Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Eliza
As we drove back in silence, I leaned against the car window, watching the landscapes blur by. The actuality of Mark’s death, the complexity of his hidden lives, and the public accusation had left me reeling. But amidst the chaos, one thing was crystal clear. Knox had become my steadfast protector, the person I could rely on without hesitation. His loyalty, which he so freely extended to his club, was now a shield around me and Emma, and for that, I was profoundly grateful.
“I have to call Birdie,” I said, wanting to talk to Emma. I told Emma, “Grandma will be picking you up and mommy will see you soon.” Thankfully, my little girl was blissfully unaware of everything going on and having a blast getting to spend more time than ever with Grandma and Birdie.
“We need to be careful,” Knox finally broke the silence. “It’s good Emma ain’t with us. Whoever is behind this might not be done yet. They’ve shown they’ll go to any lengths.”
My fear turned into a determination. “Let’s go over everything again. We must be missing something.”
Back at his apartment, we spread out the documents and printouts of the digital evidence we’d collected. With fresh eyes, we traced through the financial trails and questionable transactions, marking connections and potential leads. Hours passed as night fell.
Suddenly, our focused silence was shattered by the sound of breaking glass. Instinctively, we ducked as the window beside us exploded, showering the room with shards. Knox was on his feet in an instant, pulling me down to the floor.
“Stay down!” he hissed, peering cautiously toward the broken window.
Heart hammering, I crawled closer to him, away from the sightline of the window. “What was that? A warning shot?”
“Or a missed shot,” Knox replied grimly, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’m calling this in.”
As he reported the incident to his brothers, not the cops, I couldn’t help but feel the walls closing in around us. The danger Mark’s secrets had posed was no longer just a shadow. It was real and immediate.
Knox ended the call and looked at me, his expression set in hard lines. “We can’t stay here. Ain’t safe anymore. We’re moving to a secure location I know, just outside of town. Get your bag, quickly.”
Minutes later, we were on his motorcycle, his apartment fading into the background as we drove into the night. Knox’s jaw was clenched, his eyes scanning the road and mirrors for any sign of pursuit. The ride was long and curvy, each turn and shadow making me jump.
“We’ll be safe here,” Knox assured me as we arrived at a nondescript cabin hidden by dense trees, far from the prying eyes of the city. “It’s off the grid, and only a few trusted people know about it.”
Inside, the cabin was sparsely furnished but fortified, the windows barred. Knox showed me around, pointing out security measures and escape routes. The truth of our circumstance settled heavily on my shoulders. We were hiding, not just from the law or community judgment, but from someone who wanted to silence us permanently.
As we settled into the unexpected refuge, Knox kept close, his presence both comforting and a constant reminder of the danger we faced. Despite everything, we reviewed our findings, trying to piece together who could benefit the most from Mark’s silence—and now, potentially ours.
Late into the night, as fatigue blurred the lines of the documents before us, we moved to the bedroom. The sound of Knox moving about, checking the locks and windows, was oddly comforting before he joined me.
“We’ll get through this, Eliza,” Knox’s voice was soft but firm, filled with a promise. “We’re close to figuring this out, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Knox materialized over me, his eyes darting over my body, and I was certain, we could forget about all of this mess tonight, if only for a little while. We could lose ourselves in one another. And that’s just what we did.
Our time started with passionate kisses as always, awakening all my butterflies.
“I want you completely naked, Eliza,” Knox suddenly demanded. “I want to look at you, all of you.” He reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet.
He sat on the edge of the bed while I stripped for him.
“Turn around,” he ordered, and I obeyed. “Get down on all fours… spread your legs… turn over… touch yourself…” Knox had me putting on an erotic show for him before he joined me on the hard wooden floor.
The biker laid down and pulled me on top of him, straddling his erection. He lost all his clothes at some point. “I want to watch you bounce on my dick, Eliza. Ride this dick, baby.”
The lust in Knox’s eyes, the hunger that was evident in the intensity of his gaze on me, made me yearn for the escape from reality that only his touch could provide.
I slowly sank down onto his hard length, moaning softly as the familiar pleasure coursed through me. Knox’s hands gripped my thick hips, guiding me up and down on his thrusts. We moved in sync, our bodies creating a rhythm that seemed to mirror the beat of my heart.
“Fuck, Eliza,” Knox groaned. “You feel so fucking good.”
Leaning forward, I braced myself on his chest as I began to move faster, deeper, seeking to please him. He squeezed my ass harder, thrusting more urgently.
“Eliza,” Knox growled, his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made me shiver. “I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll forget everything else happening outside these walls.”
I nodded eagerly, ready to surrender to the desire that was now taking over both of us. With one last thrust, Knox rolled us over, pinning me beneath him as he plunged into me with abandon.
His thrusts became more frantic, each movement bringing us closer to our climax. I could feel Knox’s heart thudding against my own, his pulse matching mine as we moved together like perfect partners in a wild, incensed dance.
My nails dug into the biker’s tattooed muscle-bound arms as he slammed into me, my body arching up to meet him. The sweat on his forehead glistened, mingling with the salty taste of his skin as our lips collided. We moved like animals, growling and grunting, our bodies slick with sweat and arousal.
In that moment, as I clung onto him with all my strength, it felt as if the entire world faded into insignificance, leaving behind only the electrifying bond between us and the relentless pursuit of our simultaneous peak. I screamed his name as my orgasm washed over me, making my entire body tremble. Knox thrust into me harder, his face contorted in the bliss of his own release. With a final thrust and a powerful groan, Knox found his release within me, filling me with his warmth as he collapsed on top of me, spent.
Immediately I complained that he came inside of me. “I’m on the pill, Knox, but we’ve got to be more careful.”
“I’m sorry, Eliza. I just couldn’t help myself. I won’t do it again until you want me to. Not that I don’t want to put a baby in you.”
“I’ve already got one kid. And…” I was taken aback by his words. I just didn’t know what to say.
“And what, Eliza?” Knox’s eyes searched mine, a blend of vulnerability and passion shining through.
I looked back at him, my heart pounding. “I… I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.”
His expression softened, his hand caressing my cheek gently. “Take your time, Eliza. I’ll be here, waiting for you when you’re ready. I love you. You’re mine now, and I want everything with you.”
I tried to speak, to say something meaningful to express how deeply his words resonated within me, but the words seemed to get caught in my throat. My heart swelled, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I truly believed we could make it through this. I couldn’t help but marvel at the man who had become my protector. Mark’s death had shaken me to my core, but Knox’s unwavering support had been my everything.
We lay there in his bed, entwined, our bodies warm and connected, as the night pressed in around us. Knox’s words echoed in my mind, his love for me. The danger we faced was too real to ignore, but I finally found the courage to whisper, “Knox, I love you, too,” before I drifted off to sleep.
We spent the next few days in the cabin, analyzing every detail of our situation, trying to find a way to stay one step ahead. And our nights were filled with the ultimate passion as this biker showed me how much he wanted everything with me.
When it was time to return to my daily routine, I walked through the school hallways, my mind was full of the last week’s discoveries and dangers, each interaction with colleagues and students feeling like a play I was partaking in, my real concerns masked behind a facade of normalcy.
During my lunch break, I decided to call Birdie. We hadn’t really spoken since everything unfolded, and I longed for the comfort of her voice and her perspective. But the conversation that followed wasn’t what I had expected.
“Eliza, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Birdie’s voice was hesitant over the phone, a tone I wasn’t accustomed to hearing from her. “It’s about Mark… and why I’ve been so distant lately.”
“Birdie, what are you talking about?” I asked, a knot of apprehension tightening in my stomach.
“I… I didn’t want to get involved, Eliza, but I’ve known about some of the people Mark was mixed up with. They’re bad news—involved in all sorts of illegal activities,” she confessed. Her words felt like a physical blow, the betrayal stinging sharply.
“You knew? Birdie, how could you not tell me? I thought I could trust you!” My voice broke, the pain evident.
“I’m so sorry, Eliza. I was scared. They threatened me, and I didn’t know what to do,” she pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Did you know about his other family, too?” I asked, pissed.
“No. I swear, I had no idea about that,” she started, but I hung up.
As I processed her words, the weight of her betrayal heavy on my heart, another unexpected visit at the school turned the day darker. Two police officers approached me just as the day ended, their faces grim.
“Ms. Martin, we have something important to discuss with you about Knox,” an officer began. “There are some past incidents in his record that you should be aware of. Incidents involving violence.”
“What kind of incidents?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“He was charged with murder before. He pleaded insanity and was released after a psychiatric evaluation,” the officer explained.
Their words sounded almost foreign. They reverberated within my thoughts as the foundation of trust I had built with Knox shook under the weight of this new revelation.
“I need to speak to him,” I stated, more to myself than to the officers. They nodded, allowing me the space to process the information.
Immediately, I confronted Knox over the phone. “Knox, the police were here. They told me about your past… about the murder charge. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Eliza, I can explain. Ain’t what it sounds like. Please, let me explain,” Knox’s voice was urgent, pleading.
The layers of deception, both from Birdie and now from Knox, two people I had trusted felt like too much. Yet, despite the shock and the swirling doubts, I needed to hear him out.
“Okay, Knox. We’ll talk tonight. I’ll listen,” I said, the decision heavy but necessary.
That evening, as we faced each other, the load of all that had transpired pressing down on us, Knox told his story. In the secure cabin, the only sounds were the crackling of the fireplace and our uneven breaths. Knox’s gaze was fixed on the worn wooden floor, his hands clasped tightly together as if holding himself steady before he began his story.
“Eliza, when I was sixteen,” Knox started, his voice full of pain. “I walked into a nightmare I’d lived every day of my life. My father… he had a temper, fueled by alcohol and whatever else. Had to be more than booze. Anyway, that night, he was beating my mother something awful. It wasn’t the first time, but I knew if I didn’t do something, it might be the last.”
He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I didn’t plan to shoot him. I just… I grabbed the only thing I thought could make him stop. It was my grandfather’s old hunting rifle. I only meant to scare him.”
Knox’s hands trembled slightly, and he stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. “He turned on me, grabbed his own gun and said he’d kill us both. I fired without thinking, hit him in the thigh. It was enough to stop him, to save her that night, but not enough to save him from the complications that came after. He died a week later in the hospital.”
The room was heavy with Knox’s confession, his burden shared in the space between us. “I was charged with murder, going to be tried as an adult,” he added, his voice distant. “But it was self-defense, to save my mom. The court eventually saw it that way too, after a psychological evaluation and a lot of legal battles. They ruled it an act of insanity driven by desperation, and I was released into a guardian’s care instead of going to prison.”
I listened, each word etching a picture of the young Knox, a boy forced into an impossible situation, making a split-second decision that would shape the rest of his life. My heart ached for him, for the child he was, and for the man he had become because of his past.
“And then soon after that my mom took her own life.”
“Knox,” I said softly, reaching across the small space to offer my hand. He took it, his grip firm yet vulnerable. “I can’t imagine how hard that was for you. Thank you for telling me. It must have been difficult to revisit those memories.”
He nodded, a semblance of relief passing over his features as he squeezed my hand. “It was, and I don’t want any secrets between us. Not about something like this. But I didn’t want to scare you off, either.”
The honesty in his eyes, the raw openness of his story, solidified something within me. Whatever doubts had crept into my mind were overshadowed by the undeniable truth of his character, revealed in his actions both past and present. Knox had acted to protect, to save the life of someone he loved. And I believed, without a shred of doubt, that he would do the same for Emma and me.
“Thank you for trusting me with your past, Knox,” I whispered, feeling the bonds between us strengthen, reinforced by the truths shared and the mutual understanding that had grown in the light of his vulnerability. As we sat together, the shadows of the past mingling with the flickering firelight, I knew we were building something resilient, forged in the fires of honesty and the will to protect those we loved.