nervously and tucked her head into my arm. I gave him the glare. The one filled with daggers he’d given me so many times before. “You can try all you want, son,” I said, standing up, holding her in my arms as I walked into the clubhouse. “You’ll never be on my level.” I stuck my tongue out at him and wiggled it around all obscene like and blew him a kiss.
“I fucking love you, you idiot,” he called after me as I walked down the hallway with her in my arms. Right where she belonged. My future bride. My brilliant, bright, beautiful, Hannah. My salvation.
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