Page 73 of Flyboy's Nightingale
“To be honest, I didn’t plan to kill him. I just wanted to say my piece and walk away. Leave it to you and the brothers to handle.” I take a shuddering breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “But when he kept talking and poking at me, I just snapped. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go on without knowing for sure that he was gone.”
“I told you it was all going to be handled. What did you think that meant?” The hurt in Flyboy’s voice shocks me.
“That’s just it, I didn't know what that meant. MCs make deals all the time. Things are done in the dark and it’s club business. I’ve never been a hundred percent sure that he would never return. In that very moment, I needed to know without a doubt that I’d never see that man, ever again,” I tell him, believing every word that I said.
“I only have two questions, answer them honestly and it’ll give you something to always go by when you doubt yourself.” His words give me pause. “First, do you regret what you did? Not the nurse you, or the woman who wants to save the world, but the girl you were and the woman who lived in true fear. Do you regret what you did?”
I think about what he’s asking, searching within myself to find the answer and only mildly shocked to find that I do not regret what I did for a second. If he wasn't hurting me, he was going to be hurting someone. If I can save anyone from that kind of pain, then I’d do it without any quarrels.
“Not a single second, do I regret what I did,” I state, completely certain.
“That’s my girl. Now, the second question is, can you live with what happened? With the stain that it’s going to leave on your soul? Taking a life isn’t something you can just walk away from and forget. But can you live with the fact that you’recapable of it?” This question takes me more time for me to ruminate over.
Can I live with what I did? Can I live with the knowledge that I’m capable of killing another person? Again, I’m back at the fact that this man has hurt so many people that I know hell is the place for him. I take account of my emotions and what I’m feeling, only to find that I still can’t believe that I did it, but less anxious about him finding me one day and dragging me back to that life. Is it going to be easy to live with the fact I can actually do this? No. Yet, I can live with the fact this man and my brother are no longer walking around free to hurt others.
“I can absolutely live with what I did. Will it be a struggle? Yes. What I know though, is that what I did was what needed to happen for myself and anyone else who they may have hurt or could hurt in the future,” I state, confident in what I’m saying.
“That’s my girl. Now, you get some sleep. I’ll be right here with you the entire time.” Flyboy kisses the top of my head as my eyes slide close.
“I love you, Riley. My brave, strong, gorgeous woman. Sleep now, and forever knowing I’ll always be here to fight everything that tries to hurt you during the night.” I swear I hear Flyboy say into my hair.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Flyboy
The phone vibratingon the bedside table is like ice picks to my brain. Reaching over, I silence the piece of shit before rolling over and pulling Riley tighter to my body. Just as I start to drift back to sleep, it starts up again. Riley grumbles, wiggling deeper into the covers. Sighing, because I know that whoever it is will continue to call until I pick it up, I roll back over and grab it.
“You better be calling to say it’s done,” I snarl into the phone.
“Well, aren’t you all sunshine and roses this fine morning. The pests have officially been dealt with and church starts in exactly ninety minutes. Attendance is mandatory,” Mouth Peace rambles, like he hasn’t been up for the last twenty plus hours.
Riley mumbles something in her sleep, rolling over to curve her body along mine. I use my free arm to pull her tighter to me, doing my best not to think about how good her breasts feel pressed into my side. I kiss the top of her head before acknowledging the pain in the ass on the other end of the phone.
“It’s not normal to be this chipper after everything you’ve been through in the last two days,” I whisper, trying my best not to wake the sleeping beauty at my side.
“Never once have I said that I was normal, brother. Now, make sure your ass is in church. That is now, only eighty-seven minutes and counting away,” the psycho conveys, way too happy for this hour.
“I hear you. I’ll be there,” I mutter, still trying to get my brain to fully come on line.
“Making him a brother has unlocked something inside that man,” Riley sighs, wiping her eyes.
“You have no fucking idea. I swear, it's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” I answer, running my hands up and down her back. “The way his brain works, makes me glad that he is on our side. Not to mention, I’m glad he took a liking to you.”
“What do you mean? Noah hasn’t taken a liking to me,” Riley scoffs before rolling away and stretching, pulling the sheet down to reveal her magnificent body.
“Damn, baby. That body was made to bring men to their knees.” I emphasize my declaration by rolling to kiss down her side and over her hip.
Riley laughs, swatting me away. “Stop it. We need to get ready and eat before church. I have a feeling that if you’re late, Noah will come find you. You wouldn’t want him to see me with no clothes on.”
Her words stop me in my tracks. “Dammit. Fine, let’s get ready and get you fed.”
I go to stand when Riley grabs my arm. “Flyboy, we still need to talk about the baby thing.”
I lean into her so there is no way she can misunderstand my words. “I don’t care. There are so many damn ways to have a kid. What matters most to me is having a strong, loving, and fiercewoman at my side. That’s what I have with you. There is nothing and no one that can ever measure up to you!”
I kiss her long, hard, and deep. “I love you, Riley. You’re my Nightingale and will forever be the one to make my life whole.”
