My stomach drops through the floor.
I knew this was coming.
I’ve known since the moment I chose to standwithSin instead ofagainsthim.
“You’re a good cop, Victoria. You did incredible work on this case.” Her eyes drift to my neck, where faint marks from Sin’s mouth and hands are still visible despite my attempts to cover them with makeup. “But youcan’tbe in the force and be a biker’s old lady. It’s a conflict of interest. The brass won’t allow it, no matter what I say.”
I nod, my throat tight. “I understand.”
“You have a choice to make.” Maria’s voice is gentle but firm. “Your badge… or your heart.”
I look at my badge sitting against my hip. The metal gleams under the fluorescent lights, a symbol of everything I thought I wanted.
Justice for Marcus.
A career built on truth.
The ability to make a difference.
But then I think about Sin.
The way his mismatched eyes soften when he looks at me.
The club—my family now, in ways that go deeper than blood. The life I’ve built there, messy and complicated and more real than anything I’ve ever known.
I pick up my badge and gun, feeling their familiar weight one last time, then place them on Maria’s desk with a finality that settles into my bones. “I choose him.” My voice doesn’t waver. “I choose them, and I don’t regret it. Any of it.”
Maria’s smile is sad but understanding. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re making the right choice.Aaandon a personal level, I think you’ll be good for him. I don’t know this version of my son that well, but I do knowyou, Delaney. And if anyone can keep him in line, it’s you. But now the real question is… whatthe hellare you going to do with your life now you’re not a cop?”
The tightness in my chest eases slightly. “What will I do?” I laugh, the sound a little brittle. “Funny thing… I actuallyreallyenjoyed being a fake journalist,” I pause, looking up to the ceiling and biting my lip. “I think I’ll go back to school. Do it for real this time.”
Maria’s eyebrows rise. “Write the truth about motorcycle clubs?”
“Among other things. Someone needs to tell therealstories.” I meet her gaze. “The ones that matter, anyway.”
Maria opens her drawer and pulls out a business card, sliding it across the desk. “When you’re ready, I have some stories you might want to investigate.The right way.”
I take the card, and then I move around the desk and pull her into a hug—two women who have walked through fire together and came out the other side understanding each other in ways most people never will.
When I leave her office, I don’t feel like I’m losing something.
I feel like I’m finally becoming who I was always meant to be.
SIN
Later that Night
The bike snarls through the desert like a living thing, the sound vibrating through my bones. Victoria’s arms are tight around my waist, her cheek pressed to my back as the wind tears past. The Vegas skyline glows on the horizon, a scatter of diamonds on black velvet. But out here it’s only us. The road. The stars. The words she hasn’t said yet sit like a storm behind her eyes.
I pull up at the overlook, kill the engine, and the night swallows the noise whole. The city flickers far below. The sky is endless. And this spot, this patch of dirt and rock, is where it all started for us.
Victoria swings off the bike, boots crunching on grit, tugging my T-shirt down against the wind. Her hair whips across her face in dark, shining strands. She looks like a memory and a dare all rolled into one. I stay seated a moment, watching.
A lone coyote howls in the distance, making me smile as Victoria raises her brow. “Those fuckers better not interrupt us again.”
I tilt my head at her, anxiety racing through my chest at why we’re here. “You said you wanted to talk? Makes a guy kinda anxious, wildcat.”
She snickers, placing her hand on her hip. “You? Anxious? I thought you’d be all carefree, and I don’t give a shit—”
