Page 39 of Hammer

“Ghost and Aura,” Atlas said, nodding as if this made perfect sense.“Your son and daughter.We didn’t forge their signatures -- they gave permission.”

That revelation hit like a sucker punch.Sam and Aura knew about this?Were part of it?The betrayal cut deeper than I wanted to admit.It wasn’t the first time I’d felt the sting of betrayal, but from my own kids?That fucking hurt.

“This isn’t a fucking game, kid,” I said, my voice dropping lower.“These are people’s lives.My life.Amelia’s life.”

“Exactly.”Atlas nodded, his expression earnest now.“Piston will kill her if he finds her.You know it, I know it, the whole club knows it.This gives her the best chance at staying safe.Now, if he comes for her -- no,whenhe comes for her -- you have a legal right to protect her and her sons.”

I turned back to the screen, staring at the certificate.My name next to hers.Husband and wife.The words felt foreign, almost ridiculous.I hadn’t been married in all my sixty-plus years and never thought I would be.

“What gives you the right to decide this for us?”I asked finally.

Atlas sat forward, his usual smugness replaced by something that looked almost like sincerity.“Look, I’ve seen the way you look at her when she’s not watching, and I don’t just mean tonight.I’ve been observing the two of you for the last few weeks.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered, uncomfortable with the direction this conversation had taken.

“Maybe not,” Atlas conceded, rising from the chair.“But I know what I saw.And I know what needs to be done to keep her and those boys safe.The certificate’s legit, Hammer.In every database that matters.As far as the state is concerned, you two got married last week.”

I rubbed a hand over my face.The anger was still there, burning beneath the surface, but it had begun to mix with a grudging acknowledgment that the kid’s hacker skills might have actually helped.If Piston was searching records for Amelia Decker, he wouldn’t find her anymore.She was Amelia Williams now, at least on paper.The fucker might know she was in this town, but he wouldn’t be able to find her exact location.He’d know where she worked, but even if someone followed her to the compound, he’d have no way of finding out which house she lived in.

“You pull something like this again,” I said finally, my voice low and controlled, “and there won’t be a computer system in the world that can protect you from me.We clear?”

The threat wasn’t empty, and Atlas knew it.His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.“Crystal,” he said, some of the smugness finally leaving his expression.

“I still need to tell Amelia,” I said, turning back to the screen.“This affects her more than anyone.”

“I figured you would,” Atlas said, backing toward the door.“That’s why I came to you first.Thought you should be the one to break the news to your wife.Oh.And as for how I got in, you left your back door unlocked.I snuck past Amelia and came straight here.”

Before I could respond, movement in the doorway caught my attention.My stomach dropped as I saw who stood there, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern.Shit.My heart thundered in my chest and I scrambled to come up with something to say.

Amelia.Her gaze flicked between me and Atlas then back again.How much had she heard?The office suddenly felt too small, the air too thick with tension and unspoken words.Atlas had the sense to straighten up, the smirk fading from his face as he recognized the gravity of the situation.

“I heard shouting,” Amelia said, her voice soft but steady.“Is everything okay?”

I struggled to find the right words.How exactly do you tell a woman you’ve barely known for weeks that you’re suddenly legally married to her because some hacker kid decided to play matchmaker?

“Show her,” Atlas said, nodding toward my computer screen.

I hesitated, then turned the monitor so Amelia could see it.She stepped closer, her forehead creasing as she took in the document.For a moment, she just stared, her expression unreadable.Then she raised her eyes to mine, a question in them that I couldn’t quite interpret.

“What is this?”she asked, though I suspected she already knew.

“According to every government database in the country,” I said, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice, “we’ve been married for a week.”

Her gaze shifted to Atlas, who had the decency to look slightly less smug now.“You did this?”she asked him.

Atlas nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.“Heard you needed protection.Marriage is the strongest legal bond there is.Changes your name in every system.Makes you harder to find.And harder for you to disappear.”

I knew that last part was the most important right now.Watching Amelia, I expected anger, outrage, perhaps tears.What I didn’t expect was the slow nod of acceptance that came instead.Amelia moved to my side, close enough that I could smell the faint trace of floral shampoo in her hair.To my surprise, she placed her hand gently on my forearm, her fingers warm through the fabric of my shirt.

“It’s fine,” she said softly.“It doesn’t change anything.”

The simple touch sent an unexpected jolt through me.When was the last time a woman had touched me with such casual intimacy?Her hand on my arm felt both foreign and oddly right, like a puzzle piece I hadn’t realized was missing.

“Fine?”I repeated, my voice rougher than I intended.“Amelia, this isn’t just some club ceremony.This is a legal document.It means --”

“It means I’m officially under your protection,” she finished.“It means Piston can’t find me under my old name.It means my boys are safer.”She squeezed my arm gently.“Isn’t that what we agreed to anyway?”

Her calm acceptance left me off-balance.I’d been prepared to fight, to defend her honor against this invasion of privacy.Instead, she was the one steadying me.

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