I felt Oktober’s chest expand with a deep breath, watched him struggle to maintain control.“Gut,” he finally said.“His family?”
“Informed,” Knight said.“They want nothing to do with arrangements.”
A muscle in Oktober’s jaw twitched, the only sign of anger he permitted himself.I remembered what he’d told me about the club being his family, about finding belonging there when his blood relatives had failed him.Apparently Noose had shared a similar story.
“Sounds to me like his club is his family.”I didn’t know why I spoke, but this lesson had been hard won on my part.“All of you care about him very deeply.And --” I sucked in a sob trying to break free.“And I know he loved all of you because he gave his life for me.”
Immediately, Lavender and Violet surrounded me, pulling me into their arms.Somehow, Oktober managed to get out of bed, then I was in his arms and we were all crying in a snot-slinging fest for the ages.
“We should let you rest,” Knight finally said.“Doc says you’re out tomorrow?”
Oktober nodded.“If Mia helps with bandages.”
Knight’s gaze shifted to me, assessing but not unkind.“You’ll need somewhere to stay,” he said.It wasn’t a question.
“She’ll stay with me,” Oktober answered before I could respond.His tone suggested this point wasn’t up for discussion.I had to curl my lips in and duck my head to keep from meeting anyone’s gaze and accidentally smiling.
“We’ll make sure a two-bedroom apartment’s ready,” Lavender said, her soft voice carrying a note of authority that seemed to settle the matter.“That way poor Mia has a place to retreat when the testosterone gets too bad.”She smiled and squeezed my arm gently.“I’m glad Oktober met you, Mia.You make him smile.”Her words meant more than she could possibly know.
They left shortly after, along with the others who had been keeping watch.I got Oktober settled, then sank back into the unforgiving hospital chair, exhaustion hitting me in a fresh wave now that we were alone.Oktober studied me, his blue eyes intent despite the pain medication I knew coursed through his system.
“You should sleep,” he said.“Real sleep.Not that torture chair.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted.“Tell me about Noose.”
Oktober’s face softened at the name, grief mingling with something like reverence as his eyes got a far-off look, like he looked at the past.“We met in Terre Haute.It’s a… federal prison,” he added, seeing my confusion.“I was three months into a three-year sentence.He was finishing year four of twelve.”
I nodded, not wanting to interrupt with questions.
“Prison has rules,” Oktober continued, his German accent thickening as he slipped into memory.“Unwritten ones.More important than ones from the guards.I understood rules, but I was… arrogant.Thought I knew better.”
His gaze drifted to the window, though I doubted he saw the parking lot beyond.“Three guys cornered me in the laundry.Would have killed me.”He shook his head.“Noose walked in.Had no reason to get involved.Could have walked away.”Oktober’s voice dropped lower.“But he didn’t.
“Three against one is bad odds.Three against two?”Oktober’s lips curved slightly.“Better.We fought.Won.But one had a shiv.Got me here.”He gestured to the scar on his chest I’d noticed our first night together.“Would have bled out, but Noose knew what to do.Kept pressure on it until help came.”
“He saved your life,” I whispered.
Oktober’s eyes locked with mine, intense despite the medication.“Ja.Twice.Three times now.First two in prison.And now.”His voice broke on the final word, his composure finally cracking but he cleared his throat and held on.“He knew what he did,Kätzchen.I saw his face when he pushed you.”
“I didn’t even know him.Why would he do that for me?”
Oktober reached for my hand despite the effort it cost him, his fingers closing around mine with surprising strength.“Noose made his choice,” he said firmly.“He saw what was happening and he chose to save you and me.”I must have looked confused because Oktober smiled gently at me, bringing my fingers to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the backs.“By saving you, he saved me.I know it sounds corny, but I couldn’t have fought my way out if you’d died.Noose knew that.So he saved us both,Kätzchen.”
I stared at our joined hands, unable to reconcile the magnitude of Noose’s sacrifice with my own sense of worthiness.“I don’t know how to carry this,” I admitted quietly.
“You don’t carry it alone,” Oktober replied.“We carry it together.”
The simple promise unwound something tight in my chest, allowing me to breathe fully for the first time in days.We sat in silence for several minutes.
Finally, Oktober spoke again, his voice hesitant in a way I’d never heard before.“When I leave tomorrow… come with me.To the compound.Stay with me while I heal.”He swallowed hard.“Please.”
“I already said I would.”I smiled at him.“I’m not taking it back.”
The relief in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.I was choosing not just Oktober but his entire world.The good and the bad, the joy and the grief, the brotherhood that extended far beyond blood ties.I was choosing a life I couldn’t have imagined a week ago, defined by bonds forged in fire and sacrifice.And unwavering, undying loyalty.
And it felt like… home.
Chapter Twelve
