Chapter 10 - Ruby
The door explodes inward with a deafening crack.
Wood splinters fly through the air as Marcus and his friends surge into my living room like a violent wave. I stumble backward, my heart racing so hard I can feel it in my throat.
"Get her!" Marcus shouts, pointing at me.
Chaos moves instantly, stepping between me and the mob. His fist connects with the first guy's jaw—a sickening crunch that sends the man reeling backward. But there are too many of them. Way too many.
"Run!" Chaos roars at me.
I turn toward the hallway, toward Liam's bedroom where my baby is hiding, terrified and alone. I need to get to him. Need to lock us both inside and pray Chaos's friends arrive before—
Arms wrap around my waist from behind, yanking me backward so violently the air rushes from my lungs.
"Got you, bitch," a voice hisses in my ear.
No. No, no, no.
I scream, thrashing against the grip, but the guy is too strong. He's bigger than me, heavier, and his arms are like iron bands crushing my ribs. He drags me away from the hallway, away from Liam, away from any chance of escape.
"Let go of me!" I claw at his arms, my nails digging into flesh. "Get your fucking hands off me!"
He just laughs, his breath hot and sour against my neck. "Keep fighting, sweetheart. I like it when they fight."
Terror floods through me, cold and paralyzing. This is it. This is the moment I've been running from for two years. They're going to take me. They're going to take Liam. And there's nothing I can do to stop it.
"Chaos!" I scream his name desperately.
I catch a glimpse of him across the room. He's holding his own, barely. Three guys are on him, swinging their bats, and he's dodging and weaving and landing punches when he can. His lip is split, blood dripping down his chin.
But he's still standing. Still fighting.
Our eyes meet for a fraction of a second, and I see the rage there. The desperation. He's trying to get to me, but Marcus and another guy block his path, their bats raised.
"Should've minded your own business," Marcus snarls, swinging his bat at Chaos's head.
Chaos ducks, the bat whistling through empty air. He drives his fist into Marcus's gut, and Marcus doubles over with a wheeze.
"Ruby belongs to me," Marcus gasps. "That kid is mine. And you're not taking them from me."
"Fuck you," Chaos spits, blood staining his teeth. "She's not yours. She never was."
The guy holding me starts dragging me toward the broken door. I dig my heels into the floor, fighting with everything I have, but it's not enough. I'm not strong enough.
"Mama!" Liam's voice cuts through the chaos, high and terrified.
My heart stops. No. He's supposed to stay in his room. Stay hidden where it's safe. But he's standing in the hallway, his stuffed rabbit clutched to his chest, tears streaming down his little face as he watches strangers hurt his mama.
"Liam, go back!" I scream. "Go back to your room!"
"The kid!" one of Marcus's friends shouts. "Grab the kid!"
A guy breaks away from the group attacking Chaos and lunges toward Liam.
"NO!" The word rips from my throat, primal and desperate.
I bite down on the arm wrapped around me, my teeth sinking into flesh until I taste blood. The guy howls and his grip loosens just enough for me to wrench free. I throw myself toward the hallway, toward my baby, but I'm too slow.
The guy reaches Liam first.
He grabs my son roughly, and Liam screams, a sound so full of terror it shatters something inside me.
"Put him down!" I'm sobbing now, stumbling forward on shaking legs. "Please, please don't hurt him!"
"Shut up," the guy snaps, holding Liam against his chest while my son flails and cries. "We're just taking what belongs to Marcus."
"He's not Marcus's! He's mine!"
Behind me, I hear the sickening thud of a bat connecting with flesh. Chaos grunts, and I turn just in time to see him drop to one knee. Blood pours from a gash on his forehead, running into his eyes.
"Chaos!" His name comes out as a broken sob.
He's trying to get up, trying to keep fighting, but there are too many of them. One guy kicks him in the ribs and he goes down hard, his body hitting the floor with a crash that makes me feel sick.
They're going to kill him. They're going to kill him and take Liam and there's nothing I can do. This is how it ends. After everything I've survived, everything I've fought through, this is how it ends.
Marcus walks over to where Chaos lies on the floor, his bat raised. There's something dark and twisted in his expression, something that tells me he's going to enjoy this.
"Should've stayed out of our business, biker trash," Marcus says, positioning the bat over Chaos's head.
"No!" I scream, but I'm too far away. Too powerless.
Marcus swings—
The roar of motorcycle engines drowns out everything else. Not one engine. Multiple engines. A whole fleet of them, getting louder and closer until the sound vibrates through my chest.
Marcus freezes, the bat still raised. His friends all turn toward the broken door, their faces going pale.
Through the splintered doorway, I see them. Motorcycles pulling up in front of my house. One, two, three—I lose count. Men in leather vests climb off their bikes, and even from here I can see the fury on their faces.
The Savage Riders.
"Oh shit," one of Marcus's friends whispers.
The bikers don't hesitate. They storm into my house like an army, and suddenly the numbers shift dramatically. What was six against one becomes six against at least six, maybe more.
A massive man with a thick beard grabs Marcus by the throat and slams him against the wall so hard the pictures rattle. "You picked the wrong fucking day to mess with our brother."
"Tank," Chaos gasps from the floor, relief flooding his voice.
Another biker, this one with cold blue eyes that remind me of winter, surveys the scene. He must be King, the president Chaos talked about. His gaze lands on the guy holding Liam, and his expression goes absolutely murderous.
"Put. The child. Down." Each word is spoken quietly, but the threat in them is unmistakable.
The guy holding Liam looks around wildly, realizing he's completely surrounded. His hands shake as he slowly sets Liam on the floor.
Liam runs to me immediately, and I scoop him up, holding him so tight he squeaks in protest. But I can't let go. I can’t loosen my grip even a fraction.
"You're okay, baby," I sob into his hair. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay."
"Mama," he whimpers, his little arms wrapping around my neck.
The bikers move with precision, grabbing Marcus and his friends, forcing them to their knees. Within seconds, the situation is completely reversed. The men who came here to hurt us are now the ones looking terrified.
A woman pushes through the crowd of bikers, and comes straight to me, her expression soft with concern.
"I'm Luna," she says gently. "King's girlfriend. Are you hurt?"
I shake my head, still clutching Liam. "I'm okay. But Chaos… He's hurt. They beat him—"
"We'll take care of him." She touches my shoulder gently. "You're safe now. I promise."
I watch as two bikers help Chaos to his feet. He's bleeding from his forehead, his lip, probably his ribs too. But he's alive. He's standing. His eyes find mine across the room, and the relief I see there mirrors my own.
"Ruby," he says, limping toward me.
I meet him halfway, Liam still in my arms. Chaos wraps us both in his embrace, and I feel the tension finally drain from my body. We're safe. We're actually safe.
"I'm sorry," he murmurs against my hair. "I should've protected you better. Should've kept them from grabbing you—"
"You did protect us." I pull back enough to look at him. "You held them off until help arrived. You saved us."
"What do you want us to do with these assholes?" Tank asks, his hand still gripping Marcus's throat.
Chaos looks at me, leaving the decision in my hands.
I stare at Marcus. The man who abandoned me, who told me to abort our child, who just tried to kidnap my son and hurt the first person who's shown me kindness in years.
"I want them to leave," I say, my voice steady despite my shaking hands. "And I want Marcus to sign away his parental rights. Legally. Today."
Marcus's eyes widen. "You can't—"
"I can," I cut him off. "You just broke into my home with weapons.
You attempted kidnapping. You assaulted someone.
I have witnesses now." I gesture to the room full of bikers.
"Plenty of witnesses. So, you have two choices: sign the papers giving up all rights to Liam, or I press charges and you go to prison. Your choice."
Marcus looks around wildly, but there's no escape. His friends are all being held by bikers who look ready to break bones at the slightest provocation.
"Fine," he spits. "I'll sign your fucking papers. The kid was a mistake anyway."
The words should hurt. Maybe they would have yesterday. But looking at Liam, at his ginger hair and hazel eyes, at the way he's calmed down now that he's in my arms, I know the truth.
Liam was never a mistake. He was the best thing that ever happened to me.
"Get them out of here," King orders. "Take them somewhere to get the paperwork done. Make sure they understand that if they ever come near Ruby or her son again, we won't be so merciful."
The bikers haul Marcus and his friends to their feet, dragging them toward the door. Marcus looks back at me one last time, and I see the hatred there. But I also see fear.
Good. He should be afraid.
When they're gone, the tension in the room finally breaks. Luna immediately starts fussing over Chaos's injuries while other bikers assess the damage to my house.
A younger guy, probably around Chaos's age, approaches me with a shy smile.
"I'm Rookie," he says. "Another prospect. Sorry we didn't get here sooner."
"You got here exactly when we needed you," I tell him sincerely.
Chaos extracts himself from Luna's medical attention and comes back to me. His face is a mess. Blood still dripping from his forehead, his eye already swelling shut.
"You need a hospital," I tell him.
"I'm fine." He touches my cheek gently. "Are you really okay? Did they hurt you?"
"Just scared me. But I'm okay now." I look around at all the bikers in my destroyed living room. "Thank you. All of you. I don't know how to repay—"
"You're family now," King interrupts, his cold eyes warming slightly as he looks at me. "Chaos claimed you. That makes you one of ours. We protect our own."
"Besides," a woman with brown hair and a kind smile adds, stepping forward. "We've all been where you are. Running, scared, desperate. The club saved us. Now we're saving you."
"This is Amelia," Chaos tells me. "Tank's girlfriend."
Amelia nods. "I now have a whole family who has my back. Same thing for you, Ruby. You're not alone anymore."
Tears spill down my cheeks. I've been alone for so long. Running for so long. And now...
"Thank you," I whisper.
Luna steps forward. "Let me look at Liam, make sure he wasn't hurt."
I reluctantly hand my son over, watching nervously as Luna does a gentle examination. But Liam seems okay: scared and clingy, but physically fine.
"He's perfect," Luna announces, handing him back. "Just needs some cuddles and maybe some ice cream later."
"Ice cream!" Liam perks up at that.
Everyone laughs, and the sound is warm and genuine and so different from the violence that filled this room minutes ago.
Over the next hour, the bikers help clean up the worst of the damage. The door is completely destroyed, but Steel promises to have it fixed by tomorrow. Others sweep up broken glass and wood splinters while Luna tends to Chaos's injuries properly.
I sit on the couch with Liam, watching these dangerous men be surprisingly gentle as they restore order to my home. Watching the women who've clearly been through their own hells offer me understanding and support.
This is what family looks like. Real family. The kind you choose.
Eventually, people start filtering out, heading back to their own lives. King is the last to leave, stopping to speak with Chaos quietly. I can't hear what they're saying, but when King leaves, Chaos is smiling despite his split lip.
Finally, it's just the three of us. Me, Chaos, and Liam.
"So," Chaos says, lowering himself onto the couch beside me. "We need to have that talk we promised ourselves last night."
"About the future?"
"About us." He takes my hand. "Ruby, I know we barely know each other. I know this is crazy and fast and probably stupid. But I meant what I said yesterday. I want to protect you and Liam. Forever."
"Forever," I repeat softly.
"I'm not good at this," he admits. "I've never been in a relationship. Never wanted one. But with you... I want to try. Want to see where this goes. Want to build something real."
"Even though I come with a kid and a whole lot of baggage?"
"Especially because of that." He squeezes my hand. "You're brave, Ruby. You fought for your son when everyone else gave up on you. You survived when most people would've broken. That's not baggage. That's strength."
"I want to try too," I whisper. "I'm terrified, but I want to try."
"Then we'll figure it out together." He leans forward and kisses me gently, mindful of his split lip. "One day at a time."
Liam, who's been quietly playing with his rabbit, suddenly climbs onto Chaos's lap. "Bike man stay?"
Chaos looks startled, then melts. "Yeah, little man. Bike man's staying."
"Good." Liam settles against Chaos's chest like he belongs there.
And watching them together, this dangerous biker with my precious son, I feel something click into place. Like pieces of a puzzle finally finding where they fit.
We're not conventional. We're not perfect. But we're real. And after two years of running, of being afraid, of feeling alone, that's all I need.
"I love you," I blurt out, then immediately clamp my hand over my mouth.
It's too soon. Way too soon. We've known each other two days. I shouldn't be saying that yet. But Chaos just smiles, that beautiful smile that transforms his whole face.
"I love you too, Ruby. I know it's crazy. I know it's too fast. But I love you."
And somehow, impossibly, I believe him. And for the first time in two years, I'm not planning my next escape. I'm not looking over my shoulder or counting my money or wondering how long until we have to run again.
I'm home. Finally, truly home.
Not because of the house or the town, but because of the man beside me and the family we're building together.
Marcus will sign the papers. My parents will eventually give up when they realize the Savage Riders won't let them take Liam. And I'll stop running.
Because I found something worth staying for.
I found love. I found family. I found home.
And I'm never letting it go.