Epilogue Raven
My hand rested over Bree’s stomach as she slept, thinking of the life growing inside her. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to do this with her, that I understood the commitment, or that I wanted this baby. It felt like a second chance—a redemption.
In my nearly fifty years on this earth, I’d done some crazy, fucked up shit. I’d hurt people, sometimes those I cared about. I’d been the first to draw blood and lift more than one shovel to bury a brother. There were things I could never go back and change, and it made me the man I had become.
I used to carry that burden along with Sarah’s death. It weighed heavy on my shoulders. Now? For the first time, I found peace with my past. Brianna gave me the courage to move on and forgive myself. Her strength and bravery guided me to the right path, one I had avoided for far too long.
Bree yawned, placing her hand over mine. “Hey.”
“Hi.” I rubbed her belly, knowing I could love this child and be the father they needed. I hoped she knew that.
“You sure this is what you want?”
I trailed my fingers up her body, not stopping until I grasped her chin, tilting her head up until those mesmerizing green eyes focused on me. “Absofuckinglutely. Not a doubt in my mind. I’ll love this baby as much as I love you, my beautiful mate. Never doubt it. I’m here. Not goin’ anywhere.”
Her gaze softened. “You really mean that.”
“I do.”
“Okay.”
That was it? No more discussion? “Okay?”
“Yes. Me. You. This baby. I want all three of us together. A family.”
A sudden lump formed in my throat. A family. The one thing I always wanted and never dared to hope for.
“Goddamn, Bree. You make me so fucking happy.”
“That goes both ways.”
My head dipped, and I closed in, capturing her lips in a tender, devoted, sultry kiss. It lasted until we had to part to breathe.
“There’s one thing I want to ask of you.”
She blinked. “What is it?”
“Would you consider talking to someone about what you’ve been through? Having this baby could stir up a lot of feelings. I’m here, but I think you could benefit from some extra support.”
“Like group therapy?”
“Yeah, but with women who’ve been through similar experiences. One of my brothers in the Graven Bastards, Patriot, his ol’ lady was trafficked. She has a group that meets at The Crossroads.”
I could tell Bree was thinking it over. “I think that would be a good idea. I’d like to check it out.”
I nodded. “Good.”
“But, if I don’t think it works for me, I might have to find an alternative.”
“I understand that.” Clearing my throat, I confessed a bit of my past in an effort to remain open and honest. “I served as a Marine when I was younger with Patriot’s brother. That’s why we’re still close. It’s how I know about what Mimi went through and her group.”
Her hand squeezed mine. “Thanks for explaining.”
“I don’t want any secrets between us. Nothing to hide in the darkness and tear us apart.” I let that happen with Sarah. Not with Bree. I wouldn’t allow it.
“No secrets,” she agreed, lowering her head to rest on my shoulder.
I held her as my eyelids grew heavy, and in that moment, I felt true peace.
THE DOOR OPENED A COUPLE of hours later. Crow entered, shutting it behind him with a quiet click.
“You good, V.P.?”
“Never been better. What Falcon couldn’t fix has healed. I just needed a little blood.”
“Good.” He sighed. “We need to talk.”
Fuck. No one liked to hear that sentence.
“You remember the map on the back of the photos? The ones in the envelope?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Claw and Jay checked it out. They found another envelope.”
Fuck. “What was in it?”
Crow ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room. “More photos and a locker key. It’s for a locker in a fucking gym. I sent Hawk to check it out and bring back whatever is in it.”
“He’ll be discreet. No one will see his crow. He’s fucking fast and deadly.”
“That’s not what concerns me.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s what’s on those fucking pictures. I don’t want you to lose your shit, Raven.”
“What is it?” I growled a second time, not wanting to drag this out.
“Brianna in a room with Chronos and the Dirty Death—”
“The fuck?” I roared.
“And the mayor with different women in compromising sex acts. All of them are currently missing.”
“He’s a dead man,” I snarled.
“There’s more,” Crow spat.
“Give it to me straight, Pres.”
“It’s Undertaker.”
“I figured. He found the safehouse. The question remains how did he do it?”
“The bond with his animal. It’s the only explanation.”
I stared at Crow, wondering why he specified animal instead of crow. “Shit. You think he’s something different.”
“I do.”
“Well, fuck. Don’t leave me in the dark.”
“A wolf.”
A wolf? As in werewolf? “Are you fucking saying what I think you are?”
“Yeah, he scented us. Followed our club members. He knows every safe location we have, every home we live in, our families. All of it. He has the scent of the crows. He can track us.”
My arm instinctively tightened around Bree as she slept. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I glanced down at her, concerned for the woman I finally had the courage to love after all this time. I’d been a fool.
“This changes everything,” I finally replied.
“It does. We bring this to church. Undertaker wanted a war with us, he’s got one. No fucking mercy.”
“For Rook,” I agreed.
“For Rook,” he confirmed. “And our mates.”
“IS HE GOING TO MAKE it?”
I turned, staring at the pretty blonde at my side, mesmerized by her sweet smile and the dark lashes framing her gray eyes.
Swallowing hard, I hoped I didn’t sound like an idiot. “Who?”
“Bree’s new man, Raven.”
Yep, idiot.
She pointed to my cut. “You wear the same brand. Devil’s Murder. You’re his biker buddy, right?”
What the fuck? “We aren’t buddies,” I growled.
She giggled. “Oh, right. Biker brothers.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, is he going to be okay?”
We stood outside the patient room where Raven had been moved once his injuries were stabilized. There was only so much Falcon could do with that much blood loss. Raven’s gunshot wound almost killed him.
That was how we ended up at the hospital, most of the club taking shifts to watch out for our enemies.
“You a friend of Brianna’s?”
She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Her bestie. I’m Callie.”
Never heard of her. Oh, wait. Yeah, the chick Brianna worked with at the mayor’s office. The one with the missing sister.
“Yeah, he needed a blood transfusion, but he’s fine. Too fucking stubborn to die.”
She snickered. “I’m glad. Bree deserves to be happy.”
I gave her my full attention. “Why are—”
The blaring wail of a fire alarm drowned my words. Sprinklers went off overhead and began pouring water, soaking us in only seconds.
“Ahhhhhh,” Callie screeched.
It wasn’t an accident. My crow immediately alerted me to danger.
I reached for the girl’s hand, tugging her out of the hall into one of the empty patient rooms.
“What are you doing?” She pulled on my arm, but I held tight.
Peeking out the door, I saw two men wearing Dirty Death MC cuts. Fucking hell.
“Saving your life,” I whispered, tugging her body closer to mine. “Follow me.”