Page 50 of Tick Tock, Boom!

“It’s Natalia. Natalia Ramirez.”

“Oh my God! Natalia! What a surprise! It’s so good to finally hear your voice.”

I couldn’t hel but smile at her reaction. “I was calling because I’m need of some help.”

“Oh? Ae you in trouble?”

“Yeah. And my Dad is dead. And I have nowhere else to go,” I broke down and word vomited.

She didn’t hesitate. She just told me she’d call me back in a few minutes. Those few minutes were the longest wait of my life as I sat on that bench along the waterside. I was about to give up when the phone lit up.

“Okay, there’s a member of the Hellbound Lovers heading your way. Where are you?”

“At the port.”

“I want you to walk to Decatur Street to the Cafe Du Monde. You wait for him there. His name is Gunner. He looks mean as fuck, but he’s a sweetheart. I promise he’ll bring you home to me.”

“I…I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just get here in one piece. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

As the call ended, i took a deep breath and headed to the Cafe. About an hour later a man walked in, cover in tattoos. I turned away as he scanned the room. I waited until he turned, and I was able to see his patch. The Hellbound Lovers angel wings were sewn into the back of his cut. I gave a deep sigh of relief as I walked up to him.

“Gunner?”

He turned to look at me and his eyes softened. “Natalia?”

I nodded. “You like hell.”

I had tears in my eyes, and he grabbed me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, squeezing lightly. “It’s alright. You’re safe now. Let me take you home. Scarlett’s waiting for you.”

“Where is home?” I asked quietly.

“L.A.” He smiled brightly, and my breathing became easier. Los Angeles, California. The farthest place I could think of to have gone to.

I didn’t know what I expected, maybe a room to sleep in for a few nights. What I got was something different entirely. Scarlett was the Old Lady of Wolf Stone, President of the Hellbound Lovers MC. A club just as fierce and just as known as the Royal Bastards, but it was different. Structured. Family-driven. They didn’t chase power for the sake of it, they protected their own with savage loyalty. And for some reason, they decided to protect me too.

Wolf wasn’t like any man I’d met before. Tall, dark, handsome in a brutal sort of way. His shoulders looked carved out of stone, his voice low and commanding, but it was his eyes that did it, dark with fury when needed, but soft when they landed on Scarlett or their children. He never once looked at me like I was trouble, never once treated me like the ticking time bomb I knew I was. He welcomed me into his world with a nod and a quiet promise: "You’re family now. We protect our own."

I stayed away from the club mostly. I had no place there. I wasn’t an Old Lady, wasn’t a sister to anyone, wasn’t anything but a ghost of what the Royal Bastards had spit out. Still, I’d catch glimpses of the men, inked-up members with wicked grins and dark eyes, hard bodies and harder hearts. They were dangerous, sure, but not like the Bastards. These men rode for family, and they had a safe haven for any and all travelers. They represented what the Bastards used to stand for.

And then, a few weeks after my escape, when I thought the nightmares might finally ease, I missed my period.

Scarlett noticed before I did. She hovered while I puked into the sink, her hands cool against my back, worry in her voice. A trip to the doctor confirmed it. I was pregnant.

I nearly broke then.A child? At twenty?

But Scarlett, fierce and unwavering, held me together when I was sure I’d fall apart. She helped me through the pregnancy, stayed by my side when I gave birth to a baby boy who had my eyes and his father’s jawline. I named him Gabriel. Like the angel who carried messages from heaven and protected those on the edge of war.

And that’s what he was. My angel. My salvation.

I never told Gabriel about his father. How could I? All I remembered was blood, fire, and silence. At first, I hoped. Maybe he’d come find me. Maybe he’d search every town, every state, until he stumbled across us and realized I’d survived. But months passed. Years. No word. Nothing.

So, I moved on. Built a quiet life. Asked Wolf to teach me how to handle a gun, he went a step ahead and taught me a few defense moves he'd taught Scarlett. Sparring with him became my therapy and he quietly understood that. I finished my nursing degree. Took care of my son. Had dinners with Scarlett and quiet conversations on the porch while the California sun burned down on our faces.

That’s where we were when the past came knocking.

Scarlett and I were sitting on the front porch of the deck of card house Wolf had bought them. We were sipping on wine while Gabriel played closeby with a toy motorcycle, his giggles rising above the chirping birds. She looked tired, a soft smile on her lips, her beautiful mess of hair pulled up in a loose bun.

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