Page 75 of Hammer

“Well, that’s good news.Right?”She glanced at the boys, probably trying to determine how they felt about the news.“When did it happen?”

“Early this morning,” I replied.“Crimson Skulls territory.Our plan worked -- we forced the Minions north, and the Skulls were waiting.”

“You weren’t there?”The question came from Chase, surprising me.His expression was unreadable, somewhere between relief and disappointment.

“No,” I admitted.“It happened up north, and it was fast.The clubs worked together.Pushed the Minions exactly where we wanted them.Savior confirmed it.The Minions are scattered.Their national President is already signaling for peace.Piston’s vendetta died with him.”

Levi’s voice was small, uncertain.“Does that mean we’re safe now?”

“Yes,” I told him with absolute certainty.“It means you’re safe.”

“But what if some of his friends --” Chase began, ever the protector, always searching for the next threat.

“There’s no ‘what if’,” I interrupted, moving to stand beside him.I placed my hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension in his muscles.“Nobody’s coming after you again.Not ever.”

The finality in my tone seemed to reach him.Something shifted in his expression, a guard lowering fractionally.“You promise?”

In that moment, he wasn’t the tough teenager who’d been shouldering responsibility beyond his years.He was just a kid asking for reassurance from his father -- from me.The weight of that trust settled in my chest, heavy but welcome.

“I promise,” I said, squeezing his shoulder.“You, your brother, your mom -- you’re Williams now.Under my protection.Under the club’s protection.That means something in our world.”

I could clearly see the relief on Chase’s face.“We can stop running.”

The magnitude of what that meant for them -- for all of us -- hung in the air.No more looking over shoulders.No more worst-case scenarios.No more nightmares about Piston returning to reclaim what he considered his property.

“We can just… live,” Levi said quietly, wonder in his voice.

I nodded, taking in their faces, the one who had become the center of my world in such a short time.My family.My responsibility.Mine to protect, but now -- finally -- also mine to see flourish without the shadow of Piston’s threat hanging over us.

“Yeah,” I confirmed, the gruffness in my voice unable to hide the emotion behind it.“We can just live.”

* * *

The kitchen fell into a strange quiet as we all adjusted to the news.I watched Amelia move mechanically to the stove, rescuing pancakes that had nearly burned after Aura had run off saying she needed a bathroom break.My wife walked in right after I’d delivered the news, and she’d reacted about the same as the boys.

Chase returned to his book without really seeing the pages.Or so I assumed, since I doubted it took him ten minutes to read one page.Levi methodically arranged and rearranged the bacon strips on the plate, finding comfort in the simple task.It was the quiet after a storm -- relief mixed with disbelief, our minds still struggling to accept that the threat was truly gone.My phone buzzed again in my pocket, and for a moment I considered ignoring it.But old habits die hard in this life.I pulled it out, expecting Savior with more details about Piston, and instead found a text from Wire that made my stomach drop.

WRATH WANTS TO MEET HIS DAUGHTER AND GRANDSONS.HE’S REQUESTING A CALL ASAP.

I stared at the screen, reading the message three times as its implications settled into my bones like a winter chill.Wrath.Amelia’s father.For one, Wire had sent it in all caps.That was never a good sign.For another, I hadn’t expected Wrath to make a decision so quickly.The President of the Savage Knights who’d never known he had a daughter -- until we’d reached out to him for help against Piston.I’d never met the man personally, but his reputation stretched across state lines.A powerful President, respected, feared.The kind of man who took care of his own.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket, not ready to share its contents.The threat of Piston might be gone, but now another possibility loomed -- one I hadn’t fully considered when we’d contacted Wrath.What if Amelia and the boys preferred the protection of her biological father?What if they chose to leave Alabama behind for a fresh start in Nevada?

My chest tightened at the thought of the empty rooms they would leave behind.The silence in place of Levi’s quiet questions about engines.The absence of Chase’s reluctant half-smiles when I showed him something new on the bikes.The loss of Amelia’s warmth beside me in our bed.My life before them seemed like a faded photograph now -- recognizable but lacking color and substance.And despite the fact Reapers never divorced, I wouldn’t lock her down and force her to remain.We’d just be married and living in different states.

I watched Amelia set a plate of pancakes on the table, her movements steadier now, some of the shock wearing off.She caught my eye, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.Still processing.Still adjusting to a world without Piston’s shadow hanging over her.

And now I had to give her news that might change everything again.

But I wouldn’t hide it from her.That wasn’t what real partners did.And besides, it wasn’t my choice to make.It was hers.

“Boys,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.“Give your mom and me a minute.”

Levi glanced up, alarm flashing across his face until Amelia reached out to squeeze his shoulder.“It’s okay,” she assured him.“Just grown-up talk.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed with the suspicion that never fully left him.“Is it about Piston?Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“No,” I answered honestly.“Piston’s finished.This is something else.”I met his gaze directly, acknowledging the protective instinct we shared.“I’ll fill you in after I talk to your mom.Promise.”

---