I came to Coronado blinded by the lies the chief told me. And those lies were terrible. I still didn’t understand why Harold had it out for the Black Souls, but at least the ordeal was behind us.
But I could finally see clearly again. I was present again, and I didn’t want to lose that. This was a stepping stone for me, and sooner or later I would be on my way to becoming the best at my job.
“It’s not over, you know. We still have to find out who the informant is. Someone was telling the Hell Riders all that information about us in the first place,” he said.
I could tell that was still an issue that was bothering him, but I finally felt like I was in a position to help him uncover who that was. “Leave it to me. I’ll see what I can find out. I expect I’ll have more pull around here than I did before. Most will respect me after what happened, and I just hope that someone higher up sees that when they’re dealing with me,” I said.
My phone rang in my pocket. “I wonder who this could be?” It was a local number but I didn’t recognize it. “Hello.”
“Hello, is this Anna?”
“Yes, this is she.”
“This is Mayor Williams, and I just want you to know that we appreciate everything that you’ve done regarding exposing Harold. I can only imagine how hard that was for you. I wanted you to hear it from me first. Your job is very much secure, and you will be working under someone who actually believes in fighting for what’s right. I hope to see you sometime soon once this is all sorted,” the mayor said.
“Thank you very much, Mayor William. That means a lot to me.”
“No, Anna. Thank you. We may not be perfect here in Coronado, but we’re honest.”
I looked up at Ryker, who heard the entire conversation, and he smiled at me. I reached up to kiss him again.
“See? I told you, I’m here to protect you. All of you. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you’re okay,” I said.
“And we will have your back, no matter what happens. That’s what you do for the people you love. Looks like the Black Souls just got themselves a new honorary member,” he replied.
I smiled, turning around to hug him, and buried my head in his neck. All my troubles started to melt away, and I didn’t want this feeling to end.
I knew it soon would, and we’d have to get back to work. That was the life I signed up for, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Epilogue: Ryker
We were all gathered at the clubhouse, and everyone was glancing around the room eager to hear what Lucifer had to say. We all got a little antsy whenever we had to attend one of these meetings because we never knew if we were about to be presented with good news, or if we would have to jump into protection mode again.
This time, I knew it was different. I stood at the front of the living room with Anna by my side right as Lucifer began to speak.
“Thank you all for joining me here today. I want to start off by saying that thanks to the tremendous efforts of these two right here, we’re in the clear from the cops. I imagine it will stay like that for some time. I’d like you all to officially meet Anna, the woman behind getting Ryker’s charges dropped, and saving all of our asses,” Lucifer said, and every member of the Black Souls clapped.
“It’s nothing really. I just wanted to do what’s right,” she said, but Lucifer shook his head.
This time I agreed with him. She couldn’t be humble about this, it was an accomplishment that I never expected, watching her gather evidence and take down the chief for his unlawful behavior.
“No, this is something that I’ve never seen before as president of the Black Souls, and I’d like to offer you honorary membership into the club because of everything that you’ve done to protect us all. Will you accept?” he asked. All eyes were turned to her in that moment.
“Yes, I do,” she said.
Everyone cheered. I saw the large grin on her face, and I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her smile that brightly. It warmed my heart to know that she felt like she had a place here, and that she knew that we would always be looking out for her.
“Well, after everything you’ve done for us, I believe it’s time we give you a nickname. How does the Pacifier sound? You shut the chief down, got the mayor involved, and made sure a majority of the Hell Riders got arrested for what they had done. That deserves proper recognition,” he said.
I couldn’t have agreed more. Anna was a force to be reckoned with, and I wanted everyone around us to know that she was here to stay.
“I love it.”
I squeezed her hand tightly, bringing her in closer to me as we both stared out at the rest of the club members. This was just the beginning of the rest of our lives, and we still had so much left to uncover. Now that I had Anna by my side, we would get the job done.
The Black Souls now had another line of defense thanks to her, and I’d never been more proud. I wrapped my arms around her, while everyone raised a glass to us, and I pressed my lips up against hers.
We planned on enjoying this for as long as possible. The minute the celebration was over, we would be right back to the drawing board trying to figure out how to deal with the remaining Hell Riders. We had to make sure that they didn’t regain power before we had a chance to uncover the mole.
Anna could sense that there were still so many questions flitting around inside my mind, but before she had the chance to say anything, I needed to let her know we had to focus on enjoying the ride.
“We’ll deal with the rest of it tomorrow. Right now, I want you to enjoy this. It’s not often that one of us gets acquitted for a crime, guilty or not. I’m indebted to you, and I want you to know that if you’d like to leave this all behind, I’d understand. I want you to have the life you’ve always wanted, especially after you gave me a second shot at my own.” I searched her expression, but she just shook her head.
“There is no place I’d rather be than right here with you. That’s where I plan to stay, and I know we’re going to kick ass together. I can already feel it. Whatever’s left that we have to deal with, I know that we’ll get it done. We always do. Do you trust me?” She asked, teasingly.
“Always have, always will.”
Ryker: MC Romance Page 15