Page 62 of Providence

I grinned so wide. “I will tell you I love you, both of you,” my eyes flicked to Sera and Madoc in the backseat. “All of you, every day for the rest of my life. Because you mean so damn much to me.”

Sammie sniffed, and nodded. “Love you too. Where are we going?”

I squeezed Cara’s shoulder as she climbed back into the back of the car. “On a vacation for a little while. Lots of wilderness and trees to climb. It’ll be fun,” Sera said, smiling reassuringly.

Cara clipped herself back in. “No bad men?”

I shook my head. “Never again, Baby. I swear.”

It was a promise I intended to keep.

35

Judas - Six Months Later

Isat in my office, back at the Damnation Clubhouse, but it wasn’t the same. I felt nothing for this room, this big mahogany desk, the chair that I’d sat in so often in was perfectly molded to my ass. I did feel something for the people standing in front of me though, my Brothers, the Horsemen, Trigger, Bear and Goose. With them, like always, was the silent shadow of London, the kid we’d rescued from the Cartel. I still didn’t know if it was his real name, or if Trig and the guys had named him, but that was what he answered to now. He’d bulked up, no longer skeletal and weak, and he stood tall behind them. But he still flinched at quick movements. And whistling almost sent him catatonic. Whatever the fuck had happened to him, it had screwed him up greatly, but the guys had been with him, slowly coaching him back to life, and I was proud as fuck of them.

“Are you sure, Pres? It's okay if you change your mind. No one outside this room knows, and we sure as shit won’t say a word,” Trigger said for the fifteenth time. I couldn’t be more sure.

I nodded. “It’s time, Trig. We knew it was coming. I’ve prepared you best I can. Now it's up to you to let it rise or fall.” A brief flash of panic flitted over Trigger’s face, but he squashed it down. Good. The men loved Trigger, but they’d need a firm hand. Any show of fear and weakness, and they’d walk all over him. “Are you sure you are ready?”

We were doing him dirty, really, dropping this shit in his lap. All four of the leaders of an MC leaving at once? Unheard of outside of a drive-by or prison. But we needed to go, and we’d only go down together. We were Horsemen. Brothers. More than this Club could ever hope to be.

Trigger nodded, determined. The three of them were close enough now, all living in the one house. Bear and Goose were already family, but now Trigger watched their backs and they all cared for London. They were a tight unit, and they’d be fine. At least that’s what I told myself.

“I’m ready. I’m going to miss you guys though,” Trig said softly, and I gave him a lopsided grin. Trigger was more than a brother to us. We loved him, each and every one of us. He was family. But this Club was his family too, and I wouldn’t leave it in anyone else's hands.

“We aren’t dying, Trig. You can come and visit. Black Mountain isn’t that far away.”

Bear grinned and nodded. Bear and Goose had owned the little cabin we’d hid out in for a few months, and we’d offered him a shit load of money to buy it from him, which he was happy to accept. Black Mountain had its quirks, like the fact it was fucking swarming with goddamn shifters. But it was quiet, the kids were happy there, and we could disappear into a world where people minded their own business and no one would notice if the majority of us never aged a day.

We couldn’t ask for much more than that, and after a rather tense conversation with a fucking Lion Alpha and a Bear Alpha, we’d made it a home.

Trigger huffed, passing over a bulging yellow envelope to Solomon. “Fine. Everything is in there. Owen says he’s wiped you from all the databases. You no longer exist, any of you. Madoc has a birth certificate, and he triple checked that Marco was listed as Cara and Sammie’s biological parent.”

“Owen?” I said, raising an eyebrow. He must be the magical, mystery hacker that Trigger always kept under wraps.

Trigger rolled his eyes. “Yes, Owen.”

I stepped around the desk and did something that I could only do in the privacy of this office. I pulled Trigger in for a hug. I slapped him on the back. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Trig. You are going to be a great President. These guys will have your back. Trust your gut. Make Shots Secretary, he’s too old for grunt work but not too old to smash heads together. Plus he’s good with numbers, just not as good as you.”

Trigger pulled away, slamming his hand onto my shoulder. “Fuck off before you make me cry, asshole.”

With a grin, we walked into my last Church as Pres. Cain caught my eye and nodded, though I didn’t miss the sadness in them either. We’d be giving up so much of our life, but it was worth it. She was worth it. Fuck, they were worth it. Our family, the weird, unorthodox blend that it was.

The only person who seemed to be happy to give it all up was Goliath. He might have enjoyed the violence that being the Club’s enforcer allowed, but he enjoyed making love to Sera more. They stepped aside so I could walk into the room first, the laughter of my brothers stopping. When I walked out of this room again, I’d just be a civilian. A civilian who’d finally met the love of his life.

I had no regrets.

We pulledup in front of Pestilence Tattoos, I noted that Marco’s car was already there. This was the last piece of our life that was left to dismantle. Cain looked sad as he walked through the front doors, the bell tinkling. He was going to start tattooing up at Black Mountain, and after talking with Bear, had some ideas about creating shifter permanent tattoos. Apparently it was something they struggled with between shifts. It would guarantee us income, not that we hurt for money. We could live comfortably doing nothing other than playing naked croquet and making love to our woman for the rest of our lives. But Cain loved his art, and if he made money doing it, then everyone was happy, right?

Serendipity and Marco were clearing out the apartment upstairs, but Cain would pack up his gear. He was as protective of his tattoo gun as Goliath was of his damn switchblade. All the flash folders had been boxed up, the walls bare as well. All that was really left was the chair and his gun and inks.

Serendipity sashayed out of the back room, her smiling eyes on Madoc as he crawled and flapped his way along the floor. He was a chubby little thing, which I was glad about. Sometimes when he flapped his wings, I was worried he’d actually fly. You know what's scarier than a flying infant? Literally nothing. Not Lucifer. Not drug running Cartels. Nothing. I shuddered at the idea, but smiled as I walked over, scooping up my smiling son. “You raising hell, Kid?” I cooed, kissing his chubby cheeks as he gurgled. God. I loved him. Loved them both.

As Sammie and Cara thundered down the stairs, fighting about something, I grinned. Nah, I loved them all. I’d lay down my life for every single one of them. “Judas! Sammie said that I couldn’t have a tattoo because I was a girl! You tell him that girls can have tattoos.” She stomped her foot, and I worked hard not to laugh.

“Cara girl, you can do or be anything you want, because I pity the man who tries to tell you no,” I teased.

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