Page 40 of Midnight Rebel

I don’t leave her side, not even when the cops try to separate us for questioning.

As the first light of dawn breaks over The Manor grounds, bringing with it the promise of a fresh start, we finally have a moment alone.

We sit on the front steps, Autumn leaning against me, my arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

“What happens now?” she asks softly.

I press a kiss to her temple. “Now, we rebuild. We expose the developers and clear The Manor’s name. And you,” I add witha small smile, “write the story that blows this whole thing wide open.”

Autumn sits up straighter, a familiar spark of determination in her eyes. “The article. God, Colt, this is huge. The corruption, the sabotage—people need to hear the truth.”

I nod, a surge of pride welling up in me. “And you’ll tell them, Firefly. Just... maybe wait a day or two before you start digging into any more dangerous conspiracies, yeah?”

She laughs, the sound chasing away the last of the night’s shadows. “Deal. But only if you promise to be there to pull me out of trouble next time.”

“Always,” I vow, pulling her close. “You’re stuck with me now, Autumn Clarke. Whether you like it or not.”

As the sun bathes the Manor in a warm glow, I feel a sense of hope. We’ve weathered the storm, uncovered the truth, and come out stronger on the other side.

Autumn snuggles closer, her warmth a comfort against the morning chill. “You know,” she murmurs, “for a scary biker guy, you make a pretty good hero.”

Autumn chuckles softly. “Though I have to say, ‘Ghost’ makes a lot more sense now than it did at the masquerade.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How’s that?”

“Well,” she says, tilting her head to look up at me, “you have this uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere when I need you most. At the ball, in the garden, and now...” She gestures around us. “It’s like you materialize out of thin air.”

I smirk, tightening my arm around her. “Maybe you’re not paying attention.”

“Oh, I’m paying attention alright,” she retorts with a grin. “More than you know, Ghost.”

I chuckle, pressing another kiss to her hair. “Don’t let it get around. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, watching as the world slowly wakes up around us.

The Manor stands tall and proud, battered but unbroken. Like us, I think. A little worse for wear, but still standing.

The distant rumble of motorcycles signals the MC’s return from patrol. Soon we’ll face the inevitable—questions that need answers, plans that need making, and the messy aftermath of Frank’s betrayal. But something else gnaws at me, something worse.

My mother. Margaret. Just thinking about her makes my chest constrict.

“We need to tell your mother,” Autumn says softly, breaking the silence between us. “About Frank?—”

I glance down at her, tension knotting my shoulders. “It’s going to devastate her.”

“Yeah.” Autumn’s face softens with concern. “She trusted him. You all did.”

“We’ll soften the blow,” I assure her, tightening my arm around her shoulders.

“We need to help her see that it wasn’t her fault,” Autumn says, leaning in.

For a moment, we sit in silence again. The weight of everything that’s happened settles over us, but there’s something else, too.

An undercurrent of emotion that’s been building since this whole mess began. I can’t hold it back anymore.

“Autumn,” I say, my voice low and intense. I turn to face her fully, my heart pounding. “I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes widen, a hint of nervousness in her gaze. “What is it?”

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