Page 28 of Savage Possession
“Thank fuck,” Venom mutters, shoving one gun back into his holster, though the other stays trained. He’s too jaded to trust any man fully, and God bless him for it.
“No kidding,” I breathe, scrubbing a hand down my jaw. “Last thing I wanted was to kill her old man right in front of her.”
Reaper meets that with a single sharp nod. I guess we both didn’t want that to happen, but we all understand how close it came.
When Isa finally untangles from Fontaine’s arms, she walks to me, eyes watery but bright as the summer sky. Tears wet the front of her shirt and mud streaks across the top of her boots. She’s so small compared to me—but fuck, she’s made of steel stronger than any brother I’ve ever ridden with.
“He says he’ll talk,” she says, voice steadier now, “but he needs protection. If you can offer that, he says he has the information you want.” She looks at each of us, holding our gazes. “Will you do that for him? For me.”
“Deal.” Reaper lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Isa looks at him like he’s the brother she never had. The warmth of it does something to my chest I can’t describe. She’s found a family here. My family.
For the next half hour, Fontaine spills it all. The operation. The “black curtains” shacks hidden across the bayou where product moves unseen. The chemists are people Grudge and the Russian have kidnapped and enslaved to cook Euphoria. The kitchens are constantly on the move, tucked inside cargo trailers owned by Fontaine that move on endless train routes. Piece by piece,the puzzle comes together. And with every word, I know we’re getting closer to cutting the head off the snake once and for all.
By late afternoon, we’re heading back to the Savage compound. The swamp air hangs thick, saturated with the smell of brine and rot. In the truck bed, Isa leans into me, her snow-white hair brushing my jaw, her freckles glowing faint beneath the fading sunlight. Venom drives, silent and sharp-eyed, while Reaper takes her father into Ares’ protection. We called in Storm with another truck and they took off in the direction of a private airport hanger we own in the city.
Isa breaks the quiet. “Where’s Reaper taking my father?”
I press a kiss to the crown of her head. “Ares offered to watch him. He’ll be safe. He can feed intel about his brother to Ares from the inside.”
She hesitates, her voice a fragile thread. “Will he really be safe?”
Bless her soft heart. I’m quickly learning her empathy for others is what makes her unique and another reason to love all of her. “As long as your father doesn’t try to kill anyone, Ares won’t end him. That’s the deal.”
“Sounds fair.”
I pull her tighter into my chest, my hand spanning most of her small back. She fits into me like she was always meant to. “Isa… you’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met. I love you.”
Her head lifts just enough for me to catch those blue eyes shining up at me, tears softening their glow. “And I love you. I never thought I’d find family, Ash. But I did. With you.”
I hold her the entire way home, the sound of cicadas and the low hum of the truck rolling steady beneath us, a promise in the darkbayou that for once—maybe—we’ve earned a bit of peace inside each other’s love.
After Venom drops us back at the cabin, we sit on the front porch just letting the evening settle our nerves. The bayou swallows up the taillights as Venom's truck disappears down the dirt track.
Isa curls close to my side on the porch swing. Her snow-white hair tangles in the evening breeze, her hand small and warm in mine. The shouts of bullfrogs and the murmur of the wind through cypress needles fill the darkness.
For the first time in years, a fragile peace settles in my bones. But peace is a liar’s promise in our world. That’s for damn sure. Darkness always circles back, and revenge is a beast that never sleeps. Grudge and demon crew still breathe, and the Savages just got the keys to tear his house down for good. Isa leans her temple to my shoulder, and I know for a fact that whatever vengeance tomorrow brings, family is worth fighting for and what matters most. And tonight, with her heartbeat thumping soft against my ribs, I let myself enjoy the peace while it lasts.
EPILOGUE
ONE WEEK LATER, ISA
The Broken Chapter glows like a moody jack-o’-lantern in the long Louisiana twilight, with orange lights and grinning skeletons wrapped around the front door.
Ash and I stroll along the cracked sidewalk taking in Arabelle’s love of the season with the abundance of cobwebs, fake black cats, and carved pumpkins everywhere. Ghost lanterns dangle from the eaves, bobbing gently with every rustle of wind that smells of moss, wood smoke, and cinnamon. I stand on the edge of it all, clutching Ash’s strong, callused hand and pretending my fingers aren’t shaking just a little.
Ash looks at me sideways, that gentle, dangerous grin reserved just for me. “Nervous, sweet angel?”
I adjust my boot on the loose board and take in the rows of motorcycles parked out front, the muffled thrumming coming from inside. I bite at my lower lip and confess. “Very. I’m not really good with people.”
Shouts, laughter, the scrape of chair legs filter through the bookstore’s front door and give off vibes of a big rowdy family waiting for one of their own to join them. My family now that Ash and I are an item. He proposed last night under a full sky of stars and I said yes through an embarrassing amount of tears.
“They’re your family. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Ash leans in and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“I’ve never met so many people at once—at least not people I want to impress.” I run my thumb over the edge of Ash’s biker cut. “You sure they’ll like me?”
Ash squeezes my hand, thumb tracing lazy circles over my knuckles. “They’ll love you, Isa. You’re already family, whether or not you believe it. Besides…” He leans in until his lips almost brush mine, his words a soft tease against my ear. “You survived me. The rest is a piece of cake.”
I huff a laugh, but my heart is beating out a nervous rhythm that muffles even the cicadas. But before I can talk myself out of going inside a whirlwind of warmth and happiness flies out the front door.
