Page 119 of Love and Memories

“No one has ever loved me unconditionally,” Travis said low.

“Oh, but Bella does,” Matt confirmed. “Don’t worry. That woman isn’t going anywhere.”

As if she could hear Travis and Matt talking about her, Bella looked up, locking gazes with Travis.

“I think it’s safe to say she’s–”

“The one,” Travis whispered so Bella wouldn’t hear. “She’s it for me.”

“If I only give you one piece of advice, let it be this one: don’t let her get away. I made that mistake with Tammy, and I missed out on thirty years with her.”

Travis glanced at Matt. “I didn’t know that. I kind of assumed the two of you had been married for decades.”

Matt shook his head. “Actually, I had this same talk with Gage after what happened at the bluff last year.”

Travis had been there when Hadley was taken. Rome Wilson hadn’t been happy that Gage left the family business and gave up running firearms and moonshine. Rome’s livelihood, and Gage’s up until then, had been a careful partnership of theft, trade, and sale of contraband.

Travis had been the one to pronounce Rome dead after Gage pushed him off a cliff. He’d been defending himself, and he hadn’t had a choice.

The conversations Travis and Gage had after that happened could be reversed now. Travis was in the same shoes his friend had been in less than a year ago.

Matt exhaled a long breath. “I know what you’re going through too, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Travis looked at Matt. “You killed someone?”

“Accidentally. So I guess that isn’t quite the same, but I still felt all the guilt, even though I didn’t do it on purpose and I couldn’t have prevented it.” Matt lifted his chin to look at Travis. “You did what you had to do to keep her safe, and that’s one thing you’ll never regret. Remember what you still have.”

A second later, there was a knock on the door, and Asa Scott peeked into the room.

“Come in,” Bella said, slowly craning her neck to see who was coming in.

The bruises that circled her neck were going to be a hot topic in Travis’s nightmares for a while.

Asa stood at the foot of Bella’s bed and propped his hands on the rail. “Boy, am I happy to see you.”

Bella’s eyes pinged in all directions, assessing Asa for danger. “Am I going to be happy to see you?” she asked.

Asa laughed. “You sure are. Once we found out the VP and enforcer of the Iron Fist were here, Omaha law enforcement took the opportunity to raid the club. They arrested almosteveryone and found enough evidence to back up Bella’s testimonies as well as rack up a ton of other charges.”

Travis stepped up beside Asa. “What do you mean by almost everyone?”

“There were other women being held there. Last I heard, there were fifteen who were being questioned.”

“What’s going to happen to them?” Bella asked.

“Your identity will be kept confidential. You don’t have to worry about that for now.”

“No, I mean the women,” Bella said.

Of course she would be thinking of the survivors. She’d told Travis a little bit about the other women at the club. She hadn’t been friends with most of them because they’d each been looking out for themselves.

No wonder Bella hadn’t understood friendship when everyone in Blackwater tried to help her.

“They’ll be directed to safe houses or women's shelters. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens more than we like.”

Bella’s gaze locked with Travis, and he moved to her side. Her hand shook as he grasped it in his. “So, it’s over?” she asked.

“Getting close,” Asa said.

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