Epilogue
Tavi
The clubhouse was rowdy today. I hadn’t seen it that way, well ever, but since Maverick had rescued me from the clutches of Hardy, and taken care of him, the clubhouse had been quiet.
Most of the club girls had been sent away to the clubhouse in Yarramundi, while it was just the ol’ ladies and the patched members here.
It was nice, but it wasn’t without its dramas, thanks to me.
It had been Rowan, Reaper’s ol’ lady, to suggest talking to the club chaplain, Pope, about the nightmares, my memories that came back at the wrong time.
Maverick had tried to talk me into it first, but I’d refused.
That was the club’s chaplain, not for me, only for Rowan to slap my hand and tell me I was part of the club.
Something I never thought I’d ever get to say.
Funnily enough, it was when I was with Maverick that the bad feelings stopped. Especially when he slid between my legs, and made me feel like the most cherished woman in the world.
He’d taken his time at first, for two weeks, he had kept his distance, allowing me time with Van, and the ol’ ladies of the club. I really liked Rowan, and Cherry, and could really see myself being friends with them long term, but it was Mari who held the fears at bay.
It was where I was headed, to the cabin she and the kids had been staying in since they’d come here after the fallout from Parker.
I don’t think she wanted to leave again, and I understood it.
It was safe here, even I loved being here, and I knew Van loved being around so many men who would give him all of their attention.
I stepped up on the porch of the cabin and raised my hand to knock. Softly, at first, but when I didn’t hear anything, I knocked again.
Hmm. That’s weird. Usually at least one of them answered. I checked to see if her car was parked here, and there it was just down the way a bit. She must be here. I was sure she wanted to have lunch today. Maybe she overslept. Turning the door handle, I edged the door open and checked the cabin.
It looked as it always does, perfect. Not one thing out of place, even with two teenagers living here. I hoped Van would take after them and pick up his own toys once in a while, maybe in a few years so both Maverick and I stopped treading on his goddamn cars in the middle of the night.
A sound caught me off guard and immediately my hackles rose. It sounded like someone was struggling. Part of me wanted to go and get Maverick, but another part of me knew that if I were in danger, I’d want someone to come and help me. Slowly, I crept closer and the struggling sound got louder.
Running to the bedroom door, fuelled by my own fear, I burst into the room only to see Mari—a very naked Mari, mind you—on her hands and knees on the bed, facing me, as Animal thrust into her from behind, also very naked.
My eyes widened, as did Mari’s, before I backed out of the room, closing my eyes immediately and apologising profusely before I tried to make a getaway.
I should have known the sound of pleasure since Maverick had been keeping me in a constant state of just that since that night, yet my brain had told me the sound could be danger.
“Tavi!” Mari called out. I could hear her voice getting louder. I paused in my haste to get out of the cabin as quickly as possible, my back to the door where I knew she would come through. My heart was racing, but I waited for her. “My god, Tavi, I didn’t notice the time. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, we can meet tomorrow for lunch.”
“Tavi, I’m decent, you can turn around.”
“I think I should go,” I said to her, feeling weird being here, my heart was still racing, and my stomach was in knots.
“Tavi…”
My head was swimming, almost like I was going to pass out. Mari’s hands were in mine, and she was looking into my eyes, but I could feel as if I was floating before everything turned dark.
“Tavi?”
Maverick’s strong baritone had my eyes fluttering open as I started to feel my body more and more. Panic took over once I saw Mari’s worried face behind Maverick’s, and then Animal in the corner of the room.
Flashes of what I’d seen flit through my mind and I immediately tried to sit up. Maverick was there, helping me, his hand in mine.
“What happened?” I asked, although when I caught Mari’s eye, she was giving me the silent woman code look to be quiet about what I saw.
“You passed out,” Maverick said. “Animal ran to come and get me. Do you remember what happened?”
I shook my head, holding my hand to my temple. “No. I think…maybe I was hungry or something.”
“Did you eat this morning?” Mari asked. “God, I was running late for our lunch date. I feel terrible.”
“She did,” Maverick answered. “We had breakfast with Van, like we normally do. What else do you remember? Should I take you to the doctor?”
“I thought Mari was in trouble, so I came in to he—”
I cut myself off, realising what I was about to say, and looked at her, guilt running through me. Maverick turned to her.
“Why would she be in trouble?” he asked.
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. Mari sighed, “She walked in, thinking I was in danger, but she got an eyeful of me and Brayden.”
Maverick’s eyebrows shot up, looking from Mari then to Animal. “Really? And how does your wife feel about that, Animal?”
Mari spun around to face Animal so quickly, I could barely keep track of the movement. “Married?”
Animal made a move to respond, only to be silenced when Mari stepped up to him, and slapped him so loud, I could hear the sound of flesh on flesh connecting. I suddenly got a quick flashback to Hardy slapping me, but I shook it off, focusing on Mari.
She ran off toward the bedroom, leaving Maverick facing off with Animal. I stood up, shaking off the slight dizziness and headed toward the room with Mari. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her feet, when I got there.
Sitting beside her, I felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I’m so sorry.”
Mari’s head shot up and she looked at me. “Babe, I’m not mad at you. I’m furious at Brayden. Not once did he tell me he was married, or I would never had…”
“Do you think Maverick is upset about it?” I asked her, wondering where that thought had come from, but now that it was out, I suddenly realised I desperately wanted to know. Was Maverick upset that one of his brothers was sleeping with his ex-wife?
Mari scoffed. “I doubt it. Things between me and Dane have been platonic for years, and years. He’s probably just mad because Brayden is married…jesus, I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”
“You’ve been hanging out a lot…things were bound to get…heated.”
Mari shrugged. “It hit the spot, I suppose. It was never like that with Parker. When Brayden kissed me, it was like the world spun just for me, like I didn’t have any fear, or any thought that needed to be dealt with. It was just me, you know?”
I nodded. “That’s how it is with Dane for me. He’s my safe place.”
“Speaking of,” Mari said, turning her body to face mine. “What happened before? One minute you were fine, the next…you were out cold. Your hands were shaking and you went white, almost ghostlike.”
I remembered the shaking, and the way my body went cold before darkness took over. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ve got the flu or something.”
“Why were you running?”
“I thought…fuck I don’t know, I was already pumped when I came looking for the source of the noise.
I thought you were…I don’t know, in trouble or something, and I didn’t want to leave you if you needed me.
I just kept thinking about all the times I hoped someone would bust through the door at Hardy’s mansion and save me, so I came here…
and it was…I should have known the sound of moaning, I shouldn’t have thought you were in danger… ”
“Oh, honey!” Mari pulled me into her arms, and I felt the fresh wave of tears tumble over my eyelids. “I’m so sorry. Of course you would think that, and for you to push past that fear and come to help me is incredible. You are such a good friend.”
“I don’t know why I passed out, though,” I sobbed into her shoulder.
“I do,” she said, kneeling in front of me.
“You were triggered. You thought I was in danger and came charging in, so when you saw that I wasn’t, your brain had a short circuit, and made you relive the stress and anguish of being locked up and tortured.
You have PTSD. I’m so sorry to do that to you. ”
She pulled me into her arms again and held onto me tightly. I didn’t realise how much I needed the tight hug until she gave it to me.
“Let’s go have a girl’s afternoon.”
I nodded, and she set about getting ready while I willed my body to return to normal. Pope had mentioned PTSD, for the nightmares and the anxiety when I’m in quiet places, but I didn’t think it would happen in this situation. Not that I had ever imagined this situation would happen anyway.
Maverick was at the door to the bedroom, leaning against it. “You okay, princess?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to go for a girl’s afternoon. Where’s Animal?”
“Gone home,” he said. “Probably needs to come clean to his wife. She ain’t gonna be happy.”
“I can’t believe he would cheat. He seems like such a nice person.”
“Cheating doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s just a bad choice. In any case, I don’t think things are good with him and his missus, he’s always here, always volunteers for runs. I don’t think I’ve seen him go home for months…still, it’s not something I want for Mari.”
“I agree. She deserves to be so happy, and being the other woman isn’t going to do that.”
“Are you good? Do you want me to tail you guys so you feel safe?”
“No,” I told him. “But, thank you. What’s going on at the clubhouse? It’s so busy today.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Reaper called everyone back. He let us have the clubhouse for a few weeks to get back to normal, but now it’s going to be a celebration.
Some stuff has happened with your brother, and the Ironborne.
Everything looks good for a collaboration and we’re having a party tonight to celebrate. ”
“Oh.”
“We don’t have to go, babe. I’ll put in an hour, then I’m coming home to you and Van, but I think we should go back to our house, and not stay here. It’s not a place I want Van to grow up in, especially not on party nights.”
My heart swelled. “Okay. I do miss our house.”
He nodded. “Me too.”
Maverick leant over and kissed me on the temple. “Be good, baby. I’ll see you later.”
He left the bedroom and I waited for Mari.
Pope had told me I needed to come clean with someone about everything I was feeling, especially when it came to my fears that Maverick didn’t love me enough to want to stay through the PTSD moments, especially when I woke up in a pile of sweat, screaming. Mari seemed the perfect choice.
She appeared at the door to her ensuite in jeans and a new band t-shirt, looking perfect. “Let’s go. I think lunchtime margaritas are calling our name.”
God, I loved this woman.
Maverick
Tavi slid under my arm, her Property of Maverick kutte sitting perfectly on her slim shoulders.
“You look damn good in leather, baby,” I whispered to her, before kissing her temple.
She smiled up at me, before we turned our head toward the door just as Reaper entered, with a familiar face behind him.
“Manny?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I told you things were good. Looks like he’s got his men under control, and we’re entering into a new era between the Ironborne and Shackled Sons.”
“So I can see him more?”
I nodded. “Yeah, baby, you can. Anytime you want.”
“And to think, all we needed do is get rid of my useless ex.”
I chuckled, hiding my laugh in her hair, loving her dark sense of humour. She really was the perfect woman for me.
Rowan sidled up to us as Reaper took to the front of the brothers gathered. Mannix stood with him.
“Tonight, we enter a new era in the Shackled Sons and Ironborne feud. Mannix here, after taking over from his dickhead dad, has pushed forward to align with our values. So, drink up, tonight we celebrate the end to the feud in Sydney, and hopefully, over time, the rest of our chapters can align with the Ironborne in their states.”
A round of cheers went up and we all drank.
“Where’s Van tonight?” Rowan asked.
“Lani’s babysitting him with Bane. They’ve loved getting to know him more since we moved home.”
“That’s so cute. Built-in babysitters. I love it.”
Tavi and I both laughed. We really were lucky, but some of our best nights are family game nights where Mari comes over with the kids and we end up sleeping in the lounge room on blow up mattresses with the kids.
“Oh shit,” Rowan grumbled, her eyes locked onto where Mannix now stood with a woman, who I knew to be Rowan’s best friend, Frankie.
She was showing Reaper her large engagement ring.
My eyes swung over to the one who I knew was head over heels in love with her, Chaos, who was now storming toward them.
Fuck.
Vegas intercepted, holding him back, and shoving him away before it turned into something. Reaper said a couple of words to Chaos, who backed off a little, but not before he turned to Frankie, who looked a little tense, and he walked past, out into the night air.
“Well, it ain’t a Shackled Sons party without a little drama,” I announced, and the room broke into cheers and laughter, breaking the tension.
I could still see it in Frankie’s eyes though.
She wasn’t as over with Chaos as she let on, even though she’d just announced her engagement to our new alliance.
This was going to be interesting, that’s for sure.
“Wanna go home?” I asked Tavi.
She turned in my arms, and looked up at me mischievously. “Hmm there are kids at home. We’d have to be quiet, and I suddenly don’t feel like being very quiet.”
Oh dear god.
I picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder and heading down to a spare room in the clubhouse. Tavi squealed as I kicked in the door and put her down on the floor, before locking the door to avoid any disturbances.
“What ya gonna do to me, my big bad biker man?” she asked, slowly pulling her pants open to reveal she was bare underneath. My cock was instantly pushing against the fly of my jeans.
I closed the distance between us, taking her jaw in my hand, and kissing her hard, before I pushed my forehead against hers. “How about I put my baby in you?”
“Oh yes please,” she said against my lips, before she jumped into my arms, wrapping her legs around me.
Oh yeah, absolute perfection.