Chapter 24
AERIANNA
A couple of days after the Club took Benton, I find myself outside FBI headquarters, contemplating my next move. I know what I have to do. I know this is the right choice. The weight of the badge in my hand feels heavier than ever. It’s not just metal and leather, it’s my past, my sacrifices, my identity. Everything I fought for. Everything I bled for.
And now, I’m about to give it all up.
I step into my superior’s office, my boots clicking against the linoleum floor. I’m wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a t-shirt, and my Ol’ Lady cut. Special Agent Sharp sits behind his desk, eyes narrowing the moment he sees me. He leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers together, a smug expression plastered on his face.
“You’re late, Agent Faber,” he drawls.
“Not anymore.” I toss my badge onto his desk, and it lands with a hollow thud .
His smirk falters, his eyes darting from the badge to my face. “The hell is this?”
“I’m done.” My voice is steady, stronger than I thought it would be. “I’m resigning, effective immediately.”
Sharp scoffs, picking up the badge like it’s a foreign object. “You think you can just walk away?” He stands, stepping around his desk, his presence towering, but I don’t flinch. He takes in my attire, and something sinister passes across his face as he sneers at me. “You’re one of the best undercover agents we have. You really gonna throw it all away for some outlaw dick?”
Rage boils in my blood, but I keep my face blank. “This job was never about justice. Not for me. It was about hunting the bastards who took Allison from me.” I lift my chin. “And guess what? Mission accomplished.”
Sharp glares at me. “You’re making a mistake.”
“No,” I say, turning for the door. “For the first time, I’m making the right choice.”
I don’t wait for his response. I don’t look back. I step out of that office and leave that life behind. And I’ve never felt freer.
The cool night air wraps around me as I stand outside the clubhouse, my nerves a tangled mess. Am I making the right decision? What if I made the wrong choice? Are Trigger and I a sure enough thing that I just threw my career away?
My fingers caress the softness of my Ol’ Lady cut, and I know I made the right decision. I know deep in my soul, in my heart, that Trigger loves me as much as I love him. A biker doesn’t claim you as an Ol’ Lady for shits and giggles. They don’t take this step lightly. It’s an unspoken vow that you’re in it together until death do you part.
The heavy rumble of a Harley vibrates through my chest before the bike even pulls into the lot. I know it’s Trigger. I’d recognize that sound anywhere.
Trigger swings his leg over the seat, pulling off his helmet. His piercing blue eyes find me instantly, darkening as they take me in.
“You’re still here,” he mutters, stepping closer.
“I did it,” I whisper. “I walked away.”
Trigger studies me, his expression is unreadable, but the hunger beneath it is undeniable. “You sure about that, Kitten?” His voice is gruff, but there’s something raw in his tone.
“I’m sure.” I reach up, gripping the lapels of his cut. “I choose you. I choose this. I don’t know where the road leads, but I want it to be with you.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “You willing to go all in for this life? For me?”
My heart pounds. I know what he’s asking.
“Yes,” I breathe.
Something shifts in his eyes, something dark, dangerous, and possessive. He doesn’t hesitate. His hand snakes around my waist, yanking me against him as his lips crash onto mine. The kiss is deep, claiming a silent vow that I’m his now. And he’s mine.
He pulls back slightly to look into my eyes. Trigger reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I don’t do forever,” he admits, voice rough.
“I don’t either.” It’s not entirely true, but I need him to believe it right now.
“Then I guess we’re fucked,” he murmurs, just before his lips crash against mine again.
I lose myself in the kiss, in the way his hands grip my waist like he’s afraid to let go. The world fades away, leaving just the two of us.
For now, that’s enough.
The clubhouse is alive with the scent of whiskey and leather, the deep rumble of laughter and conversation filling the air. But the moment we step through the doors, everything quiets down.
When Trigger nods his head, applause and whistles erupt around us, but I don’t hear them. The only thing I feel is Trigger’s grip, the way his hands mold against my body like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.
I spot Tiny sitting at the bar, sadness etched on his face. “What’s wrong with Tiny?”
Trigger’s grip tightens before he relaxes. “When we brought the women and children back from the safehouse, Syvannah was gone, and no one knows where she went.”
My heart drops in my stomach. “You don’t think someone took her, do you?”
Trigger shakes his head. “I don’t know. We can’t find her.” Trigger kisses the side of my head and pulls me against him. “We’re doing everything we can to find her. But tonight is about celebrating you being mine.”
“I’m yours,” I whisper in Trigger’s ear as he picks me up and spins me around, settling my head on his chest.
His fingers tighten against my skin. “Damn right, you are.”
I close my eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, knowing that for the first time in my life, I’ve found where I belong.
I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
With Trigger.