Page 83 of Darkness

To force me out of the shadows.

And with this last brick, I step into the light with her.

With the last brick in the wall, locking Andrés in, and my trafficking past behind me, I now know the error of my ways. Even though I wasn’t technically selling the women Andrés was trafficking, I was still playing a role in their story, enabling it to happen. I won’t be a part of it anymore. No fucking way. I now get why my brothers and other chapters were against what we were doing.

Eva scrapes on the mortar, ensuring any gaps are filled, then uses the trowel to scrape off the excess. She’s so fucking sexy in her movements I have trouble focusing on Andrés screaming behind the wall.

All I see is Eva.

She’s all I need.

I reach out and grab Eva, pulling her to me. My fingers wrap into her hair in a tight fist, and I kiss the shit out of her. My tongue collides with hers as she whimpers in delight in my mouth. Her body presses flush against mine, my erection pressing into her.

A mischievous giggle echoes from beside us, but I don’t even care Void and Ivy are with us right now. I need my woman to comprehend that what she did for me in here was the single sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

She has accepted all of me and, in doing so, has let a bit of darkness creep inside her soul.

My dark to her light.

We balance each other out.

And fuck, even knowing what’s coming my way, I think it’s all still worth it.

EVA

Nycto opening up to me and seeing all of his demons wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would scare me. I thought it would be something that might change the way I see him. What it did do was make me appreciate him even more. I understand his methods. Bricking assholes up behind the wall, locking them into eternal darkness, stems from his childhood abuse. I get that, but if these assholes behind the walls are bastards like Andrés, then they deserve it. And for sure, the first assholes he ever put behind those walls were the boys who had tortured him. There’s no doubt in my mind. I don’t even need to ask Nycto about it.

I one hundred percent guarantee this method of torture started with them.

I’m glad those boys were locked behind a wall and found their last days trapped in endless darkness like they made Nycto endure as a child. Did they deserve to die for their sins? Maybe not. But I am glad they did because they tormented him. Broke him. Then again, he wouldn’t be the man I’ve grown to adore without what he lived through.

We’re sitting in the main room, Trixie trying out her new menu on all of us. It’s a celebration feast for me finally being home from Nerve’s clinic and well again. Well, as recovered as I can be after being shot. Many of the brothers are recuperating from their injuries too. Minor bullet or stab wounds mostly, but everyone is on the mend, fixed by Nerve and the staff at his clinic, and the club covered all costs. Except for Crow, Spite, and Freya, that is. Descanse en paz.

The clubhouse is now fully refurbished, and Andrés has been dealt with, so things can get back to normal. Everyone is having a great time, and the party is in full swing.

I’m sitting on Nycto’s lap while everyone chats, celebrating together. With Andrés gone, Nycto thinks it’s safe for Ivy and me to have a little more freedom, though it sounds like Andrés was yet another middleman. Hopefully, we can live our lives in peace now and never have to find out who was going to buy us. And I couldn’t be happier.

The night Ivy and I were taken, I was terrified. I thought my life was ending, but in truth, it was only just beginning. Honestly, I had no idea Ivy and I had this darker side, but with all we’ve been through, it’s no wonder. I don’t see it as a downside. They are scars and war wounds, a strength, and I wear them as a badge of honor.

Nycto isn’t perfect. Hell, he’s as broken as I am, but I’m starting to see pieces of him being mended.

He’s healing me too.

Nycto taps my leg, gesturing for me to jump off, so I do, and he stands. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make…” The talking ceases. “I want to thank Eva and Ivy for coming into our lives. Without them, a lot of shit around this club would have continued down the same path. You’ve changed Tampa Defiance, and I know all our brother chapters would agree we were headed down a dark road. The way we earned our money was easy, but it was wrong. It took meeting you, Eva, to see that. Fuck, am I glad I met you that night.” He grips my hand. “I never… fuck… ever thought I’d be the type of biker to do this…” He signals to Trixie, and she walks out with a cut, displaying it for everyone then handing it to Nycto. It’s proudly displays the club patches, and on the back, Property of Nycto, Club President, Tampa.

“Eva, I’m claiming you as my Old Lady. You’ll wear this property patch as a symbol to every other fucker out there… you belong to me. You’re my woman. Mine only.” I gnaw down on my bottom lip. Excitement surges through me as he runs his thumb over the back of my hand. “You good with that?”

Ever the romantic.

“Yeah, Nycto, I’m real good with that.”

Relief washes over his face as he winks at me. Cocky bastard. He holds the cut out, so I move in, looping my arms through with ease. The texture of the leather against my shoulders feels like it should have always been there.

Like I’m finally home.

The brothers and club girls cheer and stomp their feet as he pulls me into him, kissing me with everything he has. I wrap my arms around him, my fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck. We continue to kiss in the middle of his clubroom, with everyone watching. I guess I need to get used to being the center of attention now I’m the First Lady in town.

Suddenly, the front doors open wide, making Nycto pull back from me dramatically.

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