Page 57 of Forever Zara

Inhaling slowly, Rider felt nothing other than a sense of completion.

Another enemy bested.

Killing Rex was anticlimactic.

Not that Rider was looking to get his rocks off over it. But he expected to feel something. He wasn’t a monster; he did what needed to be done.

But when it came, when his uncle was dead in the chair, he felt nothing other than knowing it was over.

He’d toyed with him for more than a year, so maybe he had a little monster in him.

Hawk didn’t bother knocking after Rider texted him. Coming through the door, he closed it quietly, eyeballing the corpse spilled over in the chair. He walked with slow steps. “How the fuck do we get him into the truck? We don’t have time for me to cut him up.”

He said it like the pair were talking about a Thanksgiving turkey.

Rider chuckled, knowing how literal Hawk was being.

“Not sure going back to my wedding covered in body part juices would be a good look.”

Hawk grunted.

The compound grounds were deserted. They didn’t attempt to carry Rex to the SUV. Instead, the roller chair he was slumped in came in handy. They wheeled him out, Hawk holding his legs up from the floor. If they weren’t time-sensitive, Rider might have laughed for the sight they made. Once outside, it took all their strength and maneuvering to toss the body into the back of the truck. He landed with a heavy thud of a man who no longer had control of his limbs, then covered him up in a tarp.

It was a chilly February day, but both men were sweating. Rider swiped at his forehead, locked the club up again, and climbed into the driver’s seat. Hawk followed suit. “You should get back to the reception before you’re missed.”

“No one will expect to see Zara and me yet.”

Not while Zara was holed up in a hotel suite, he’d booked weeks ago. They’d made a show of going off for an hour to be alone. As expected of a dirty biker. But he didn’t want to leave her alone for long, so he had to get this last thing seen to.

“I can do the dump.”

“Seeing it through, brother.” Rider answered.

He drove the speed limit. The last thing he needed was to get pulled over for a ticket and have his alibi smashed to pieces.

How could he have killed Rex when he was at his wedding? He was nowhere near the guy. And when they started looking for him, they’d see he had a mistress out in Vegas, and he’d also emptied his bank accounts. Who was to say he hadn’t run off with her for a new life?

Rider had killed tonight, but he wasn’t evil. There was conscience in him, so he’d make sure his aunt was taken care of. He doubted her sons would do a fucking thing for their mother.

“You feel anything?” Hawk asked from the other side of the cab. They’d been driving twenty minutes up the mountain to one of their safe houses.

Rider cut a gaze sideways, “nothing.”

“Good.” Smirked the demon at his side. And then he sobered, his face darkening. “Wish I could have done the same for the bitch.”

His mother.

“Family means nothing when they’re a piece of shit.” Hawk gruffed. Saying more at once than he usually did. It meant he was agitated and probably needed the calm of his old lady. Gia always grounded him.

“The right kind of family gets shit done, no matter who wields the guillotine, brother.” Rider replied, taking the long driveway to Rex’s last resting place.

Anyone of his club brothers would have done Rex.

Lawless, before he went to prison, was jonesing to be tagged in.

Even Hawk offered more than once.

This had to be Rider, if only because he had to face Mad-dog. His father knew this shit was happening. He’d endorsed it. But he must have some feelings about knowing his son killed his only brother.

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