Page 20 of Sean Collins

I feel Anton’s respect towards the club and me. “What happens to the mob now that Mikhail’s is dead?”

“I would now be a kingpin as Mikhail’s second-in-command. When I die, it will be thrown into chaos, so you should watch your back. I don’t say this so that you will spare my life – I know that nothing will do that. But some will come after you for vengeance.”

I sigh inwardly. I’m tired of the war and the fighting; I just want to live a simple life and watch our legal business grow. However, it appears that we will never be completely out of the game, no matter what we do.

I turn to Elora. “What do you want to do? This is your show, Elora. Say the word, and Torque will end his miserable life.”

She walks in front of Anton. “If I let you live, will you promise to leave me alone, not follow me, or come after the Steel Kings ever again?”

Anton nods. “I know you have no reason to believe me, but my word is the only thing I have in this business. I will honor the deal to leave the Steel Kings alone and never set foot in Truth and Consequences again. I also swear to leave you alone, Elora.”

“Do you think you can keep your men in line?” I ask. “As you said, some people will want to avenge Mikhail.”

Anton’s smile is frightening as he looks up at me. “They will follow me. I garner trust and fear in my men, and I can give you my word that any move in your direction will be dealt with ruthlessly.”

I look over at Elora. “Alright, what do you want to do, sweetheart?”

She stares at Anton for a long time. “Justice has been served; my parents’ killer is dead. If we kill Anton, we are no different from Mikhail. If he holds up his end of the bargain, we let him live.”

I nod, and Torque lowers the gun.

Anton stands up. “Allow me to escort you out,” he says as if he is our gracious host, and we have only come over for drinks and dinner.

I nod, moving towards Elora and taking her in my arms. She wraps one arm around me as tears stream down her face silently. I can feel her shaking from the aftermath of her ordeal. It will take some time for Elora to get her head around what has happened here tonight. Not only has she avenged her parents, but her sole purpose for living is also gone. She needs to decide on what she wants the rest of her life to look like now. I can only hope that it involves having me in her life, whatever her decision is.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Elora

The last three months have been emotional as I reel in from what happened at the Russian compound. After losing my purpose and learning the truth about my parent’s death, I thought I would be empty. I held onto my anger for so long that I was afraid I would be nothing without it.

Indeed, I would have been if it wasn’t for S.C. He has turned my life upside down in the best way possible. Truth and Consequences has become my home, and I hadn’t left since that fateful day when I rolled into town to sneak up on Steel Kings. Now, that biker gang is my family.

If you had asked me six months ago if I would ever be head over heels for a biker and be an integral part of his gang, I would have laughed you off the face of the planet. Now, that is my life. Once things cleared up and the club knew that I returned the things I had stolen and why I did what I did, they opened their arms wide for me. Getting closure for my old family led to my new one, and I couldn’t be happier.

I am still working on what I want to do with my time while helping S.C. run various businesses that the club owns. They have their fingers in all sorts of legitimate pies, and it has been fun learning all about them.

When we left the Russian compound that night, S.C. asked me if I wanted to move in with him. It was a big step, and I wanted to be on my own for a while and learn what it was like to be in a permanent place. I let my team go with generous bonuses; to my delight, S.C. offered them a job. They will be monitoring any threat that might come our way, Russian or otherwise. Nevertheless, I am always with S.C., so it seems silly to keep two houses.

Today is the day that I tell him I want to move in permanently. In a twist of fate, I am meeting him at Brenda’s coffee shop again. It’s the same place where he asked me to dinner for the first time. It feels good to start our lives here together.

I grin, thinking back to how things were then. We were always snarking at each other; the tension was palpable between us. I trusted S.C. even back then, and every time I saw him, I felt the walls around my heart shake. Now, he has busted through those walls, and S.C. owns my heart. There is no other place I would rather be than here in Truth and Consequences with him.

I reach the little coffee shop. It is a short walk from the little cottage that S.C. got for me. The bell rings as I walk in, and I wave at the girl manning the counter.

“Hey, Elora. Your usual?” she asks.

I grin and nod. There is something special about being in one place long enough to be recognized and for the people to know what you usually order. As I look around, I realize that S.C. is already in the coffee shop, watching me interact with the waitress. He grins at me, his arm draped across the booth behind him.

I slide into the booth next to him just as Brenda personally hands me my drink and winks. I smile at her gratefully and enjoy my coffee.

“This place takes me back,” S.C. says, sipping coffee from his own mug.

“Yes, I feel the same way. This is where our love story started, so it is a fitting place for another milestone in our relationship. What do you say, my dear? Do you have room for another dresser in your house?”

S.C. frowns at me, confused for a moment at the question. Then, realization dawns on his face, and he grins again. “Do you really mean it? You are ready to move in?” he asks eagerly.

I nod, giggling and blushing. S.C. jumps out of the booth, pulling me to my feet and twirling me around before planting a kiss on my lips. “I can’t wait to have you in my bed all the time,” he utters.

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