“Well, those cultures suck,” I admonish.
“For you maybe,” he adds. “But it’s their way of life, who are we to judge? We aren’t our clients’ judge, jury, and executioner. We take jobs, get evidence, and turn it in. That’s all we’re hired to do.”
“I suppose,” I grumble. “But I wouldn’tmindplaying Whackamole with a few of them.”
“In a way you are, Chaney,” Freyja inserts.
I look over and see Nova bobbing his head, agreeing with her. “How do you figure?” I ask.
“In the end, you’re hitting them in the two areas where it hurts them the most… their reputation and pocketbook. That’s all most care about these days. It’s the getting caught and exposed that ruins them, sis. And you’re the one who does that,” she points out.
I stew and think about what they’ve said until Nova interrupts that train of thought to bring up a different topic. “I need to talk to you ladies about something I’ve been thinking about for a while now.”
“What’s that?” I ask, giving him my undivided attention.
“If something were to happen to me, I want you both protected. The only way I can do that for both of you is to legally marry one and patch the other. The law will protect mylegalwife by giving her my assets and the club will protect my old lady by financially giving her my shares of the club business and runs. Either way, my brothers will ensure you both stay safe, but they have to abide by the bylaws and can’t cut any corners.”
“Either way, we’ll both be bound to you. Just in different forms,” I murmur.
“Correct,” he concludes.
“Do you have a specific role in mind for each of us, or are you willing to listen to our input?” I ask, because I already know that walking down the aisle is more Freyja’s dream than mine.
“I’m more than willing to listen to your thoughts, Chaney. I always have and I always will,” he tactfully reminds me.
“I don’t want to be a bride,” I rush out and say. “Riding motorcycles, mingling with the club at the clubhouse, wearing an old lady cut, and going on runs sounds like a dream come true to me.”
“And those things sound horrifying to me,” Freyja submits. “I’d love to be your wife, Nova. Stay home and be a housewife.”
“That was my thoughts as well,” Nova conveys. We watch with rapture as he walks over to the fireplace, removes a lid on awooden box before going to the hall closet and pulling out a long, square box. He walks up to Freyja before lowering to his knee, taking her hand in his. “Little one, I don’t have flowery words and I don’t have a romantic bone in my body, but what I do have is a heart full of love. I can promise to love, honor, cherish, and never forsake you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes,” Freyja enthusiastically answers, throwing herself at him. They hold onto one another, basking in the moment. Tears leak from my eyes as my heart fills with joy for them.
Once he slips the ring on her finger, he plants a kiss on her that heats my cheeks. I’ve seen them do this often, but for some reason, this time feels more personal. I feel intrusive so I turn my head and give them some privacy.
After they share words of love and commitment, he shuffles my way, still on bended knee and places the box he pulled from the closet in my lap. “Patching an old lady into the club is as legally binding as a wedding certificate in the eyes of the Kings. It’s a bond that’s unbreakable. At least, for me it is. I don’t take this commitment I’m making to you lightly, Chaney. Would you do me the honor of wearing my patch and becoming my old lady?” he asks, lifting the lid and pulling out the leather, which is already engraved with my moniker of ‘Hellcat’ and his road name stitched beneath it. He turns it around, and on the back, it has the club logo in the middle and the top rocker says ‘Property of’ and the bottom rocker says ‘Casanova’.
“It would be an honor and a privilege to serve you and the club as your old lady,” I say, tears still steadily dropping down my cheeks.
He slides it over me and leans in, whispering, “I love you, Hellcat.”
“I love you more, Casanova.”
“Impossible,” he tells me, his breathing heavy. When he pulls back and places his lips on mine, my entire world aligns.
Our union may be unconventional, and it may be scoffed or frowned at by outsiders, but it’s ours and we own it with all of the love we have inside of us.
EPILOGUE
NOVA
Current Time
This time when an emergency church session was called, I’m in town and able to be in attendance. It’s a much different experience being here in person versus being linked in via satellite connection. When Riptide bangs his gavel on the plank, all backs in the room stiffen as we lean in and listen to what he has on the agenda.
“As you recall, the interrogation we had with Zoey’s parents has led us to believe the clubhouse will be ambushed two weeks before Christmas by the Onyx Dragons. We’ve run into one problem after another trying to get others here to have our backs. It seems like every club in the Kings stronghold is having one issue or another they’re dealing with in their own houses. So I’m going to make a suggestion that pisses me off,” he says, seething. “But it’s something that needs to be voted on. Majority will rule because I don’t think we’re all going to be on the same page this go around.”
Slayer, noticing that Riptide is having a hard time getting the words out, picks up the conversation. “We have contacts insidethe Feds. A new alliance has begun with an agent who’s new to town. Her itinerary is to clean up the police and sheriff department as well as the city council.”
