Anton extended an outstretched hand, and I accepted it hesitantly. “Your woman is safe from us,” he promised.
“Thank you, Anton.”
He gave my hand a squeeze and then offered it to Diesel. “It has been interesting doing business with you bikers. You are a passionate bunch, and I hope the next time we cross paths, we are on the same side.”
Diesel’s mouth kicked up into a grin. “See you around, Anton.”
As quickly as the Russian convoy arrived, it packed up and left, leaving nothing but a bunch of bikers and a dead doctor. The silence left in their wake was heavy and intense.
And temporary.
“That was fucking weird, right?” Maverick finally said what we were all thinking while breaking the tension in the air.
Diesel’s serious expression broke and a laugh escaped. “Weird is becoming our new normal, ain’t it?”
“Well at least St. John is no longer a problem,” I said, scrubbing my hands over my face. It was all done.
It was fucking over which meant it was time to get on with the rest of my life.
To TJ and fatherhood.
To Vivian.
To forever.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Vivian
The quiet was unbearable.
It had been over an hour since Falcon and ten of his club brothers, fully armed and serious as hell, left on their secret mission. As soon as the roar of their motorcycles faded the clubhouse had fallen into that heavy silence that settled in when everyone was too busy pretending that nothing was wrong.
As the silence faded into sound—children playing and laughing, the low hum of conversation, the familiar clink of beer bottles—the weight of not knowing pressed against my chest.
I love you.Falcon had said those three words to me. He hadn’t meant to, which made them even more special because I loved him too. I hadn’t told him, of course, I was too shocked to respond but I would tell him as soon as he returned.
Ifhe returned.
I should’ve stopped him. Should have gone with them and placed myself in the middle since it was my fault. I believed him when he said he couldn’t function, couldn’t focus if he had to worry about me, but I should’ve pushed. And worse, he’d said it with that sexy half-grin that dampened my panties in under a second and made me forget how to breathe. But now, standing in the silence without him, I wasn’t all that sure I could function when he was away.
“Don’t do this,” I whispered to myself. “Don’t spiral.” I had to hold it together. If this was going to work, me and Falcon, then I had to keep it together when he was off handling MC business. That’s what I kept telling myself, but I was already halfway to a complete spiral.
Falcon hadn’t told me anything other than Anton wanted to meet, but that couldn’t be good news, especially after I’d killed one of his men. Anton had been chasing me for three years, was it really likely he’d give up on that so easily? It didn’t make sense, but maybe I didn’t have all the answers.
So I needed to get some damn answers.
I made way into the main area of the clubhouse and grabbed a beer from the new redhead behind the bar, before turning to scan the room. Most of the old ladies, soon-to-be old ladies, and club girls were gathered around the tables, chatting, playing cards, and acting as if everything was completely normal.
I spotted the splash of color and figured I stood a decent chance of getting answers from Raven, so I slowly made my way to her. She sat on the floor, handing soft blocks with letters and numbers on them to TJ, who happily placed them on top of each other. “Raven?”
She said nothing, not even a flicker of recognition and already I was regretting this decision.
“I was just wondering if, you know, have you heard anything about what’s happening with Falcon and… the guys?”
After half an eternity passed she finally met my gaze, her eyes cold and flat. “Even old ladies don’t know what’s going on. Definitely not baby mamas.”
Right. The way she said it—baby mamas—made me flinch. Her tone was filled with venom, leaving no doubt as to what she thought about me. There was so much I wanted to say to her, but to what end? Her mind was made up and there was no changing it, so I pasted on a tight smile, swallowed my words and nodded. “Right. Got it.”
