Chapter Thirteen
Mia
I smoothed the colorful alphabet poster against the classroom wall, pressing the corners until they stuck flat against the painted cinder block.
Two weeks into helping at New Beginnings, or Haven as everyone called it, and already the shelter felt more like home than my administrative office ever had.
I loved helping teachers learn new techniques, but I missed the few years I’d spent in the classroom and now questioned my long-term goals.
I didn’t want to teach adults how to teach kids.
I wanted to teach the kids. Ada handed me another strip of tape without my having to ask, our rhythm already established from hours of working side by side.
“I think we’re finally ready,” I said, surveying the transformed space.
What had once been a storage room in the shelter’s east wing now burst with educational potential -- low bookshelves stocked with reading materials for various ages, child-sized tables and chairs arranged in cozy clusters, and walls adorned with educational posters that managed to be both informative and cheerful.
We were still working on the room for older kids and teenagers, but this was the best classroom I could ever have dreamed of.
Ada stepped beside me, her expression thoughtful as she scanned our work. “The kids are going to love this.” She tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. “Especially Tanya’s little ones. They’ve been asking when school starts every morning for a week.”
“I still can’t believe we pulled this together so quickly,” I admitted, organizing a stack of workbooks by grade level. “At my old job, it would have taken six committee meetings just to approve the concept.”
“It’s one of the perks of this place. The powers that be make sure we have what we need.” Ada replied with a smile. “These children can’t wait for the system to decide they deserve an education and feel safe enough to learn.”
I nodded, feeling that familiar surge of purpose that had been growing stronger since Oktober and I had settled into life at the compound. I’d expected to feel like an outsider among the Kiss of Death family, but instead found myself welcomed into their fierce, loyal circle with surprising ease.
My phone buzzed against my back pocket. Oktober had gone to the main clubhouse thirty minutes ago to see Knuckles and didn’t expect to be done for a couple of hours.
“Hey, Mia.” The guy on the other end sounded put out but resigned. “It’s Griffin. Sorry to bother you. There’s this guy at the gate. Says he’s your fiancé.”
“What?” My stomach churned. I’d known I’d have to deal with the cheating bastard sooner or later, but when I’d gotten my shit from his apartment without incident, I’d hoped he’d maybe settled down with Jade and lived happily ever after.
“If you don’t want to be bothered by the asshole, I’ll take care of him. Shoulda called Oktober first anyway, but I didn’t know if the guy was legit or not.”
“He’s not.” I took a breath trembling with anger. “I’ll meet him at the gate. Don’t let him in.”
My stomach clenched as if I’d been punched.
The world seemed to close in on me, and I thought I might throw up.
I hadn’t heard from Eric since that final text message three weeks ago -- a terse “We need to talk about your things” that I’d never bothered to answer.
I hadn’t left much there and I didn’t want to leave anything in his place.
But I couldn’t make myself go back. Not even with Oktober or the women.
I didn’t love Eric. Never really had. But the humiliation of what had happened right under my nose was a little more than I wanted to deal with.
“Mia? What is it?” Ada’s voice came from what felt like a great distance.
I blinked, trying to bring the room back into focus. “It’s… it’s Eric. My ex. He’s at the gate.”
Ada’s expression hardened instantly, her protectiveness evident in the set of her shoulders. “What does he want?”
“I don’t know.” The compound was my sanctuary, the place where I’d rebuilt myself from the ashes of my old life. The thought of Eric contaminating it with his presence made my skin crawl.
“You don’t have to see him,” Ada said, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder. Her touch anchored me, bringing me back to myself.
I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. “No. I don’t know what he wants, but I’ll talk to him. After today, I’ll let the guys deal with him.”
Ada nodded, understanding without needing further explanation. “Do you want Oktober there?”
“No.” The answer came quickly. “This is something I need to handle myself. But…” I hesitated. “Would you and Violet come with me? Not because I’m afraid, just…”
“For moral support,” Ada finished, already reaching for her phone to text Violet. “Of course. We’ve got your back, Mia.”
I smiled back at her. “I think we’ve got each other’s.”
“Yeah. We really do.”
Ada pulled out her phone. “I’m texting Hannah. She’ll want to be here too.”
Violet and Hannah arrived within minutes, her distinctive red hair visible through the classroom window before she even opened the door. “Where’s the asshole?” she asked without preamble, her pale blue eyes flashing with protective fury.
Despite everything, I laughed. “At the gate. I haven’t decided if I’m going to punch him or just tell him to get lost.”
“Why choose?” Violet grinned, but her expression softened as she studied my face. “You OK?”
“Yeah. Just ready to close this door permanently.”
The four of us made our way from Haven down the path leading to the back corner of the compound. From there we went toward the front gate.
“Does he know about the fire?” Violet asked quietly as we approached the gate.
I shook my head. “I didn’t tell him. Didn’t tell anyone from my old life.” The realization struck me that I hadn’t spoken to a single person from my previous existence since moving to the compound. And I hadn’t missed any of them.
“We won’t mention it either. You share as much as you feel you should,” Ada said, her tone making it clear she thought that amount should be nothing.
As we neared the perimeter gate, I spotted Eric standing on the other side of the heavy iron bars, looking spectacularly out of place in his pressed blue button-down and designer jeans.
His shoulders were tight with tension, his eyes darting nervously at the two patched members who stood a calculated distance away looking deceptively lazy, watching him with undisguised suspicion.
The contrast between his manicured appearance and the raw grunge of the compound struck me as almost comical.
Eric’s gaze locked onto me as I approached, relief washing over his features.
That relief quickly transformed to confusion when he took in Violet and Ada flanking me like bodyguards.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to have allies, probably assumed I was alone and vulnerable and as easy to manipulate as I’d been before.
Each step became more determined with each foot of ground I covered.
I was not the same woman Eric had betrayed.
I had walked through fire, literally, and emerged stronger.
I had found my place in a world that valued loyalty and truth above all else.
I had found Oktober, who loved me for exactly who I was, not who he wanted me to be.
The man waiting beyond the gate didn’t mean anything to me. After the time I’d spent here with Oktober’s family -- and everyone in Kiss of Death represented Oktober’s family -- I didn’t think Eric had ever really meant anything to me.
I stopped a few feet from the gate, close enough to speak normally but far enough that he couldn’t easily reach through the bars. My heart hammered in my chest, but not from fear. This whole situation was surreal. Completely backward.
“Mia.” He exhaled my name like he’d been holding his breath. “Thank God. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Eric,” I replied, my voice steadier than I’d expected. “What are you doing here?”
His gaze flicked nervously to the patched members watching from nearby, then back to me. “Could we talk privately? Just for a minute?”
“Anything you have to say, you can say where you are.” I felt Ada shift slightly closer to my shoulder. “I’m not going with you, so there’s no point in me coming outside my safe place.”
Eric’s jaw tightened. “Fine. You haven’t returned any of my calls or messages. Your department head says you’ve taken an indefinite leave of absence. You’ve not been home once. No one’s seen you for weeks.” His concerned expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What was I supposed to think?”
“That I moved on with my life?” I asked simply.
“Moved on?” He gestured incredulously at the compound behind me. “To this? Living with… with criminals? Throwing away everything you’ve worked for?”
I felt rather than saw Violet bristle beside me, but she remained silent, letting me handle this.
“I’m not throwing anything away,” I replied.
“I’m working with trauma-affected children at the shelter, developing an educational program that will actually make a difference in their lives.
It’s the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done and I’ve only just started.
” I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath.
“I didn’t think I’d realized exactly how much I’d wanted to do something like this.
It’s going to be challenging and gut-wrenching and all kinds of other things, but helping these children and their mothers is what I’m supposed to be doing.
” The longer I spoke, the stronger I felt.
My voice grew steadier and I felt… free.
Eric’s forced smile slipped. “Come on, Mia. This isn’t you. You’re a scholar, not some… biker groupie.” He lowered his voice as if sharing a confidence. “Listen, I know I hurt you. What happened with Jade was a mistake. We can work through this.”