“Sounds good.”
Jane headed to the bathroom and when Shadow came back in and locked up, we all went to our respective corners and slept.
Until I heard Jane scream.
“Posey! Oh my god!”
Shadow and I were up and out of our bed in seconds, rushing into the living room where Jane was watching the news.
“Frederick Knorr, arrested for the alleged murder of his mother and kidnapping of a local young woman, has been found dead in his cell.”
“What the fuck?” Shadow breathed out.
“According to sources inside the jail, Mr. Knorr hung himself with a T-shirt. We have no other details at this time, but will be sure to inform you of them as they come in. This is Nicola Rob reporting for WJCL. Back to you—”
Jane’s phone rang just as she turned off the television and she answered immediately. “Hi, Lyric, did you see?” She nodded, then frowned. “What? He did? Oh my god. What does this mean? Okay. Yes, alright. Thank you for everything. Seriously. You’ve been amazing.” She nodded again. “Okay. Yep, he’s here. Thanks.” She hung up and dropped her phone on the side table. “Lyric said Doom’s going to call you.”
Shadow nodded and headed back to the bedroom, while I wrapped my arms around my best friend. “What happened?”
“The guards found him an hour ago and Lyric’s friend in the facility called her once things had calmed down. Frederick left a suicide note confessing to everything. He detailed his whole plan, his hatred of his mother and how controlling she was…which she was. She was horrible. Not needs to be murdered level, but kind of a bitch.”
“I know, honey,” I said.
“Anyway, it’s done. I am still technically the next of kin, so I guess I’m going to have to deal with arrangement for his burial and all that stuff.” She burst into tears. “I don’t understand how all of this went so south.”
“Yeah, it’s weird.”
“I mean, I’m so normal,” she breathed out. “I had a good childhood. My parents are my rocks. How did I fall in love with such a garbage human?”
“It’s a wonder,” I agreed. “I mean, the fact you think you’re human…”
Jane smacked my arm gently, then burst out laughing. “Oh my god, right?”
Shadow stepped into the family room, then turned around and walked out and I smiled.
“Whatever you need, Jane, we’re here for you,” I promised.
“Yeah, well you’ve proved that in spades.” She rose to her feet. “I’m going to take a shower, then I need to meet with Lyric so we can talk about next steps.”
“Okay. Let me know what you need.”
“I will.” She hugged me and headed to the bathroom, while I went to find my man.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Posey
ONE MONTH LATER, life had returned to a new normal. Jane had moved into her new home, I was still very happy in my little house next to Otter and Shiloh, although, I was probably going to need something bigger sooner than later.
Sharon had moved into a condo close to the club. Knock me over with a feather, but she and Gator had fallen in love and he was vying to be her roommate. She was a holdout due to the fact she was a ‘God-fearing’ woman and wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize that, but he was doing everything he could to make her forget her manners.
The building fire had in fact been started by a faulty range, so there was currently a class-action suit against Mr. Calloway. Sharon had been smart enough to get renter’s insurance, so anything that was ruined by the smoke was replaced by the insurance money.
I was doing online classes from the barn, thanks to Shadow organizing some of the recruits to clear out a room at the back of the building that had been used as a storage room previously. But I didn’t have a permanent place to do massages. For the moment, every Monday and Wednesday, Shadow transformed my living room into a quiet massage area, and clients came to me. This wouldn’t last much longer, so we were working to find a solution.
Today, however, was family day at the firehouse. Shadow and Doom were both going to be there in uniform, despite the fact Shadow wasn’t on shift and Doom was part of the volunteer unit.
“Baby, are you ready?” Shadow asked, peeking into the bathroom.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Is what I’m wearing okay?”
I had on skinny jeans and knee-high boots, along with a Harley T-shirt, that hugged all the right parts.
“You look hot as fuck.” He grinned leaning down to kiss me. “So, yeah, it’s totally okay.”
I grinned. “Back atya.”
“Come on. We’re meeting Doom and Lyric there. We’ll take the bike.”
“But that’s going to mess up my hair.”
“Bring a brush.”
I sighed, grabbing my brush, and dropping it into my tote. He secured my stuff in a saddlebag, handed me my newly purchased leather jacket and helmet, and we took off for the firehouse.
“I’m going to want another Tybee trip soon,” I said, once we parked.
Shadow chuckled. “Already workin’ on it.”
“You are?”
“Yeah.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Ready to meet my other family?”
“Definitely.”
He took my hand and led me inside, where Doom and Lyric were standing out back.
“You gotta back the little ones, Sterling,” Doom directed, helping his son hold the hose as they sprayed down a pretend fire.
“Oh my god, they are so cute,” I breathed out.
“Grant!” a deep voice bellowed, and Shadow and I turned toward the sound.
“Hey, Cap.” Shadow grinned, shaking the older man’s hand. “This is Posey.”
I shook his hand. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“You too,” he said. “Thanks for coming out.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Shadow replied.
“Show Posey around and grab some food. I’m hoping it’ll be a quiet day.”
He walked away and Shadow gave me the grand tour of the firehouse, guiding me into a small supply room where he pushed me up against the wall and kissed me for all I was worth.
His hand went to my breast before he broke the kiss, dropping his forehead to mine. “Well, now I’m gonna be thinking about you every time I walk in here.”
I smiled up at him. “Sorry, not sorry.”
“I could have sworn I saw him go upstairs,” a female voice mused from outside the door.
“Busted,” he breathed out. “That sounds like Cat.”
Pulling open the door, he peeked outside, then pulled me with him. “Lookin’ for me, little sister?”
Catalina turned and grinned. “Yes. Hi.” She rushed to us, pulling both of us in for a hug.
The firefighter who had been escorting her nodded and headed back downstairs.
“I thought you’d both be here,” she said. “I want to throw a housewarming party but not without you two. So, how’s Friday?”
Catalina had finally found a townhome not far from the club, and with the way she talked it up, I couldn’t wait to see it.
“Good for me,” I said.
“Me too.” Shadow raised an eyebrow. “You could have texted.”
“I was in the neighborhood. I brought cookies.”
“Did you bring those peanut brownie cookies that grandma used to make?” Shadow asked.
“I sure did.”
Shadow took my hand. “Let’s get one before they disappear.”
I chuckled, and we made our way downstairs to the food.
“They’re like an orgasm in your mouth,” Shadow said, handing me one.
“I highly doubt that,” I whispered for his ears only and took a bite. “Oh my god, you’re right.”
He laughed. “Told ya.”
“Thadow!” Sterling yelled, making a run for Shadow.
He scooped him up and grinned. “Hey, buddy. Did you have fun with the hose?”
H
e nodded.
Doom and Lyric approached. Doom was holding their almost one-year-old daughter, Aria. I smiled. Lyric’s sisters were named Harmony and Melody, and in fact, Melody was currently the biggest pop star in the world, so it was natural the Lyric would want her daughter to have a musical name, and I loved it.
“Thanks for all your help with Jane,” I said to Lyric.
She grinned. “Oh, that was fun. I told Doom I wanted to do a few more defense cases, so I’m going to start looking for some pro bono ones.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “I’m sure whoever you choose will be grateful for the help.”
“Right, beautiful people, I’m going to go,” Catalina said. “Friday works for everyone, so I’ll text the details tonight.”
“I’ll bring copious amounts of wine,” Lyric promised.
“Perfect,” Catalina said, before hugging us and leaving.
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to know Shadow’s other ‘brothers,’ and I felt totally welcomed by every one of them.
By the time Shadow took me home, I was exhausted, but since I couldn’t keep my hands off him, I rallied and made him fuck me a couple of times before we slept.
It was a perfect day.
* * *
Friday night, the weather had warmed up enough to ride over to Catalina’s housewarming party, and I was excited to drink a little wine and get to know Shadow’s sister more.
We pulled into her driveway and parked next to another Harley and a huge truck. Pulling a case of beer out of one of the saddlebags, Shadow then took my hand and led me inside.
“We’re here,” he bellowed, closing the door behind us.
I shrugged out of my leather jacket and hung it on the hook attached to the bench inside the front door.
“Hi!” Catalina exclaimed, rushing into the foyer, and hugging us both. “Come in. Silas is manning the grill.” She took my hand. “Come and meet Melonie. You’re going to love her. We’re already making plans for girls’ night and you and Jane have to come.”
I grinned. “I’m always up for girls’ night.”
Shadow set the beer in the kitchen as Catalina led me into the living room to meet her bestie.
* * *
Shadow
After dropping the beer in the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle, and walked outside where Doom and Shutter were deep in conversation by the grill.
“Hey.” Doom gave me a chin lift and I smiled.
“Hey, brother. You got news on the warehouse fires yet?” I asked.
We were still trying to figure out why the fire records were hinky, but we kept running into deadends.
Doom shook his head. “Nothing we can do anything about yet.” He sighed. “Rabbit’s still workin’ it from his end, but if there is something hinky, whoever’s doin’ it is smart and has connections enough to keep it hidden.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Tried to get into Cap’s office a few times to snoop, but he’s got shit locked down tight, and someone’s always around.”
“We’ve gotta leave it for now,” Doom said. “Bigger shit’s happenin’, and we gotta get that sorted first.”
“What the fuck’s Rabbit doin’, anyway?” Shutter asked.
Doom shook his head. “Can’t tell you, brother. Wish to Christ I could, but I can’t.”
Shutter and I shared a glance of derision. I hated that my closest buddy couldn’t share what he was doing with me. And I hated that I wasn’t in whatever shit was going down. Rabbit and I were ride or dies long before Parker and Posey came along.
But that was the nature of the beast when you were part of a club. There was always secrecy at some level, and you had to learn to live with it.
“There you are,” Posey breathed out, stepping onto the deck, my sister and Lyric following.
“Hey, baby.” I held my hand out, and she wrapped her arms around my waist.
Doom pulled Lyric to him and kissed her while my sister handed Shutter a beer.
“Who’s watching your kids?” I asked, Lyric.
She grinned. “Willow the magnificent.”
I chuckled. “I’m surprised Dash doesn’t keep knockin’ her up with how much baby-fever she has.”
“Oh, she’s very adamant they’re done, but I’m with you. I feel like she doth protest too much.”
Posey shivered and I held her tighter. “You wanna head inside?”
She shook her head. “This is good.”
“Want me to get your jacket?”
“And give me an excuse not to wrap myself around you?” She grinned up at me. “No, thank you.”
I chuckled and squeezed her tighter.
As we stood with our family in the brisk Savannah evening, I held my woman as close as I could while we laughed at whatever joke Shutter was making in the moment.
My life had been a series of disappointment and tragedy, but my reward was standing next to me, her tiny body warming me, and I smiled at my sister, knowing she recognized this fact as well.
I was a lucky fucker, and I was never going to take my beautiful, nuclear reactor for granted.
EPILOGUE
Posey
Six months later…
I STARED DOWN at my diamond engagement ring sitting proudly on my finger as I stood in the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I hadn’t been able to do anything but stare at it since the second it was put on my finger.
Shadow had whisked me away to Tybee island on Thursday for the entire weekend and proposed to me by the lighthouse as the sun went down. I had never known a love like his, and I said ‘yes’ immediately.
“Baby, we gotta go,” he bellowed.
“I’m coming,” I said, after rinsing and drying my mouth.
We had an appointment with Otter and Shiloh’s realtor, Rhett, and we were running a little behind. Probably because I was smitten with the one-carat beauty on my finger.
I grabbed my jacket and met him in the foyer where he handed me my helmet. “Remember, we don’t have to buy this one. There is no rush.”
“It’s on five acres and has a tiny house in the back which would be perfect to stream my yoga classes, not to mention massage. Unless the pictures have completely lied, we do have to buy this one.”
“And it’s practically next door to Jane’s new house.”
I bit my lip and grinned. “And it’s practically next door to Jane’s new house,” I confirmed.
He chuckled. We’d looked at three houses in the last month, trying to find something that would fit the bill.
We took off for our appointment and I couldn’t believe everything that had happened in the last few months.
My landlord at the studio had decided to cut his losses, take the insurance money and run. He’d sold the site to some developer, so even if I wanted to rehouse my studio in the same place, I was going to have to wait for a few years before it was built back up.
I loved not having that extra payment each month, and my online classes were actually going really well. I still had a few private clients, and my massage clients weren’t going anywhere. If this house worked out, I’d be able to do everything from home, able to keep my overhead extremely low.
Plus, it was the home Shadow and I were going to buy together, so we were finally going to get to start our lives as a married couple in the new home, and I personally couldn’t wait to fill it with babies.
Jane had discovered that Frederick had taken out over two-million dollars of life insurance on her, with double indemnity if she’d died in an accident, so the D.A.’s theory had been that Freddie intended to have her killed at some point, which was freaky as hell.
He’d also left her a rather large nest egg, considering he hadn’t gotten around to changing any of his legal paperwork to remove her as his beneficiary once their divorce proceedings had begun. She was technically still his next of kin, and since he’d murdered his only living relative, she’d gotten all of his money, along with his mother’s since Freddie was her beneficiary.
And to call it a nest egg was an understatement. Freddie may have complained he’d been broke justifying his reason for taking Jane’s savings to buy a boat, but his mother had been loaded. Over ten million in some account Jane was sure Frederick didn’t know about. She was convinced if he had, he would have killed her a long time ago. She decided to sell the boat and donate the proceeds to the charity Lyric had set up to help low-income people get legal help.
Pulling up to the traditional brick home, I jumped off the bike and set my helmet on the seat. “Oh my god, it’s adorable.”
“Fuck, it really is,” Shadow agreed.
The white pillars framed a red door, and the black shutters gave the brick old-world contrast. It was gorgeous. The front door opened, and Jane rushed out with Rhett following her.
“You just have to buy this,” Jane demanded, hugging us. “It’s absolutely perfect and we could put a gate between our properties, so we don’t have to ring the doorbell.”
“Jesus,” Shadow breathed out, then grinned.
“I promise, I’ll text first and make sure neither of you is naked.”
I laughed. “Okay, let’s go. I’m dying to see it in real life.”
Before we could even walk onto the porch, Shadow lifted me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked.
“Carrying you over the threshold.”
“We haven’t bought it yet, crazy man.”
“Baby, the second I saw those pillars, I knew I was a goner, considering that’s always been your dream,” he said. “And now that I see it in person, we absolutely are going to buy it, so in my opinion, it’s a done deal.”
I grinned, kissing him gently. “I’ll be the final judge of that.”
And I was.
We moved in forty-five days later, a brand-new marriage certificate to go with the deed, because of the positive pregnancy test I’d taken a week before we closed on the house.
Shadow had rushed me, my mother, Jane, and Cat down to the courthouse to ‘make an honest woman’ out of me, and now I was Mrs. Nolan Grant, soon to be mother of a noodle yet to be named, and my life was perfect.
Our love, like steel, had been forged in flames. At first, fragile, but now strong enough to withstand any battle.
Fanning the Biker's Flame (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 8) Page 17