Chapter 24
Rhylan
I did as she’d asked, staying back and out of sight, only to guarantee that whoever the fuck she was about to beat the living shit out of, didn’t end up turning the tables in their favor.
When her sister fled through the front door, I knew at that point she had the situation under control; that was, until I saw Dakota’s body slam into the wall and watched as the fucker responsible bent down to pick her up by the throat.
By lucky fucking chance, Louie had rolled roughly two feet away from me on the other side of the archway, stopping next to one of the couch legs. With both of them distracted, I took the opportunity to reach over and snatch my buddy up before they became aware of my presence.
I knew my girl was tough; seeing her confront a man twice her size with the look of fearless determination to end his life had me hard as fuck.
But when I noticed her struggling to breathe, unable to free herself from his hold, I had no choice but to interject, pulling his attention away from her and putting it all on me.
Dakota didn’t see the gunshot; her eyes closed from the second he released his grip around her throat. He’d hit me in the shoulder, and I bit through the pain to take him out for good before he could fire off a second.
When all was said and done, I used Louie to cover the bullet wound so Dakota wouldn’t have to worry; the last thing she needed after all she’d just been through.
Asking her to marry me was spur of the moment; my adrenaline soaring from the high of the kill and saving my wildcat in the process. I didn’t expect her to say ‘yes’ right away, fearing she’d be combative to the idea, and that alone changed everything.
I only hoped that she wasn’t simply agreeing because of the circumstances and knew that everything I did for her was out of pure, unconditional love. I’d do anything for this woman; I’d lay my life on the line for her if it ever came down to it.
“Okay, let me get this straight… You’re a member of a secret society…
” Once the police were handled, shattered glass cleaned up, and the body disposed of, Dakota and I sat down at her kitchen table, and I revealed every secret I’d withheld from her.
“But you don’t just murder people for fun or power trips, you serve a purpose in clearing cities of crime and corruption…
” She started summing everything up, processing the information in her own words.
Every now and again, I caught her gaze drifting to where I’d been shot.
A visible hole in my T-shirt where the bullet had ripped through the sleeve.
While Dakota was distracted in the kitchen, I dipped into the bathroom to clean and bandage my arm as best I could, using a scrap of fabric I’d torn from Jaiden’s shirt. Not like he’d need it anymore.
“If this is too much for you, we can take it slower. I know it’s a lot to grasp all at once.
” She’d taken most of what I’d said surprisingly well.
I half expected her to run out the door or call for help, but then again, after witnessing how I handled the police, I don’t think that would’ve been an option anymore.
“No… No, it’s fine, I just—Why do we have to be married for me to know all of this?” Dakota had grown tired. I could see it in the hollows of her eyes, hear it in her tone: the fight-or-flight rush that had been coursing through her was now coming to a steady halt.
“Because knowledge of the MUR outside of the organization is dangerous to everyone; it puts a target on your back and can compromise our work.”
“Sooo, what? I marry you and then suddenly become a member?”
“Not… exactly…” Here was the hard part. Explaining the test that she’d have to take. Although after tonight, I don’t think there’s a single doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t be able to complete it. “There’s a test. One that requires you to spill blood in proof of loyalty and contribution.”
Dakota snorted a laugh, as if what I’d just told her was a joke and she didn’t believe a single word I’d said.
“I’m sorry. I what? Loyalty? To a group of people I know jack shit about? Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds? And what about Tiff? My sister.”
“You can’t tell her anything I’ve said. Doing so puts her at a dangerous risk.”
“At risk for what?…” Dakota paused, her mind replaying the last hour of our conversation. “No—you can’t be serious, that’s not—you wouldn’t.”
“You’re right, Darlin’. I wouldn’t, but Dustin would. He knows what he’s doing, and will fight to protect the legacy at any and all costs…” And I understood that all too well.
Once initiated into the secret society, we had no clear-cut rules, except to honor the brotherhood that bound us and to complete our assigned tasks when issued. Which is why I had to leave Dakota behind that morning, and it killed me to leave nothing more than a stupid fucking note for her to find.
The night I returned from my job, before she’d sent me that text, I spent hours with my face buried in her pillow; her scent was nothing more than a whisper on my sheets.
I knew she’d be upset, but I didn’t realize that I’d made her feel something for me that weekend. That I’d managed to make her fall for me, and the realization in her words cut like a thousand knives.
That she fell and thought I wasn’t already at the bottom waiting to catch her—
“I can’t keep secrets from Tiff. I’ve done it before, and it almost destroyed our relationship. There has to be another—”
“There isn’t, never has been.”
“What if she married someone? Another member? All the Cowboys at Kerosene are members, right?” Dakota tried to find a loophole in hopes it would help her situation.
“It’s not that—”
“It is. Very fucking simple.” She protested.
“Dakota…” Dragging a palm down my face with a long sigh, I attempted to work through this issue, rationalizing it from her point of view.
Marriage was irrevocable, not some stepping stone into the MUR that you could leave once accepted.
“Make it happen, and I’m yours.” The desperation in her tone set me on edge, my hands curling into firm fists as I lost my temper at the thought of her using herself, yet again, as a bargaining chip for her sister’s safety.
“I’m not like that piece of shit we just put six feet under. I’m not doing this to use or own you like some trophy wife or piece of fucking furniture.”
“I know!” She met my energy, raising her voice as she shot up from her seat, palms pressed firmly onto the table, eyes full of fire. “I know, Rhy… I fucking know…” Her voice cracked, gaze lowering from mine as she uttered the words, feeling each one as it passed her soft lips.
I reached up, gripping her chin and tilting her head back to look at me, finding swollen eyes glistening with unshed tears, ones that I’d caused, and it fucking pained me to see that.
“I’ll see what I can do, who I can persuade…
but in the meantime, I need to know that you can follow through with your test once it’s been assigned; that you’ll move in with me…
” I didn’t want to live without her anymore.
I wanted to wake up to every sunrise with my wife, safe and sound, wrapped in my arms. I wanted the future I’d been endlessly dreaming of.
“What about Tiff?”
“She’ll be fine; it’s not like you’ll never see her. It’s just a new living arrangement. Nothing else needs to change.” She could still run her studio, see her sister, go out, have fun… Her life was still hers to control, with the added benefit of me.
“But what if—”
“If it makes the decision easier, I can move in here instead, then nothing changes at all.”
“But the ranch—”
“Means nothing to me without you there to share it. I don’t need luxury. I need my wife. I need you, Wildcat.”
Dakota seemed taken aback by my second offer. As if that was the wildest thing she’d heard all evening, like she didn’t just watch me crack open the skull of a man who threatened the one thing that mattered most—my entire fucking world.
“You make it so hard to hate you…” I could hear the smile in her voice, even through the outward sarcasm.
“Because I never wanted you to hate me, Dakota. I wanted you to fall in love with me.” And that was the god-honest truth. It was all I’d ever wished for, and I knew she had after sending that text. She wouldn’t have cared if she didn’t love me.
“Then I suppose we’re both getting everything we’ve ever desired.” Her words were so sincere that they almost broke me. I cupped Dakota’s cheeks, bringing her face to mine with a long fucking sigh of relief that lifted me like a cloud.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. I’m forever yours, darlin’.”
I may call her mine, but I was hers first and always will be, even if she never knew it until now.