Chapter 27
27
Heaven
I squeeze Travis’s waist tighter as he picks up speed and easily follows the white van in front of us, overtaking car after car.
We’ve been on the road for ten hours and are nearing Nashville, only stopping twice so far, and my ass is starting to go numb. But I ignore it, and hold Travis tighter, knowing I can’t complain because, hey, I did agree to come.
I feel my body tremble a little before his hand goes over mine, squeezing them, giving me the comfort I need.
When he begged for me to come on this trip, a business one at that, wearing his cut, I was apprehensive to say the least, but everyone encouraged me to go. The brothers proved they trusted me, while Cass swore she’d watch out for Micha because who knows what Tina and my mother could get up to with him or, worse, what he’d convince them to do.
A horn beeps from beside us, and I open my eyes to see Bowler looking at me with concern as he maneuvers his Harley closer to Travis’s. He moves his thumb up and then down to see how I’m coping. I quickly release one arm from around Travis and put my thumb sideways, indicating that I’m just hanging on. He nods in understanding before speeding off to the front, and I quickly grab hold of Travis again, closing my eyes.
I know this trip will make or break our relationship, and a large part of me is hoping it will make us because the thought of this man not being mine, of moving on with someone else, kills me. But I know I need trust for us to work, and we don’t have that right now, even with that bitch banished from the club.
He broke my trust ten years ago and then again a week ago when he swore he’d change and put me first, put his son first.
I feel Travis swerve to the right, and I squeeze tighter, keeping my eyes closed. Five minutes later, the wind whipping around me slows, and the bike comes to a stop. I feel the bike turn off, but I still don’t open my eyes or let go of my husband. Instead, I squeeze him tighter, my body trembling.
His body vibrates with a chuckle as he gently rubs my hand with one of his while his other rubs up and down my calf.
“Fuck, Heaven, I don’t know many women that would ride bitch for as long as you have,” Art says, and I open my eyes to see the brothers walking this way. I notice we’re at a gas station, John and Western filling up the van.
“I, uh, I can’t seem to move,” I admit.
Piston grins wide while Bowler takes my hand as Travis unlinks them from around his waist, holding me still as my husband climbs off his bike.
With a bright smile on his face, Travis removes his helmet and places it in front of me, before he reaches underneath my chin, unclicks mine, and helps me remove it, all while I grip his dad’s hand.
“The longest my wife here has been on the back of my bike is probably an hour, and that was the 125, so she definitely did good,” Travis says with pride, his eyes taking me in where I’m sitting on his bike, wearing his patch. He grips my hips and lifts me from his bike, making me drop Bowler's hand and, instantly, I wrap my legs around his waist, making the brothers chuckle.
“M-maybe I should ride in the van the rest of the way,” I stutter, my body still trembling, and everyone around us quiets as Travis freezes. I move back to look at him.
His eyes are cold and hard as he growls, “Like fuck are you riding in that van, not only because of what is in it but also because that fucker is in there.”
I raise a brow as I cup my hands around his neck and ask, “Still not over that tiny little kiss, huh? " He narrows his eyes as the brothers chuckle behind us.
He screwed someone else ten years ago, and I’m still not over it.
“Go for a bathroom break, Angel,” he mutters, and I grin, making a small smile play on his lips, and he slowly lets me down on my wobbly legs.
Once I get my bearings, I peck his cheek before slowly walking over to the gas station. The brothers chuckle when I wobble a little, but I ignore them and wave to John and Western, who both wave back, a growl echoing around me. I sigh, knowing it is my alpha-hole husband, and I hold my middle finger up, making the brothers laugh.
Shaking my head, I walk into the gas station. The guy behind the counter eyes me, but I ignore him, knowing my husband will skin him alive if he tries anything, and I head to the sign for the bathrooms.
Feeling the guy’s eyes on me from behind the counter, I walk into the two-stall bathroom but nearly knock into someone, not expecting anyone in here.
“Oh God, I am so sorry,” I gasp as I grab the person's arm before they fall, but I freeze as I lock eyes with deep green ones, eyes that I recognize.
“Aurora?” I gasp in shock, my eyes taking her in. Her red hair is in a messy bun, bags line her eyes, and her clothes hang off her small frame.
She went missing around a year and a half ago, and no one has been able to find her, making her dad go crazy.
“Heaven…” she whispers, and I let out a cry and grab her, holding the nineteen-year-old girl tight against me.
“Oh, Aurora…” I cry, and she wraps her arms around my waist. I suddenly pull back and cup her cheeks. “It’s really you…” I whisper, and her body trembles as she nods.
“I need to go get Travis, I-I…. Piston is outside….” I stutter and look around the bathroom before I let go of her and turn to the door, but she stops me, grabbing my arm and begs, "No, please don’t….” I turn back to her, my eyes wide.
“Aurora—” I start, but she cuts me off, “I was held captive for a year.” I suck in a breath. “I was raped and held against my will, and I finally got free, finally managed to run…. Please, Heaven, don’t tell them I’m here; I want nothing to do with the club or my old life. I need to leave, please.”
My eyes race between hers and I confirm, “You saw us pulling up and ran in here, that’s why the guy was staring at me….”
Her tears fall. “Tom is a good manager and knows part of my past. I didn’t know you were with them. Normally, bikers don’t have their women with them on club runs.”
I swallow hard and admit, “Travis is trying to help me trust him again.”
She smiles slightly, “He is still not giving up on you, huh?”
I sniffle and shake my head. “No, he won’t. We’re doing couple’s therapy, but my head is still stuck in the past….”
She nods, wipes my tears, and whispers, “And yet he brought you on club business to show you how much he trusts and needs you in his life….”
I furrow my brows, trying to control my emotions, and I beg, “Tell me who hurt you. Who took you? Was it Hannah?”
She smiles sadly and admits, “Hannah saved me before she ran herself. She was safe the last time I checked. She gave me as much money as she could, but I ran out and ended up here.”
“Who hurt you, Aurora? Was it a brother?” I demand to know, my heart pounding. The urge to run and get my husband is hard.
She sighs. “I can’t tell you because I won’t have you hurt, and I don’t want the club involved. I just want to start fresh. Please, Heaven, please walk out of here and pretend you never saw me. I know it’s a lot to ask for, but please….”
My bottom lip trembles at seeing this beautiful nineteen-year-old acting wiser than her years, but the fear in her eyes, the fear of everyone knowing where she is, makes me do what I do next.
I lean forward and kiss her cheek before leaving the bathroom. Her rasp, “Please, Heaven,” just hits my ears as the door closes, but I ignore it and go to the guy behind the counter. My eyes go to the window, and I see the bikes now getting filled, and I know I don’t have much time.
“Hi,” I say, and he narrows his brown eyes. I ignore his reaction and eye the window again before asking, “You do cash withdrawals here, right?" He frowns but nods, and I say, “Great, what is the largest amount?”
“The owner just upped it to $3,000 per customer, with a 2% charge, after bikers kept requesting cash.”
I swallow hard and grab my phone. Without giving it a second thought, I open the case and pull out the card I’ve been using to save Travis’s money for Micha. I hand it to the man, stating, "Can I have three thousand, please?”
He slowly takes my card, and I eye the window again to see the men shooting the shit as Travis now fills his bike, and I whisper, “Hurry, please, it’s for Aurora.”
His eyes widen, and he nods, swiping my card. A receipt prints, and I sign it before he hands over a stack of bills from a safe under the counter. I mutter, “Thank you,” and he nods as I turn and rush back to the bathroom.
Aurora freezes as I open the door but frowns when she sees it’s only me. Her eyes soon widen when I hold out the stack of bills.
“This is all I could get out for you; it’s three thousand dollars,” I rasp, and her tears fall.
“I can’t accept that,” she says.
I snort. “You can, and you will. Take the money, Rory, please.”
Slowly, she takes the money from me before she grabs me in a hug, and I sob. “We miss you, Rory."
She holds me tighter, whispering, “I miss you all, too, but I have to do this….”
I nod and pull back, wiping my tears, and she nods to the cut. “It suits you.” I chew my bottom lip, her eyes softening at my hesitation. She reminds me, “He loves you, Heaven, he always has, and I know what he did was shitty, but you have made him work for it for ten years, and not being able to move on shows how much you still love him.” Her eyes race between mine. “Don’t lose your forever love because of a stupid mistake he made years ago when he’s trying to be the man you deserve now. Cherish what you have, and live a happy life, live a life I dreamed of for yourself and your son, because I’m telling you now, I wish I had a Travis in my life, to love and protect me the way he has you….”
My tears fall, and I quickly grab her in a tight hug, wishing I could drag her back with me, but knowing something happened to her and she needs to leave.
“Heaven, we’re leaving. Are you ready?” I hear John shout, and I quickly pull back from Aurora, kiss her cheek, and mutter, “My number is still the same…. Please, I’m begging you, keep in contact.”
She nods and kisses my cheek, and I take one last look at her before I turn and rush out of the bathroom. I run past John but dodge his eyes, quickly making eye contact with the guy behind the counter, who nods.
When I get outside, I lock eyes with Travis, who frowns at my tears. Without a word, I take off in a run toward him, causing the brothers to pause in confusion and concern, but I don’t take any notice of any of them as I throw myself into my husband’s arms.
He catches me with ease as I wrap my legs around his waist, and he gasps, “Fuck, Angel what happened? Who do I need to kill?”
I shake my head, put my face into his neck, and whisper, “I love you, Travis."
He holds me tighter and mutters, “I love you, too, Heaven.”
I don’t know what the future holds for me and him, but what I do know is that I love him. Aurora’s fear and pain consume me, knowing she wishes she had a Travis in her life. I know I can’t take it for granted. I need to try and move past our history, and look to our future, because a future without him is no future at all.