Page 61 of T-Bone
“Chloe,” Faith said gently, stroking her sister’s hair.
“I was washing the dishes, and he snuck up on me, leaving me completely defenseless. I was sure I would die that night but then I saw the kitchen knife and I- I did what I had to do.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “He wasn’t dead, not at first but then Victor showed up, all smiles saying he was ready to help discipline me. He saw Marcus and lunged atme. I held my knife tight and then I, w- well, and then I finished them off. I had to Faith. I had to.”
Faith shushed Chloe and stroked her hair. “You did what you had to survive, Chloe. I know it’s not what you wanted but you’re here. You lived.”
“You don’t hate me?” she looked up. “T-Bone said you weren’t a cop any longer.”
I nodded. “That was my choice. I couldn’t leave Gemma out there thinking no one cared about her.” They hugged again, smiling and crying the way women did sometimes. “I just can’t believe you’re here.” She let out a watery laugh. “This is unbelievable!” She turned to look at me, smiling wide with love shining in her eyes.
“Your man came through, despite me acting like a crazy person wielding a bat.” Just like that the tears turned to laughter, and it was almost as if three years hadn’t passed. “He’s a keeper.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “He really is.”
I chose to join them at that moment, handing Gemma off to Peyton so she could go play with the other kids while we had a few adult conversations. I sat and wrapped an arm around Faith, kissing the top of her head in a move that felt like I’d been doing it for decades.
“You were really bad last night,” Chloe whispered. “Are you okay? Are you safe?”
Faith’s head fell forward. “I’m fine. A little banged up but nothing some rest and antibiotics won’t cure.” She looked at Chloe and then me, and then Diesel, Rocky, Maverick, Sniper, Gio and the rest of the guys who joined us. “As for safe, that’s unknown. The president of the Ghost Riders is dead.”
“Are you sure,” she asked frantically. “He thought of Marcus and Victor as brothers and they have a code—”
“I know,” Faith said, cutting her off. “He’s dead Chloe, I killed him myself.” She looked around at my brothers once more. “I really didn’t want to, but they left me no choice.”
“You chose well,” Diesel confirmed.
Faith nodded. “Maybe so, but once they realize what’s happened, they’ll come after me and your MC.” The regret in her eyes nearly unraveled me.
“It had to be done,” Diesel promised her. “We’ve got your back.”
She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that. You have wives and children.”
“You’re family now,” Gio said with a smile. “You’re kind of stuck with us now.”
“I can’t,” she began again.
I gave her a squeeze, drawing her attention from my brothers to me. “Faith, you can. You will. You had my back when it counted and that shit means something to us. We fight for each other around here.” I leaned closer.
“But their families.”
“This is our family, Faith. Your family now too.”
She blinked as tears filled her eyes. “Thank you for giving me my family back and a whole lot more.” She brushed a soft kiss to my lips. “I love you.”
“I know and I love you.”
She swallowed tight and watched me carefully. “For how long?”
“For as long as you’ll fuckin’ have me, Faith.”
Her smile came in big and bright. “I think forever is a pretty good start. Think you can handle it?”
“Hell, yeah. I’ll see you one lifetime and raise you another.” The smile she hit me with was brilliant and bright, and filled with so much love I felt my entire body heat up. I knew I’d do whatever it took to protect her, to keep her safe, to love her until I took my last fucking breath.
Epilogue
Faith
Four Months Later
