Leather and Chrome (Royal Bastards MC: Detroit, MI Book 2)
Page 12
The tears streamed down her face in currents and I used my thumb to wipe them away. “No tears, my Angel. Just love.”
We both spent all night verbally professing our hearts, and although Cameron pleaded with me to make love to her, I couldn’t in good conscience bring her any more pain. When she was well, I would make sure my woman was never left unsatisfied.
Ian and I had facetimed or called one another every day for four weeks. We talked about our lives, our growing up, and our present day. I learned more about his chapter and he learned about mine (with Silver’s permission, of course). We connected, as only two twin brothers could. We even introduced our partners to each other, and they became fast friends, much to our amusement and chagrin.
After a month, Cameron sat me down and handed me an envelope. I looked at her, my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open it, ding dong.” She rolled her eyes.
“You’re going to pay for that,” I laughed, sliding my finger underneath the seal. I tipped it over and found two plane tickets to Las Vegas. “Fancy a game of poker then, Angel?” I asked.
“No, you silly man,” she laughed. “Vegas is only three hours from Tonopah.”
I sat the envelope down and looked at my girl. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing to ever walk into my life.
Two weeks after that, Cameron and I took off for Sin City. When we arrived, we rented a car and took the two hundred mile trek across the desert to my birthplace, somewhere I hadn’t been since I was nine and a half years old. We stopped at a hotel just inside the city limits.
“So, I should just say hi then?” I looked down into my Angel’s eyes.
“Why not?” She asked.
“Because that might be a little weird?” I chuckled, fingering her short locks.
“People talk to graves all the time, Noah,” she laughed. “You won’t be the only one.
“I wish I had met them,” I whispered, bending down to kiss Cam’s hair.
“I know,” she whispered sadly. “I wish you had too, but you still have Ian.”
She was right, of course. I did have my brother. After I had gotten over the shock of my plane ticket gift from Cameron, I had called him to let him know I was coming. He seemed just as anxious and yet excited as I was. We had plans for the four of us to meet up for dinner, but Cameron had convinced me to go see Boone, Barb, and Willow’s gravesite first.
Tonopah was a small town, and the drive only took me ten minutes. Angel had stayed back at the hotel, knowing that I needed to do this on my own. Saying hi to a headstone seemed silly, but that’s what I was going to do. I was going to introduce myself to my mother, my father, and my sister, and beg them for forgiveness.
I parked the rental car in the visitors parking space, and walked out into the grass. I didn’t know where Barb and Willow were buried, but I knew they were together. The cemetery was small, but beautiful, and I spent a few moments gingerly walking along, peering at gravestones.
“Noah?”
I looked up at the mention of my name, and there he was.
“Ian.”
For a few short moments, we just sort of stared at each other, taking each other in. Sure, we had facetimed almost every day for a month, but it didn't compare to being less than twenty feet from each other for the first time since we exited the womb.
“Brother,” I choked out, almost running towards him. Ian matched my pace and within moments, we found ourselves gripping each other in a long overdue embrace.
When we finally separated, it was obvious we both felt the same thing. A sense of completeness.
“What are you doing here, Noah?” Ian asked me.
“I came to see mom and dad, and Willow.”
“How did you know where to go?” He asked, before putting up his hands. “No. Let me guess. Cameron and Nylah had their hands in this, didn’t they?”
I laughed and so did Ian.
“Women,” I shrugged.
“Come on, Brother. Let me introduce you to the family.”
I followed Ian back to the headstones. Boone, Barb, and Willow Braxton laid next to each other with spaces on either side of them for the rest of the family some day. My heart clenched up in my chest and a lump formed in my throat.
Ian slapped me on the back, sensing my distress as only a twin really could. “It isn’t your fault, Noah. What happened to them, what happened to you, it wasn’t your fault. If they were here now, they would tell you the same thing.”
I sniffed, trying to mask the tears in my eyes. “Will you tell me all about them?” I asked.
“Everything. I’ll tell you everything”
We stood there until the sun set. Ian recanted stories of how Barb and Boone met. How they had told him about Barb’s pregnancy with Willow, and her birth. He told me about birthdays and Christmases, and how much he loved his little sister.
“I don’t want you to worry, Noah. Each of their killers got what they deserved. They are resting well now.”
“How did you do it?” I asked. “How did you kill them?”
Ian put his arm around my shoulder and directed me back towards the parking lot.
“Chrome,” he said, using my club name. “Have you ever heard of The Devil’s Ride?”
Three Months Later….
Are you sure you have to go? Silver asked, helping me pack the last of my boxes into the moving van. “Where the fuck am I going to find another VP as good as you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fuck off,” I laughed. “Last I checked, you just patched in two wide eyed and bushy tailed prospects.”
“You want me to make TBone or Derp the VP?” He laughed incredulously.
“Fuck no. Those two clowns couldn’t lead a chorus, let alone a club.”
“That’s my brother you’re talking about,” Cameron laughed walking out of her apartment.
“Tell me I’m wrong, my Angel,” I said, grabbing the box from her and handing it to Silver.
“I didn’t say you were wrong, Noah,” she laughed, “Only that you’re talking about my family.”
“Our family,” I whispered, grabbing her left hand and kissing the shiny diamond on her ring finger.
Cameron and I had tied the knot a little over a month ago. The entire club was in attendance, along with almost the entire Tonopah Chapter. We were surrounded by our blood family, and our club family, as we said our ‘I do’s’.
At the reception, Rael pulled me aside a serious look on his face.
“Chrome,” he started, handing me a beer. “I know Detroit has been your home for over ten years, and if someone asked me to leave my home, I would probably sock ‘em in the mouth. But I’m going to ask you anyways. Don’t hit me.”
I laughed at him and punched him in the shoulder.
“I said don’t fucking hit me, asshole.”
Laughing and shrugging at him, I beckoned for him to continue.
“I don’t have a position for you, and you’ll have to start at the bottom of the food chain, but I’ve talked to my chapter, and we’d all really like it if you would join us.”
“In Tonopah?” I asked, shocked. The request had come out of left field.
“Yeah.”
“I’d have to talk to Silver, and to Cameron,” I said, ideas and thoughts running rampant in my mind.
“We could really use a woman of her talents,” Ian laughed.
“You better be talking about her leather working,” I growled, only half serious.
“Think about it, okay?”
And that’s exactly what I did. I spoke with my Angel first. If she said no, there was no point in bringing it up to the club. As I expected though, she was excited for the idea. Her, more than anyone else in my life, wanted Ian and I to have the kind of relationship we should have had from day one. She would miss her brother, and some of the people in the club, but she wanted to be anywhere I was.
Silver had been surprisingly okay with it, even
though it was obvious he was feeling a little sad about the decision. I was too. Detroit was where I had found myself, found my Angel, and found my purpose. It would be odd leaving. The rest of the club was just as supportive, making my decision to leave that much harder.
I looked around the moving van at everyone. Silver, Lacey, Dumpster, and Flapjack, grabbed boxes from the clubhouse while Barnie, Pappy, Derp and TBone were loading them into the truck. Everyone talked, laughed, and joked around and my heart ached. I would miss them so much.
Cameron wrapped her arm around me, both of us looking at the scene in front of us.
“We’re only a plane ride away, Noah,” she whispered. “We can come visit your home any time you want.”
I turned to her and looked deep into her eyes.
“Angel. Home isn’t a place. Home is wherever I get to lie next to you. I love you more than anything. You ARE my home.”
The End
Once again, I am just astonished and amazed at the readers of this series. What started as an INCREDIBLE idea in the minds of some of my favorite MC authors, has turned into an amazing world full of ups and downs. I can’t thank you, the readers, enough for taking a chance on Chrome and Cameron, and I hope you enjoyed reading their story just as much as I did writing it.
I want to send a HUGE thanks to a few people as well. Firstly, Nikki Landis, for without you, I could have NEVER written this book. I came to you with my idea almost a year ago, and although you could have said heck no, you totally embraced me and was on board from day one. Even over the past few weeks as I bombarded you with question after question about Azrael and the Tonopah Chapter, you were amazing to work with, and I’m so thankful for you and Ian.
A huge HUGE thank you to Mr. Robert Kelly, my amazing and talented cover model. I’ve said this on more than one occasion, but you Sir, are the kindest soul I think I’ve ever met in my life, and I’m truly blessed to have met you.
Tasha, as usual, you are my rock and I flove you forever.
And a special thank you to Stephanie. You can’t even begin to imagine how much I appreciate and love you. You really have no idea, and I am completely in your debt for your help with Leather and Chrome.
To my other Royal Bastard Authors: Thank you. You all are so amazing, and I feel so incredibly humble to be working with each and every one of you.
I love you all.
Shannon Youngblood is a thirty something, foul mouthed, erotic romance writer, who loves telling a story full of broken pieces, and broken people. There is no subject too graphic, or too taboo, to grace the pages of her stories. Shannon believes that life is not always Happily Ever Afters and Flowers, and sometimes her stories might reflect that. (Non HEA's OH NO!) Shannon loves hearing from her amazing, dirty minded fans as well! Be sure to follow her on her social media sites!
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