Chapter Twenty-Two
P at had never ridden so hard and so fast in his life.
He knew what William was going to do, and on his way over to the fabric store, he had figured out it was William who had killed that mother and daughter.
William and his desperation for his brother’s body had pushed him back into the hands of the cartel.
William had attacked Lidia. William had killed Lauren. And it was William who had pushed for the attacks on his bike, on the mechanic shop, and on Dylan. Each attack was aimed at people William felt were responsible for Craig’s death.
Charging into the fabric store, and seeing William choking the life out of his woman had signed his death sentence. Staring at his opponent, he didn’t feel anything for him but rage. Ava had done nothing wrong.
He landed another blow, and another. William was clearly not used to an opponent with skill. Pat didn’t stop, hearing something break and something snap. Within a matter of moments, William was on the ground, and Pat reached out, wrapping one hand around his throat.
“I can help you,” William said.
“No, you can’t.”
“Your days are numbered. The cartel will come and take what they want.” William smiled, and there was blood dripping down his nose. His teeth were already stained with his blood.
Leaning forward, Pat looked into his eyes. He let the other man see his true self. The one he kept locked up. The man who was more than happy to ride in blood and chaos. The man who would kill anyone who came after his woman.
“If you hadn’t been choking her, I might have considered a deal. But you choked her, you intended to kill her, and for that, you are done.”
He reached around William’s head, gripped it, and with very little effort, he snapped the man’s neck, killing him instantly.
Pat was aware of Hazel watching him. He knew Ava also looked at him.
He turned around and found Ava staring at him. She had bruises already forming on her face, and that angered him. He waited, knowing this was now up to her. He refused to push her, and instead allowed her to take the chance.
Ava took one step, then another, followed by another, and she was in his arms. He held her tightly, pressing his face against her neck.
“You saved me,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, and Pat gritted his teeth. It was time for the monster to go to bed.
He cupped her chin, tilted her head back, and looked her in the eye. “I will always come back for you.” And with that, he took possession of her lips.
“Well, thank fuck you did,” Violet said, seconds later. “Fucking look at the place. That piece of shit...”
“That’s enough, Violet,” Hazel said.
“He put fucking gasoline on fabric, Mom. Look at it.” Violet shook her head. “The man needs to die a second time.”
Hazel chuckled. “Agreed.” She cleared her throat. “Is this going to be a problem?”
“That depends,” Pat said. “What did you see?”
Hazel looked at him, and then down at her daughter. “I didn’t see anything. All I know was that man was hurting my daughter. Killing her. You came in and saved her. That is all I saw.”
“Yeah, dude doesn’t know his way around a rotary cutter,” Violet said. She snorted. “Personally, I think the fabric attacked him.”
Pat nodded.
“You have my blessing,” Hazel said. “And I know you would have had her father’s.”
“Mom?” Ava asked.
Pat looked toward his woman. He stroked her cheek, seeing the redness around her throat. “This is not the way I wanted to ask you, babe, but I love you. I fell in love with you a long time ago, the moment I walked into that coffee shop. There is no one I want more than you. I love you.”
He sunk down onto one knee, aware that a couple of feet away, there was a dead body.
“Marry me, Ava.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring.
“Are you for real right now?” Grant asked, stepping into the fabric shop.
He was not the only one either. Bull, Rip, Sweets, Rusty, and several of the other guys walked right in.
There were even the three prospects. None of them had crumbled under the pressure of Bull’s questioning.
He already knew the three men would be initiated.
“This is not romantic,” Grant said. “You should tell his sorry ass to back the fuck up, and ask you over a candlelit dinner.”
Pat saw his dad enter the shop as well. He also noticed that Violet went to his old man, and the two shared an embrace. He didn’t know if that was a friendly embrace or a loving one.
“I’m sorry,” Ava said.
At first, Pat thought she was about to reject his marriage proposal, but her gaze was toward the other club brothers.
“I couldn’t let this place go. My dad—”
“Stop,” Bull said. “We all do crazy things for family. We get it. You don’t have to apologize for that. Even Ranford there, he broke doing what he needed to for his family.”
Ava turned toward him and smiled, that smile he had first fallen in love with. The same smile he spent a great deal of time thinking about. “I love you too. You’re all I could think about as he choked me.”
“That is some weird porn shit,” Grant said. “Ouch, what was that for?”
“Stop ruining his proposal,” Bull said.
“What, it’s weird. She was getting choked by another guy and hey, don’t hit me again.”
“Yes,” Ava said, but she chuckled only to then groan and he realized it was going to hurt her for a short time because her throat was going to be bruised.
Pat kissed her neck. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He should have gotten here a lot sooner.
“I love you, Ava, and I promise, I’m not going to let anything like this ever happen again.”
She cupped his face. “Stop, this was not your fault.”
And then he kissed her.
The club, the shop, all of it, faded into nothing as he kissed his woman. Pulling her in close, running his hands down her back, hoping to just hold her and create new memories with her.
“Hey,” Hazel said. “Seeing as you’re all here, and you seem intent on helping out, how about you get started in putting this shop back to some normalcy? I’ve got a business to run, and now gasoline to get out of the carpet.”
Pat wrapped his arms around his woman and looked toward her mother. Hazel had finally given him her blessing, and for that he was thankful. He knew it would be a lot easier being with Ava. She loved her family, and he would never make her choose between the club and her family.
She could have both.
****
T hree Weeks Later
“Are you nervous?” Violet asked.
“No.”
“Seriously. I thought a lot of women got cold feet before their wedding.”
“No, my feet are warm. Burning hot, actually.”
“Ew, you just told me you’ve got sweaty feet.”
Ava laughed. There was now only a pinch of pain, and most of the bruising had all but gone from her throat. Each time Pat saw the bruises or even any evidence of her in pain, it would anger him. She saw it in his eyes.
Staring down at her white wedding dress, Pat had insisted she wear it. She had been a virgin when she came to him, and that meant something.
Her engagement ring sat on her finger, and she knew a second ring would join it today.
They only had a short engagement. Neither of them wanted to wait to get married.
It also had a little something to do with another person that would be joining them in about seven months’ time. Give or take a week or two.
Ava was pregnant. The club knew. Her family knew. Everyone knew, and Ava didn’t want to look too pregnant for her photographs, which is why there had been a rush to the wedding.
They were also not holding it in church. Instead, they were having it in the clubhouse. Right now, she, Violet, her mother, Maddie, Aria, and even Lidia were in the room. Ava hadn’t been able to choose bridesmaids, so she settled on all the old ladies and her family.
Her mother was giving her away. Not traditional, but the only option. Doc had offered but her mother said it was important to her to do what her husband wasn’t there to do.
The only person in the room with her right now was Violet.
“Do you want me to make some kind of escape plan?” Violet asked.
“No.”
“You’re happy, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.” Ava turned toward her sister. “Does that seem crazy?”
“No, but I am happy for you. You deserve happiness.”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked toward her sister.
“Don’t cry,” Violet said. “I can’t remember if I used waterproof, and your makeup looks flawless, and we all know tears will just wipe it all away.”
Ava laughed. Her sister had done her hair and makeup. She looked pretty. Everything was in place.
“I’m not going to cry. At least not yet.” She took a deep breath, and there was a knock at the door.
Her mother stepped inside. “Everything is ready. Are you ready?”
Ava nodded.
“Look at my little girl. Both of my girls. You’re both ... I have been blessed to have been given two of the most precious girls in the world. I even consider you my best friends as well.”
“I don’t want to cry,” Ava said.
Violet laughed. “You’re our best friend, Mom, as well. We’re all together. We’re a team.”
In the last three weeks, a lot had happened. Ava had gone back to work for her mother. Pat and the club hadn’t been wrong. Lauren had named Ava next of kin, which meant she had been given the coffee shop.
Ava had seen the pain in Rip’s eyes when they held the funeral for Lauren.
All members of the club had been there. Lauren had fallen in love with Rip, and from the looks of it, he had fallen in love with Lauren.
She hadn’t been able to stop crying. Lauren had saved her.
To help ease the pain, Ava had signed the property over to Rip.
Not only was there the coffee shop, but the apartment as well, along with all of Lauren’s belongings.
She had seen the small apartment. Lauren had collected small trinkets over the years, amassed many cookbooks.
Her entire reclusive personality had shone in that apartment.
Ava had been unable to hold back the tears.
Not that she had known Lauren that well.
They had a working relationship, as well as starting out as friends.
Ava had been the only one to stick around for the odd working hours.
Pat had also started to look for a place in Carnage. He wanted to settle roots, and with a baby on the way, her apartment was not going to cut it. Bernice was in their lives as well. She loved her dog.
Everything was perfect.
And as she linked her arm through her mother’s, she couldn’t help but miss her dad, but she had a feeling he was there watching over them.
Ava walked out onto the snow-covered grounds, and as the music started to play, she looked toward where the priest stood.
The club had turned the backyard into a small church, complete with two aisles.
The entire club was there, so the yard was full.
Pat was dressed in a tuxedo, but on top was his leather cut.
Most of the club were always dressed in leather cuts.
When they walked to where Pat waited for her, he took her hand, reached out, and kissed Hazel’s cheek.
“I will always take care of her.”
And to prove his point, he took his leather cut off and slid it on her shoulders to ward off the cold.
She had found the love of her life, her soulmate, and there was no one else she wanted. Ava knew how rare this was. It was why her mother, after ten years, still wasn’t dating. She had found the love of her life, and no other man would ever measure up.
The priest began his sermon, and Ava heard the words but all she could see was her man. They were going to share a future together, and Pat had warned her that future was uncertain.
Lidia had gotten out of the hospital.
The sheriff’s building had been moved to temporary accommodations while the other was rebuilt. Dylan had also gotten out of the hospital.
The mechanic shop was already up and running. With the club’s help, the fabric store didn’t even have to close for a day.
They would figure this out.
Ava knew the enemy was out there, but she also had faith in her man, in the club, and she had sworn her loyalty to the Chaos and Carnage MC. She was not a member, but she was an old lady.