Page 19 of Ruthless Sin

As Butcher starts his report, I catch Angel's eye across the table. She gives me a small smile that somehow manages to be both apologetic and defiant. I shake my head slightly but can't help smiling back.

This isn't how I imagined our first night together ending – planning a war in the Clubhouse with her father watching us like a hawk. But then again, nothing about us has ever been conventional.

"One more thing," Hellfire's voice draws everyone's attention back. "The Outlaws will be expecting us to hit back. They'll be watching, waiting. So we need to be smart about this. Calculated."

"Ruthless," he turns to me again, "I want a plan on my desk tomorrow. Something they won't see coming."

I nod, already forming ideas. "They'll expect us to go in guns blazing. We'll do the opposite. Silent, precise, devastating."

"Like the military op in Kandahar," Hellfire says, and we share a look of understanding. That mission had been brutal but effective.

"Exactly," I confirm. "They won't know what hit them until it's too late."

The meeting continues, but my mind is already racing with strategies, contingencies, and, above all, how to keep Angel safe while letting her fight her own battles.

Because this war? It just got a lot more complicated.

Epilogue – Angel

A Year and a Half Later.

The front door creaks as I push it open, and I immediately notice something's different. Rose petals create a path through our house – red and white, scattered across the hardwood floors we installed together six months ago.

My heart starts racing. After a year and a half together, I know Ruthless isn't typically the romantic gesture type. Our love shows in different ways – in how he always checks my bike before I ride, how he kisses my forehead when he thinks I'm sleeping, how he trusts me to have his back in club business.

Following the petals, I find him in our living room, pacing back and forth. He's still in his cut, his hair messy like he's been running his hands through it repeatedly. He hasn't even noticed me yet, which is a first – Ruthless always knows when someone enters a room.

"Baby?" I say softly.

He spins around, and for a moment, I see something I've never seen before in his eyes – uncertainty.

"Angel." He takes a deep breath. "You're home early."

"My talk with Dad ended sooner than expected." I step closer. "What's all this?"

Instead of answering, he closes the distance between us in three long strides. Before I can process what's happening, he's down on one knee, holding a small black box.

"Fuck," he mutters, "I had a whole speech planned."

I can't help but laugh, even as tears start forming in my eyes.

"Since when do we need speeches?"

He grins, some of his nervousness fading.

"Fair point." He opens the box, revealing a beautiful ring – vintage-looking, with a black diamond surrounded by smaller clear ones. "I love you, Angel. Have since before I should have, will until my last breath. Marry me?"

Simple. Direct. Perfect.

"Yes," I whisper, then louder, "Yes!"

He slides the ring onto my finger before standing and pulling me into his arms. The kiss is fierce, passionate, full of promise. When we finally break apart, we're both gasping.

"Did you ask my father?" I ask, though I already know the answer. Ruthless is old school that way.

He chuckles against my hair. "Yeah. Took some convincing, but Chloe helped. Think she's been working on him for months, actually."

"Really?"

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