Page 53 of Property of Riptide
I’m the luckiest woman in the world. I’ll never have any doubts when it comes to us.
Feeling ballsy, I express what I’ve been feeling. “I love you, Rush.”
He takes a moment, closes his eyes, and breathes in the fresh air. Once he is composed, he opens his eyes and nearly bowls me over with the emotions he’s experiencing. “I love you too, Savannah. I’ve never felt like this before, I’ve never said those words to another woman outside of my mom. You have my heart, mind, and body for the rest of our days. You are the best gift ever bestowed upon me. Love isn’t a strong enough word to express how I feel about you, Van.”
“Fuck, you undo me, Rush. Thank you for choosing me to say those words. I will cherish and protect that gift for the rest of my life.”
He kisses me. Possesses me. Claims me. I’m well and truly owned by this biker and don’t feel an ounce of shame for admitting that.
It’s both an honor and a privilege.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Riptide
Sliding the concrete grid that’s settled over the top of our ‘fake’ grave to the side, I start climbing down the wooden steps. We chained the gates leading to the cemetery with a sign stating we’re closed for maintenance like we always do when we come underground to dispose of or grill our enemies.
Today, Zoey’s parents will breathe their final breath. Not only are they a threat to the Kings, but also to their daughter and granddaughter.
Turning my torso so I can see Indiana over my shoulder, I ask him, “Have you told Zoey that we have her parents in our custody?”
“I did. I couldn’t come here and end their lives without her knowing,” he answers. “Not after everything they’ve put her through.”
“How’d she take the news?” I probe, hoping she won’t hold this against us, but there’s no other way. These people are not redeemable.
There’s something so dark inside of them that I could almost convince myself they’ve been possessed. The only reason that didn’t get a second thought after the first time it floated through my brain is because according to Zoey, they’ve always been these types of people—even as children, there was something menacing and evil inside of them.
“It’s as if the weight of the world fell off her chest. Ending them won’t completely annihilate her worries, we still have the Onyx Dragons and the town officials out there that we need to take care of, but there’ll be two less people she has to be looking out for,” he relays.
“Any luck convincing her to build a house on the club property?” I ask, thinking that it’d be a good idea for them to move behind the safety of our gates so that they’re better protected.
“She’s considering it. She really loves that house and the landlord is willing to sell it to us but that doesn’t give us the afforded protection needed for her and Elodie,” Indiana replies. “I hate leaving them behind when I have to leave and take care of business.”
“It was a relief for me when Van agreed to move into my house,” I fess up. “We can’t spread ourselves thin trying to keep an eye on everyone. I have a bad feeling things are about to blow the hell up and we need to take all necessary precautions.”
“We’ve talked about this, and I agree with you. Them laying low the way they have been says to me that they’re busy gatheringtroops and are planning an attack… soon,” Indiana declares. “One that’s going to get bloody and lives will be lost.”
“That’s my fear,” I comment. “We already have one prospect overcoming trauma from their hands, Sphinx lost a damn eye for fuck’s sake. And Nova is dealing with his female problems. He’s having to keep a tight grip on one’s leash and dealing with emotional break downs from the other. We can’t afford to be torn in different directions. Not with this threat looming over us.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Now is the time we should all band together, not be spread out,” Slayer says, joining the conversation. “We have enough space and land to build houses. It’s not as if we’d be on top of one another. Until we could get them constructed, we could move in some tiny houses or bunk together in the clubhouse.”
“Icer may settle down too if he has both kids in one area,” I tack on. “He’s spent the last few days since we’ve gotten back riding from one house to another. He’s been pretty volatile from the rumblings of the men.”
“It’s been widely spread to give him space. It was bad enough when there was only Elodie for him to obsess over, but now he has two kiddos and they’re miles apart,” LoneStar adds.
“Is he even sleeping? Does anyone know?” I ask. It’s a proven fact that if he doesn’t get at least four hours of sleep minimum every night, he goes berserk.
“I think he’s been catnapping while standing up,” Indiana retorts. “I caught him leaning against my living room wall with his eyes closed. But he’s not sleeping, only resting, which we all know is going to make him spiral.”
I turn to Slayer and order, “Get with Letti. She may be the only person we have at our disposal that can get him to listen to reason.”
“I’ll give her a ring as soon as we wrap things up here,” Slayer promises. “She may have to bring Elodie onboard though. Maybe between the two of them, they can convince him to at the very least, snooze when it’s Elodie’s naptime.”
“If he won’t do it at your place, bring them to mine,” I suggest. “Maybe if he has both kids in one room, he’ll relent and agree to get a little shuteye.”
“This is touching,” Zoey’s mom says with a flamboyant roll of her eyes, derision dripping from her voice. “Spare us from this touchy-feely conversation, and let’s get down to business.”
