Page 68 of Anchor

She smiles sadly and admits, “Hannah saved me before she ran herself. She was safe the last time I checked. She gave me as much money as she could, but I ran out and ended up here.”

“Who hurt you, Aurora? Was it a brother?” I demand to know, my heart pounding. The urge to run and get my husband is hard.

She sighs. “I can’t tell you because I won’t have you hurt, and I don’t want the club involved. I just want to start fresh. Please,Heaven, please walk out of here and pretend you never saw me. I know it’s a lot to ask for, but please….”

My bottom lip trembles at seeing this beautiful nineteen-year-old acting wiser than her years, but the fear in her eyes, the fear of everyone knowing where she is, makes me do what I do next.

I lean forward and kiss her cheek before leaving the bathroom. Her rasp, “Please, Heaven,” just hits my ears as the door closes, but I ignore it and go to the guy behind the counter. My eyes go to the window, and I see the bikes now getting filled, and I know I don’t have much time.

“Hi,” I say, and he narrows his brown eyes. I ignore his reaction and eye the window again before asking, “You do cash withdrawals here, right?" He frowns but nods, and I say, “Great, what is the largest amount?”

“The owner just upped it to $3,000 per customer, with a 2% charge, after bikers kept requesting cash.”

I swallow hard and grab my phone. Without giving it a second thought, I open the case and pull out the card I’ve been using to save Travis’s money for Micha. I hand it to the man, stating, "Can I have three thousand, please?”

He slowly takes my card, and I eye the window again to see the men shooting the shit as Travis now fills his bike, and I whisper, “Hurry, please, it’s for Aurora.”

His eyes widen, and he nods, swiping my card. A receipt prints, and I sign it before he hands over a stack of bills from a safe under the counter. I mutter, “Thank you,” and he nods as I turn and rush back to the bathroom.

Aurora freezes as I open the door but frowns when she sees it’s only me. Her eyes soon widen when I hold out the stack of bills.

“This is all I could get out for you; it’s three thousand dollars,” I rasp, and her tears fall.

“I can’t accept that,” she says.

I snort. “You can, and you will. Take the money, Rory, please.”

Slowly, she takes the money from me before she grabs me in a hug, and I sob. “We miss you, Rory."

She holds me tighter, whispering, “I miss you all, too, but I have to do this….”

I nod and pull back, wiping my tears, and she nods to the cut. “It suits you.” I chew my bottom lip, her eyes softening at my hesitation. She reminds me, “He loves you, Heaven, he always has, and I know what he did was shitty, but you have made him work for it for ten years, and not being able to move on shows how much you still love him.” Her eyes race between mine. “Don’t lose your forever love because of a stupid mistake he made years ago when he’s trying to be the man you deserve now. Cherish what you have, and live a happy life, live a life I dreamed of for yourself and your son, because I’m telling you now, I wish I had a Travis in my life, to love and protect me the way he has you….”

My tears fall, and I quickly grab her in a tight hug, wishing I could drag her back with me, but knowing something happened to her and she needs to leave.

“Heaven, we’re leaving. Are you ready?” I hear John shout, and I quickly pull back from Aurora, kiss her cheek, and mutter,“My number is still the same…. Please, I’m begging you, keep in contact.”

She nods and kisses my cheek, and I take one last look at her before I turn and rush out of the bathroom. I run past John but dodge his eyes, quickly making eye contact with the guy behind the counter, who nods.

When I get outside, I lock eyes with Travis, who frowns at my tears. Without a word, I take off in a run toward him, causing the brothers to pause in confusion and concern, but I don’t take any notice of any of them as I throw myself into my husband’s arms.

He catches me with ease as I wrap my legs around his waist, and he gasps, “Fuck, Angel what happened? Who do I need to kill?”

I shake my head, put my face into his neck, and whisper, “I love you, Travis."

He holds me tighter and mutters, “I love you, too, Heaven.”

I don’t know what the future holds for me and him, but what I do know is that I love him. Aurora’s fear and pain consume me, knowing she wishes she had a Travis in her life. I know I can’t take it for granted. I need to try and move past our history, and look to our future, because a future without him is no future at all.

28

Anchor – Two Weeks Later

“You're so gentle with me,” Amy rasps above me. I nod nonchalantly, ignoring her eyes as I gently move my ink gun along the skin on her upper inner thigh.

She’s been sitting here for twenty minutes, and so far, she hasn’t shut the fuck up, continuously trying to get my attention, has been since she walked into the fucking shop, not taking the fucking hint when I don’t talk back. My mind is on my wife like it is always.

We’ve been back from Texas for a week, and I must admit, being away, just her and I on the open road, was more than amazing. We grew closer, and she was open with me. The pain in her eyes was gone, she laughed with the Devils MC, especially with Tech, due to the fact they had already met…and our nights—fuck me.

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