Page 24 of Forever Zara

He’d made the wrong decision.

It had hit him almost immediately.

Trying to be fair.

Far as he knew, those assholes hadn’t done a thing yet.

They were boys trying to play at being men.

But letting them live… he’d made the wrong decision.

His Zara would forever worry she was going to see the Raging Rebels insignia around every corner. Putting her mentally in that place once more, she’d worked too hard with her therapy to be pushed back.

Zara thought he was a good man. She wouldn’t hate him for letting those men live. But he wasn’t good, was he? He could get as dirty and as evil, as needed.

Drumming his fingers on the ancient table where everySoulsdecision was made, he didn’t feel much like the Prez. He was thinking entirely as a husband.

Too much was vying for his attention in his brain.

Didn’t matter that he was dead. Hadesalwaysmade a comeback, like a goddamn monster in a horror movie. And even though she pretended she was fine, he knew differently. He knew Zara inside and out. Could read her every mood and mannerism. What she wasn’t saying when she told him she wasfine.

Goddammit, he hated that fucking word, wanted to shoot it out of existence.

If she was scared, she wasn’tfine. And it was down to him to make it right for her. As her man, the buck stopped at his feet.

“I keep failing her.” He spoke and was surprised at his emotionally angry voice. Fingers tightened on the bottle, and he drained it in one.

“Zara? That’s bullshit.”

Rider locked eyes with his VP. “I was the one who kicked her out, remember? Look what happened to her for three-fuckin’-years.”

“She got a scare, that’s all. She’s stronger than she was; she isn’t gonna let something like this hold her down. You know it.”

She was strong, so fucking strong was his Zara.

Loving her felt like a disease sometimes. This huge thing inside him, growing out of control. He loved her until he felt mad with it. He’d kill for her, no question.

But he hadn’t, had he?

“You were the one who killed Hades.”

“Any of us would have taken our shot at him. I was in the right place.”

“Shoulda been me. I’m her man, and I keep fuckin’ failing her.”

Hawk wasn’t the type to indulge him, tell him shit that wasn’t true, and Rider was grateful of it. They sat in silence, a six-pack of beers disappearing between them. Hawk lit up a blunt, toked a few times, and then passed it to Rider. He took it automatically, smoking half before giving it back. The smoke went directly into his blood, calming the rage within.

But not by much.

Because he knew, giving those fewRebelsroom to grow, he’d fucked up. Made the wrong choice.

Giving second chances wasn’t who Rider fucking Marinos was.

He wasn’t a fair man, not when someone had crossed him.

Those fuckers might not have been the ones to hold his woman down and rape her, but by choosing to wear theRebelsname, they were guilty by proxy.

The more he chewed on it, the colder he grew inside.

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