by KE Osborn
Bex dips her head.
“Sure thing, pres,” Scratch says.
Tremor steps up to Chains squeezing his shoulder. “Thanks, brother, you get better, you hear me? I’ll be in soon. I just have to talk to Chloe and Neala, then I’ll be by your bedside.”
Chains chuckles. “It was worth it to see that show, brother.”
Tremor dips his head as I wonder what the hell they’re talking about as Sensei, Scratch, and Bex all leave with Chains to head off to the hospital. I fold my arms over my chest as I take a steadying breath, looking at my man and then my brothers.
“Will someone please tell me what the hell you were all doing?”
Tremor tilts his head to the side as he reaches out grabbing me. I glance at his hand to see his knuckles all messed up, but I say nothing as he leads me toward Chloe. “You two, come with me.”
I look at Chloe as she shrugs, but we all walk toward our bedroom. Tremor leads us in as Chloe and I take a seat on the bed while he plants his ass on the desk opposite us. I raise my brow. “So?”
He exhales looking at Chloe, not me. I find it odd, but I let it go as he starts talking. “We went on an outing to find Frank.”
“Your dad?” I ask. He tenses as Chloe starts to breathe a little heavier. I glance at her studying her panicked face. Jesus! There’s a story there.
“Yes. We found him. As you know, Lala, he was an asshole. Not only to me, but also to Chloe.”
My stomach churns as I reach out grabbing Chloe’s hand in mine. I feel her physically shaking beside me. I know whatever Frank did to her, it was obviously unspeakable. So I know whatever comes next, Frank deserved every second of.
“I’m not going to go into details. You don’t need to know. But Chloe, you do need to know that I believe he’ll leave us alone from now on.”
She sniffs hesitating as she looks at him. “As in you warned him, and… and he said he would?”
Tremor sighs grimacing slightly. “As in, we paid him a visit and scared the shit out of him.”
She lets out a small gasp, her free hand shooting to her mouth. I can’t tell if Chloe is happy or upset by the fact. By the look on Tremor’s face, he can’t tell either. He rushes forward, dropping to his knees in front of Chloe. The anxiety in the room is palpable. My heart beats frantically in my chest, but it’s nothing compared to the fear creeping across Tremor’s face as she looks down at him.
“Tremor, scaring him and pissing him off are two different things. What if… what if he just gets worse now?”
He glances at me taking a deep breath. “The thing is, he may have gotten away, but we showed an even bigger threat to him. He knows what’ll happen if he comes near us again.”
I sit taller. “What does that mean?”
He turns to face me taking my hands in his. “Renegade was there.” My heart leaps into my throat as I tense all over. My hands tighten in his, and as I glance down, I notice his knuckles all bloody and bruised. My body begins to shake, feeling sick as I run my finger over his split and broken wounds.
“Your knuckles?” I murmur.
He nods as I let out a small sob, my hand flying to my mouth as I burst into tears. He rushes forward embracing me. “He broke his conditions, Lala—”
“So he’s…” My voice cracks with my tears.
Trem nods once as the hot salty tears stream down my face. He winces looking apprehensive that I might see him differently. I bring my hand to his cheek and caress it. “I’m not upset, Trem, I’m so…” I close my eyes and reopen them, “… so, damn happy!”
His body sags in visible relief as he lets out a heavy exhale, then looks at Chloe. “But I am sorry Frank got away, Chloe.”
She fakes a smile but places her hand on his arm. “You got one bad guy, he deserved what he got. As for Frank, as long as he doesn’t come back with vengeance, I’m okay with it.”
Tremor nods. “I’m sure he won’t. He’ll be too scared, now his disciple is gone.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Knowing your man was partly responsible for killing someone isn’t a normal everyday occurrence.
I should be outraged by this.
I should be appalled.
But I’m not.
Renegade was an asshole. Him dying isn’t any kind of big deal. Being in this biker club all my life has dulled my sensitivity to such things.
I know what this life is.
I know what my brothers and their brothers are capable of.
I know what Tremor is capable of.
Do I love them any less?
No. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.
These men are bikers.
Do they kill people? Only when necessary.
Does it make them bad people? I don’t think so. Not in my eyes anyway, and I think for now, not in Chloe’s either, that’s all that matters to Tremor at the moment.
“I thought you might not forgive me,” Tremor murmurs.
My heart sinks as he looks at his cousin.
“I would never think less of you, Tremor. You’re my hero.”
He embraces her again, and I can’t help but lean in taking them both into a group hug. We all chuckle together as we fall back onto the bed in a pile of laughter but more relief. I know Tremor will be feeling so much weight lifted from his shoulders as I do from mine. Renegade being gone makes me feel so much lighter. Like the evil is now free from this world.
This is a new chapter in our lives.
And I can’t fucking wait.
PYRO
Eight Months Later
The past eight months since Renegade’s departure have been… great. It’s like everything has turned on its heels. Chloe’s in full remission. She’s even growing her hair back and looks so freaking beautiful. She’s glowing now, and she’s getting stronger each day.
It wasn’t until later I found out that Noah, the security guard at the brothel, is Lift’s actual blood brother. That’s why we had so much protection there that night, and we knew where Frank was. He also helped with the clean-up after. It’s funny how shit can sometimes play in your favor. Noah’s a good guy. He’s been around the club a few times since then. I wouldn’t be surprised if he joins as a prospect soon seeing as we’re down one.
It made us all chuckle once we realized that Noah was Lift’s brother, once we remembered Lift’s birth name is Elijah. When we asked him about it, he told us their parents are crazy religious, hence the biblical names of Elijah and Noah. We didn’t go into more detail, but we sure as hell give him shit about it every chance we get.
But today is not a day for joking around, today is a day three years in the making. Today Foxy and Torque are getting married. Lala helped Foxy with all the arrangements over the past eight months. Now the clubhouse lawn looks like a fucking romantic movie set as I walk around making the final touches. I’m in charge of making sure everything is in the right place while Lala gets the girls ready, and Trax is in charge of the guys.
Brothers and a small amount of outside guests mull about on the lawn as I fuck about with the flowers on the side of the seats, not really having a fucking clue what I’m doing. I just want it to be right for my president and his Old Lady. This is the first wedding we’ve had here at the clubhouse, so we all want it to go without a fucking hitch. We need this to be perfect for them.
A round of cheering echoes through the backyard as I glance up to see Trax, Torque, and Xavier, Foxy’s little brother, all walking down the makeshift aisle. Torque and Trax even wore black slacks today with a black shirt, but they still have their cuts on. Xav is wearing a black suit with a freaking pink tie. He’s so effeminate, but we all love the kid.
They take their position at the top of the aisle where a teepee arch has been created with long sticks decorated with little fucking flowers. It’s very different. I think Lala called it a boho decoration or some such shit. I don’t fucking know, but it looks cool. Not a normal fancy wedding thing, it kinda suits us bikers, I think.
>
The chairs lining the aisle are all of a worn wood giving the whole thing an outdoorsy camp vibe. I actually like the look a lot. Neala did great. It’s not overdone, it’s just right.
I glance at Torque, and he keeps adjusting his cut and shirt as Trax chuckles at him. It’s great our ever-stern-faced president finally looks like something’s making him nervous. He is human after all. But then again, he’s done this before, and we all know how that turned out, so I guess it might be playing on his mind a bit today. But the chances of losing a second wife, that’s got to be real shitty luck. Plus Foxy, she’s a fighter. She wouldn’t go out without a damn good fight. She isn’t going anywhere. He has to know that.
Surge walks past me patting my shoulder. “Will be you or Trax next,” he murmurs.
I chuckle. “I should be so lucky,” I reply.
He raises a brow. “You wanna marry Lala?” he asks.
“Yeah, I think I do.”
He chuckles winking at me, then walks up to the top of the aisle to stand next to Torque. He wanted Surge to be the one to marry him and Foxy. Sure, he’s not a real celebrant, but Surge got straight on it becoming ordained over the internet like you can do these days just so he could do this for them. Their relationship is great. Surge is there for Torque even after the death of his daughter and Torque’s late wife. They still have a bond after everything they’ve been through together. It’s incredible it didn’t tear them apart. Especially when Foxy came into the picture. Their relationship is sound, that’s for sure.
Everyone begins to take their seats. I walk up to the second row to take mine as I wait to watch and see Lala walking in, in her dress. I can’t fucking wait. I glance over to see Sparx sitting with Freckles looking a little nervous, her thumbs rubbing together as she looks at the back waiting impatiently to see everyone. Her babies are growing up so fast. Rix and Grace are thirteen months old. We celebrated their first birthday last month, and it was a huge affair. But today, today they will be the center of attention again, and as the music starts, I turn to look down the aisle to see Lala step out.
She looks simply stunning. Her hair is pulled back from her face, but still down in soft chocolate waves flowing around her shoulders. Her dress is short, covered in lace and is a mint color which matches the green in her eyes so damn brightly. She turns to grab the small cart, and I notice the rear of the dress is open in a diamond shape with lace surrounding the edges showing me her perfect back. She’s breathtaking. My cock twitches in my jeans as I wonder how the fuck I ever got so damn lucky. She grabs the handle of the small cart, then pulls it out of the doorway. Everyone chuckles as it comes clear to show us a little white cart as she walks down the aisle. Sitting in the cart are Rix and Grace. Rix in tiny, little black slacks and a black cut, and Grace in the same green dress. I’m not normally affected by kids, but I have to admit, they look fucking adorable—these two are damn cute.
Everyone smiles at them as they giggle to themselves. Sparx visibly relaxes seeing her babies are fine and behaving as they are wheeled up the aisle toward their father. He looks proud as a pig in shit as he watches his kids being pulled toward him.
“Damn, I make good looking kids,” Trax calls out. Everyone laughs as Sparx rolls her eyes.
Ari, Foxy’s best friend, walks out next. Her hair styled the same, the dress the same, the only difference her arms alight with colorful tattoos. Somehow it works. She looks beautiful. We don’t have much to do with her here at the club, but she’s fun to be around, and for her first time here, she’s doing a good job. She holds a small bunch of flowers, fuck if I know what kind, but I suppose they’re pretty as she walks down the aisle.
I glance to Torque knowing Foxy isn’t far away now, and he looks composed. A beaming smile on his face as he waits for his woman to come to him. If anything, he looks like he’s about to run down the aisle to get her if she doesn’t hurry the fuck up. I can’t help but think about if this is what it will be like with Lala and me when we get married. I quickly glance back to her to see her looking at me. Her eyes glowing with excitement.
I mouth ‘I love you,’ and she blows me a kiss as the music changes. We all stand for Foxy’s arrival. She steps out of the doorway onto the grassed area, her father attached to her arm, and the entire atmosphere shifts. Everyone gasps, including me, as we all look at her. She looks fucking stunning as she stands in her two-piece dress. The top is a lace crop top covering her tits in a V shape with a clear mesh thing going across the top of her neckline to hold the lace in place. It’s pretty, I suppose. The skirt is a material making her look something like a goddess, as the small gap between the top and the skirt shows off her tummy making this wedding dress something a little bit different than the norm.
It’s totally Foxy and total biker.
I turn back to look at Torque as she starts to walk down the aisle, his face is frozen as his eyes roam her body. His happiness evident, I’m sure his cheeks must be hurting as I notice his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down like he’s trying to hold himself together. Trax slaps his back shaking his head whispering something in Torque’s ear. They both chuckle as Torque takes in a steadying breath. He looks like he’s in awe as Foxy passes by me, her father walking her down the aisle to become Mrs. Rylan ‘Torque’ O’Shea.
“She looks stunning,” Chloe whispers in my ear as we all take a seat.
I can’t help but look at Neala. “Yeah, she does,” I reply.
I know she meant Foxy, but my eyes can’t leave Lala as she fusses about with those kids.
I want that with her.
I fucking want it all.
I know I will, I just have to wait. Our time will come.
Glancing back at Torque as Foxy’s dad hands her over to him, they smile at each other saying some words that I can’t hear. I’m too far away, but I’m sure it’s the usual, ‘take care of my daughter’ spiel.
Torque beams as Foxy’s dad kisses her on the cheek, then he moves to sit with his wife in the front row.
Surge charmingly gleams at Foxy as she turns to Torque, and they look at each other for the first time. It’s like none of us exist. We all chuckle as they take a moment to let this all sink in.
“As we can see, this couple is deeply in love. Foxy and Torque have been together for three years. In that time, their relationship has had its ups and downs. But through it all, their love has been constant… I’ve known Torque for a damn long time, pretty much all his life. This man right here means the world to me. Most of you know our history. He’s the son I always wanted, the son I got to claim as my own.”
Torque sighs as he looks at Foxy. She rubs her hands over his supportively knowing what that means. Torque was married to Surge’s daughter. She died, and now Surge is marrying Torque to another woman. It’s come full circle.
“We know what we’ve lost, but through loss, we can celebrate a new beginning. A new chapter. A new start. Something extraordinary…” Torque looks at Surge, and there’s no mistaking the glistening in his eyes as he pulls Foxy closer to him.
“Foxy, there’s no questioning we all had our doubts about whether you could make it in this club. But you’ve shown us time and time again that you proved us all wrong. You’re made for this life. You’re made for this man before us. Things have a way of working out how they’re supposed to. This is what was meant to happen. You two together is how this story is expected to turn out... I believe that.”
“Here, here,” Trax calls out making everyone laugh.
“You two are perfect together. So let’s get this wedding underway, yeah?” Surge asks as everyone lets out a booming cheer through the backyard of the clubhouse making Torque and Foxy burst out laughing.
This is what we’re all here for today, and honestly, I’m so damn happy for my president, the man who will one day be my brother-in-law.
I feel it in my bones.
The rest of the wedding was great. A little sappy if you ask me, but nice enough. Women cried, men cheered, then they were fi
nally man and wife. It’s official now. Torque’s off the market.
Laughter filters through the yard as the club girls bring another round of drinks to everyone. There’s chairs spread out in the yard with decorations as Vibe’s cutting loose on the DJ deck letting his inner grooves out like he likes to do from time to time.
Lift’s in the corner with Ari making the moves while Xav is talking to Ace about gadgets and gizmos. Freckles and Surge are busy chatting with Foxy’s parents. The night is going along smoothly. Torque and Foxy can’t keep their hands off each other as the drinks are flowing, and the celebrations are in full swing. It’s a party, and we’re all having a fucking blast.
Lala is sitting on my lap as I play with her hair. We’re sitting around the fire pit with Trax, Sparx, Sensei, and Sass as we all drink enjoying the evening. The twins are being looked after by Ruby tonight letting Trax and Sparx have a night to themselves for the first time in a while.
“I can’t believe my brother got married… again,” Trax announces out of nowhere.
Sparx chuckles. “Why? They’ve been together a while. Why shouldn’t they get married?”
“Because of his first wife. I just never pictured him letting go of the past. I’m glad he did, though,” Trax admits.
Sparx hugs him tightly. “I’m glad he did, too.”
“Maybe you’ll be the next one to get married, Trax?” Sensei mocks as Sass slaps him across the back of the head.
Trax chuckles. “It just so happens I have a ring right…” he checks around in his pocket making everyone, especially Sparx, open their eyes wide as he pulls his hand out flipping Sensei the bird, “… here!”
Sparx groans slumping into her seat as Trax chuckles again. “Don’t worry, babe, you’ll get a ring. Just have to talk to your dad. I’m trying to grow some balls. It could take some time.”
Everyone laughs. “Dad loves you… now.”
Sensei stands up clearing his throat as Sass looks at him. “While you’re up, can you grab me some more food, I’m starving. I’m so freaking hungry tonight,” Sass utters blasé as Sensei grunts.