“You’re so strong, baby. You’ve always been stronger than anyone gives you credit for, even me. But I know you’re in there fighting. I just need you to come back to me. I need the chance to make this right.”
My throat tightens as I look at her face, pale but peaceful. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I fucked this up so bad, Ember. But I’m here now, and I promise you this, Fury won’t get away with it. He’ll beg for mercy before I’m through with him.”
I close my eyes, resting my forehead against our joined hands, the weight of my promise hanging in the air. “I need you to come back to me, Ember. We’re not done living our lives and I can’t do this without you. I refuse to do life without you.”
Slowly, I rise from the chair and lean over, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. Whispering one final prayer, I pull myself away, though every instinct screams to stay by her side. Elijah needs his time with her, and I’ve got unfinished business with Fury that can’t wait. As the doors slide open, I turn for one last look at the woman who holds my heart. We’re going to get through this. I don’t know how, but I won’t accept any other outcome. Losing her just isn’t an option.
FIFTEEN
MAVERICK
LeavingEmber in Elijah’s care was tougher than I expected, but I’ve got to get back to the clubhouse and handle this situation with Fury, fast. Nightmare left about an hour ago, taking Mystique back to the clubhouse to recover. I’ll never be able to thank her enough for everything she’s done to help protect Ember all these years. Despite being a little rough around the edges, she took on the role as an executive assistant and like me, she fell in love with Ember, cherishing their bond. They became best friends, much to my dismay, but how could I fault her when my lies were far worse.
I’m not sure how to even begin to fix this. All I know is, Fury is going to die tonight. Before I left, the doctor mentioned they planned to keep Ember in a coma for the next few days. Her leg needs to stay completely stable to heal properly, and they don't want to risk any setbacks. It gives me some time to clean up the house and get everything back in order before she’s released. Time to prepare for whatever’s coming next. But even with that, it feels like nothing I do will ever be enough to make things right.
The streets are quiet as we turn onto the long road leading to the compound. Exhaustion hits me hard the moment I pull intothe garage. It’s more mental than physical but instead of going to my room to crash, I head for the basement, letting Nightmare know I’m going to deal with Fury.
“Want me to go down with you?” he offers, but I shake my head, telling him that won’t be necessary. I do, however, tell Dementor to gather his crew and go dig me a hole in that empty dirt lot about twenty miles out, then wait for my call. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey off the counter, I take a few swigs, trying to calm the rage burning through me. Part of me wants to make this quick, slice his throat and be done with it so I can get back to Ember. But another part, the one fueled by seeing the bruises on her face, wants to drag this out, making him suffer for every punch he threw and every second he terrorized her. Descending the stairs to the basement, I close the door behind me, my mind racing through all the ways I could make this asshole pay.
Fury thought he had it all figured out; kidnap my wife and vanish like a ghost. What he didn’t count on was the fact that I’ve always kept tabs on Ember, always knew where she was at all times. Being the president of an MC comes with enemies, and love makes you vulnerable. But sometimes, no matter the risk, you can’t stop yourself from falling. And now, he’s going to learn exactly what happens when you cross that line with me.
My pulse thunders in my ears as I stand over him, my hands itching to wrap around his throat and squeeze until there’s nothing left. But that would be merciful and he doesn’t deserve a quick death after what he’s done. He just sits there, staring blankly, as if my presence doesn’t faze him. The arrogance grates on me. Setting the bottle of whiskey on the table, I ball my fists, pummeling his face with a series of punches.
The ornery asshole doesn’t so much as grunt while blood starts dripping from the corner of his mouth. My knuckles throb, swelling from the impact but I’m nowhere near done with what I have planned for this piece of shit. What I’m feeling is too rawand runs deep into my bones. And Fury? He’s about to bear the full weight of it all.
“Did you really believe you could get away with taking her?” I growl, grabbing him by his kutte, yanking him close. He coughs, blood splattering from his lips, but still has the nerve to smirk.
“I didn’t know she meant that much to you since you’re always leaving her alone,” he rasps, his voice thick with pain. Fury may not have wanted to show just how much of a pussy he is, but by the looks of the swelling and bruises already forming, he’s hurting like a bitch.
Images of Ember, lying in the hospital, connected to all those tubes, flood my mind, igniting the rage that simmers beneath the surface. I slam my fist into his face sending the chair flying backwards until it crashes to the floor.
“You don’t get to talk about her,” I snarl, pacing back and forth like a caged animal, ready to unleash hell. His words sting because they hold a painful truth. If I had been honest with Ember from the beginning, she would’ve never been alone so much. She would be safe within these walls, someone always watching over her.
Fury groans, struggling against the restraints, the fear in his eyes now unmistakable. Placing the chair upright, I rip open his kutte, pulling it down over his arms, exposing his chest. The bullet wound in his shoulder is crusted over with blood, which gives me another way to cause him pain. His nose is a broken mess and just for good measure, I punch him again, making sure the bones shatter.
Blood pours down his face as he curses me to hell, knowing there’s nothing he can do. “That’s right motherfucker, I’m the devil that’s going to send your ass straight to your maker,” I sneer, ready to snap his fucking neck. Grabbing the whiskey and my knife, I lean in close to his ear, pressing my knife into the hole where the bullet struck.
“You took something from me that I’ll never get back. You made Ember bleed and now it’s your turn.” The deadly whisper of my voice crumbles his bravado as he howls in pain. Pressing the knife in further, I take a swig from my bottle and rip the blade out, spitting the liquor into his wound. He howls just like the bitch he is.
“She lost our baby and you will pay with your life,” I fume, taking another drink. His screams fuel me as I carve into his chest, spitting whiskey into every cut. Each slice of the blade is a promise to my Ember. A vow that the man who took life from her will lose his.
“I never thought I’d feel this empty after torturing that bastard,” I mutter, staring out the window. After an hour, I got tired of hearing Fury scream and beg for mercy, his skin shredded by my knife. I thought hearing the fear in his voice would give me some satisfaction, but it did nothing to ease the guilt I feel over the lies I told Ember, the regret gnawing at me.
“It ain’t always the kill that brings you peace, Mav. You know that better than anyone,” Nightmare says, glancing over at me before focusing back on the road. We’re heading to that empty dirt lot to dump Fury’s body. The pain I inflicted left himunconscious, but I plan on waking his ass up so he can see my face one last time.
“Yeah, you’re right, but everything I did was to protect Ember and Fury still managed to get to her.”
“You can only control so much when it comes to this life. It’s bound to catch up to us on any given day. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, just reinforcing it so you don’t keep blaming yourself.”
“I hear you. Fury deserved everything he got and more. If I weren’t trying to get back to Ember’s side, he would’ve gotten a lot more.”
“You did a number on him and I’m sure he regrets crossing into Georgia. That shit was bold. But he fucked around and found out,” Nightmare chuckles.
We ride the rest of the way in silence, my mind consumed with thoughts of my wife. What will she say when she wakes up? Will she ever forgive me for the lies I kept buried? Will she look past the secrets and see how much I love her? The day I spoke my vows, staring into her beautiful eyes, promising to protect her, honor her, and cherish her is the same day I betrayed her by keeping my truth hidden. The more I think about it, I realize the betrayal actually began the moment I stopped seeing her as just a job and gave in to the urge to kiss those full lips. The van slows, pulling me from my thoughts as we approach the final stop. Dementor waves his flashlight, signaling us where to park.
Stepping out, we move to the back of the van, yanking open the doors. We slide Fury’s battered body out onto the ground, the impact jolting him awake, and once again he’s begging for his life. Grabbing him by the legs, I drag him through the dirt, deliberately hitting a few buried rocks along the way. His screams echo into the darkness, but out here, in the middle of nowhere, no one’s listening.
Dementor’s crew lays out a tarp, ready for what comes next. They begin wrapping Fury’s body, but I stop them. “Leave his face out for me,” I order, picking up one of the shovels near the freshly dug hole.
