Page 76 of Harper's Song

But it wouldn’t be the same without him in the audience.

That was always part of the dream, an integral part, and one of its most important pieces. There would be no songs without him.

But he’s a fugitive now and will always be. So I guess, it’s time for a new dream. And I know that one will be just as sweet as the first.

His heart starts beating faster and there’s a tension in his arms around me that wasn’t there a moment ago.

I lift my head and kiss his lips softly. “I mean it, Jax. There’s always a way and we’ll find it. Come on, you climbed through a second story window while on the edge of collapse just to save me from my psycho uncle. And before that you broke out of prison just in time to save me from another freak. Don’t even start thinking of doing some noble thing and releasing me yet again. I won’t have it this time. I won’t have none of it. We belong together.”

He grins and lays his hand against my cheek. “I will never make the mistake of leaving you again, Harper. You’re the only reason I’m still alive.”

I lean into his hand and finally release the breath I was holding. His clear green eyes told me his answer before he even spoke. Told me all about the depth of his love for me, his desire to be with me always.

“Ditto,” I say and then he pulls me down for another kiss, one of those slow and lasting ones that carry decades of love and devotion and even desire in them.

The door of the room flies open before I’m ready to stop riding that wave of love. I turn to see my father bursting in with Hawk on his heels.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Is someone else hurt?”

How quickly the sadness of that thought can erase most of the soft, happy love I was just floating on.

“No, but it’s time to take care of Jax,” my dad says in a hoarse voice. “He’s gonna have to die.”

My breath lodges in my throat like a brick. As I look from my father to Hawk and back at my father. Who has to audacity to grin at me and even laugh softly as though he didn’t just destroy me.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he says. “I’m tired. What I meant was, we have to make him dead and give him a new identity so that the two of you can have a future together.”

“We need his DNA and fingerprints and then one of the dead Renegades will take his place in the afterlife,” Hawk explains coming over to the bed.

“You can do that?” Jax asks as he sits up. “Just like that and I’m not a fugitive anymore?”

“A new name and a new identity and a guy in the ground who’s supposed to be you?” Hawk says while he gets a finger print kit from the bag he’s carrying. “It’s gonna take some work, but it’s a good thing they tortured you as much as they did. That’s gonna make our job now easier.”

He starts fingerprinting him carefully. “Your DNA is all over that room already and when they find a charred body to go with it, they won’t ask too many questions. We’ll have to get the feds involved, which is always a risk. But yeah, I think it will work. Gene claims he can hack even into the FBI database if push comes to shove, and I believe him. He’s quite a find.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you think so,” Jax says, grinning at me. “I figured he might be. I thought I’d introduce you two after we broke out of prison, but then everything went sideways. It’s good that you’re happy with him.”

“Open wide,” Hawk says and takes a DNA swab from the inside of Jax’s cheek. “And I’m more than just happy with him. I think maybe we finally found my replacement. Hell, he might even be better than me.”

“Why’d you have to scare me like that?” I ask my dad quietly as I move to stand beside him to give Hawk more room to collect his samples.

I’m fighting the urge to smack him on the chest, but he just wraps his arm around my shoulders and chuckles.

“This is what you want, right? Because otherwise I can still take care of him if you’d rather be free. Just say the word.”

“This is what I want, Daddy,” I tell him and hug him tight around the waist. “Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything, he did all the work saving you,” he says, nodding his head at Jax who is still asking Hawk questions about how this new identity thing will work. “I’m just glad I caught on in time to help him do it. From the moment he came to us all bloody and on the verge of passing out, all he talked about was going to find you. No care for his own injuries or the fact that he had a lot of shit to answer for to us. Just you. I can’t ask for more from a son-in-law, I really can’t. I’m just sorry I didn’t take care of Reggie before he could hurt you. That’s my biggest mistake and will always be my biggest regret.”

I hug him tighter still. “Don’t, Dad. It’s not your fault your brother was a psycho. I’m actually glad you let him live. Family is family.”

He kisses the top of my head. “It is. But just because you share blood doesn’t make a person your family.”

Hawk is already putting away all the samples and looks over at Scar. “I got it all. Let’s go. The faster we get all this done the better.”

Dad gives me another squeeze and then Jax and I are alone again. And all the happiness of what just happened is finally washing over me. Not just washing, but more like crashing against me like ten-foot ocean waves.

“I told you everything was going to work out,” I say as I rush into Jax’s open arms.

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