Page 67 of Nitro

“Me too. If the guys and I find anyone good enough for her, we’ll try to get them together. We’re not matchmakers or anything like that, but we want her to be happy.”

“Maybe she’s content to be alone.”

“She is. That’s why we’re not pushing the issue. If she seemed sad, we’d search the globe for another Winchester. He wouldn’t be exactly the same, of course. But there has to be another man capable of bringing her joy. Hey, don’t tell her any of this. Okay?”

“I won’t say a word.”

“Good, because she’d probably cut my nuts off, bake them into a cheese casserole and then feed it to me.”

“Remind me never to eat her meatball soup again.”

He laughs and strokes his palm up the inside of my thigh. “What else do you want to know?”

“After you moved in with Nina, how long did you live there?”

“Years. Eventually, we moved into the clubhouse and became prospects in the club. Winchester started UndergroundVengeance, not us. Scar took over as pres after Winchester died. Most of the original members of the club have retired or passed on. Some of them are still around, and they come to our parties, but it’s our club now.”

“You’re amazing. You’ve been through so much, but you’re still fighting for other people. What you’re doing is so selfless and brave.”

“We won’t stop until every kid is safe. It’s a mission that will never end. We’ve got chapters all over the country. Montana isn’t the only state we operate in. We’re in Louisiana, North Dakota, California, and Texas, just to name a few.”

“And those chapters are all rescuing kids too?”

“Men, women, kids. It’s not just women and children at risk. Men are abused as well. Some guys are married to absolutely insane women. One guy we helped was being stalked by his ex. She refused to believe their relationship was over. In addition to slashing his tires multiple times, she got him fired from his job, manipulated his friends to turn against him, and even got his own family to blacklist him. She was pure evil. We finally gathered enough evidence to get a restraining order, but that didn’t stop her. She’s in prison now, serving a sentence for aggravated assault. She tried to kill him. She’ll be out in ten years, but she’ll never find him again. He’s long gone. We got him a new name, a new job, and now he’s living a brand new life in another state. She’ll never be able to locate him.”

“You probably saved his life. It sounded like she was escalating over time.”

“She was. There’s no doubt in my mind she would have killed him if we hadn’t intervened.”

“The world’s such a dark place.”

“But it’s also a place of heartbreaking beauty. Yes, there’s pain, but there’s also love. I didn’t think it existed until I met Nina. She loved us the way a mother should love their children.Winchester was like that too. He became a father figure to us. Through him, I learned that not all men are monsters.”

“I’m glad you found him and Nina.”

“Me too.” He yawns against my stomach.

“Sleepy?” I ask.

“Not yet. I promised you something before we jumped, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“Oh!” I gasp as he slides under the covers. “You don’t have to—oh, yes, you do.”

I lie back and surrender to his slow seduction. His mouth is magical. His lips know exactly where to touch me. His tongue gives me so much pleasure I’m sure I’ll explode into a million little bits of stardust. And later, much, much later, I do.

He holds me close throughout the night. After everything he’s been through, he still clings to the hope that love exists in this world. And it does. I feel it for him, and I think he feels it too. We haven’t said those three little words to each other yet. Not directly. But I’m getting closer to taking that risk. He’s not the only one willing to put their life on the line. If I confess my love for him and he doesn’t feel the same way, I’m going to die. I can’t live without him. He’s everything to me.

I love him. I just hope he loves me too.

Chapter 19: Holly

Nina and Julia are taking me shopping today to celebrate my upcoming court date. I received the letter in the mail yesterday. Nitro wants me to meet with the club’s lawyer to go over the details of my case. Since we’re in a no-fault state, my divorce doesn’t require anything special. The only thing we must prove is that there’s serious marital discord between us with no reasonable prospect of reconciliation. The fact that my husband beat the shit out of me should be enough to convince the judge to grant the divorce. I’m still nervous about it because I don’t see Jeff giving up without a fight.

It’s been several months, but we haven’t heard a peep from him. It’s like he’s fallen off the face of the earth. He hasn’t returned to work. He hasn’t been back to our house. The club has been rotating out prospects who keep an eye on the property, but there’s still no sign of Jeff. It’s like he disappeared. The situation was so disconcerting that I had to ask Nitro point-blank if the club did something to him. Nitro denied it, and I believe him. But if Jeff’s still out there, where is he?

I’m standing in front of the bathroom mirror, checking my reflection. This bright yellow summer dress might help me feel better. It’s much cheerier than my current mood. I’m hoping the sunny vibes will rub off on me. Julia and Nina shouldn’t have toput up with my gloominess. Today is supposed to be fun. I don’t want to be a total downer.

As I walk out to the kitchen, Daisy lifts the lid on the slow cooker. “Come try this. It’s a new recipe I found online for birria tacos.”

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