Epilogue
Olivia
“This is beautiful, BamBam!” I exclaim as I walk through each room of the house he built for us. “I can’t believe you kept it a secret.”
“It wasn’t easy, especially when Marge asked about the apartment in front of you,” he replies.
“I mean, I figured we’d eventually be under the same roof, but there’s too much at the clubhouse to have Theo running around full time. Plus, I don’t want to impose on the brothers who are single if that makes sense.”
All it took was one overnight visit where I slipped down to the kitchen and caught one of the brothers and the club girls going at it over the pool table for me to decide that living in the clubhouse long term wouldn’t work for me.
No shade to the women who make themselves available to every single brother, but it’s not something I could personally do.
“Should’ve been done about three weeks ago, but the contractor hit a snag with one of his suppliers,” he says. “Now that we’ve got this, Marge can move into the apartment over the laundromat.”
“She’ll like having her own space,” I murmur.
Life hasn’t been kind to my friend, but thanks to Hope House, as well as Beth, who I still see for individual therapy, I’ve watched her come out of her shell.
She’s still a bit brusque and bossy at times, but underneath it all is a woman who wants to be accepted and loved.
At the end of the day, I think that’s what everyone wants.
“Yeah, I think so too. Now, before she gets here with Theo, there was something I wanted to check out,” he says, moving toward me.
I shriek when he throws me over his shoulder and heads into the kitchen, fully onboard with where his thoughts have strayed when he positions me in front of the massive island and bends me forward.
“What’s wrong with Abyss?” I ask Shelly after watching him storm off, his face like a thundercloud.
She’s become another confidant. Maybe it’s because a lot of her past mirrors some of my own experiences, who knows? While I get along with Issy, she’s got her hands full as the president’s ol’ lady, plus she’s still active on the rodeo circuit and seems to be gone a lot.
“I told him I wouldn’t go out with him,” Shelly mumbles.
“But why? He’s a great guy,” I argue. “I mean, he’s a biker with the Kings, so he’s definitely not lily white by any means, but he’s always been nice to me.”
“Because of this,” she replies, her index finger going to the tattoo on her wrist. “He deserves better than me, Livy, and I told him that. Again. He just won’t listen.”
“That’s because he knows what he wants, and that’s you,” I retort. “Give him a chance, at least, Shelly.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Right now, I just want to eat some brisket and not think about it at all,” Shelly replies, shutting the conversation down.
Abyss
“Infuriating, aggravating, stubborn woman,” I mutter as I stalk away from the woman who’s consumed way too much of my thoughts since she walked through the door of Anarchy Ink.
I know what her fucking tattoo means. I know she’s got secrets she’s not willing to share. I also know that I’m patient enough to wait until she’s ready to talk to me about them.
Because she’s the one. I knew it the day she opened her mouth and asked for a job. The zap of electricity I felt when she shook my hand hit me hard.
Now, I just have to convince her.
Challenge motherfucking accepted.
The end for now… Property of Abyss will come out in early 2026!