Precarious

“Hey,” I say, walking in and sitting beside him.

He stays silent.

“Krypt.” My voice is firm. “You can’t keep doing this.”

He turns and glares at me, his eyes bloodshot.

“You said you wanted me to be your old lady, but if this is how you’re going to react every time something goes wrong, then I’m going to go inside and pack my shit right now. I’m not going to stand here and watch you sink. You either talk to me, or I leave.”

I stand and walk towards the door.

“He fuckin’ took my sentence.” His voice is low and scratchy.

I turn and stare at him. He’s watching me, his eyes pained.

“He’s going to spend time in prison, because he took on my shit.”

“He made that choice, Krypt,” I whisper. “He wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

“I killed that son-of-a-bitch. It should be me there.”

I walk over, kneeling in front of him. “Then where would I be?” I whisper

His eyes grow even more pained. “You know what he said to me? He said, ‘I’m an old man, boy. I’ve lived my life. I’m tired and I’m sick. I ain’t got nothin’ left to offer. You got a girl, a life, and somethin’ worth fightin’ for. Don’t you fight me on this.’”

My eyes water, because it’s such an amazing thing that Whiskey did for him. “He did it because he loves you, Krypt.”

“Now he’s stuck in a fuckin’ cell!” he bellows, launching the bottle across the room and smashing it on the floor. “I’m goin’ to confess. Can’t live with this.”

He stands, knocking me backwards. He charges for the door.

“Where will that leave me?” I scream. “I love you, Beau Dawson, so where will it leave me if you go away?”

He stops, his body stiff. He turns and stares at me, his eyes wide. I push to my feet, walking over to him slowly.

“Well,” I croak, “what will I do? Whiskey gave you a gift; he didn’t give it to you for you to take it back and throw it in his face. Don’t you understand? Even if you confess, he’s in trouble now too, and both of you will pay. He gave you something because he wanted you to have it. He’s sick, Krypt. He’s only got months left; we both know that. You have an entire life. If you leave me now, what will I do?”

Tears are now thundering down my cheeks. Krypt stares at me, his face torn. “It hurts me, Ash. Fuckin’ hurts me.”

“I know, honey,” I say, stepping closer, and cupping his cheeks. “But he wanted this for you. Don’t shove it back in his face. Give a dying man his last wish.”

He makes a strangled sound as his hands go up and curl around the back of my neck. “You fuckin’ love me?”

“God yes, you stupid fool.”

“And you’ll be my old lady?”

“If you promise to stay with me.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “I promise.”

“Do I get special cuddles now?”

He barks out a laugh. “Yeah, baby.”

I press myself to him, breathing him in. “Make it count, biker.”

“I always fuckin’ do, and baby, I always fuckin’ will.”

I smile, full and warm as I look up at him. I might have hesitated earlier, but that was before I understood what it is these guys really represent. Being an old lady isn’t about being a possession; it’s about being cherished, protected and adored. It’s an honor that I couldn’t see until now.

I was stupid, but I won’t be again.

This biker is mine, and I won’t be letting him go anytime soon.

I’m one lucky girl.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Stop it.” I giggle, rolling onto Krypt.

He grins up at me. “No fuckin’ way. Watching you scream is too good for me to let you go.”

I laugh and shove at his chest. “We’ve fought before, biker. You know how it ends.”

He pulls me close. “Oh, I remember exactly how it ends.”

I roll my eyes and push away from him, jumping off the bed and sashaying across the room and out the door. It’s Maddox’s birthday today, and all the bikers have rallied together to give him an epic party. It’s great, really it is, because it means we can take a moment to forget the shit that’s been going down.

I went back to work for the first time yesterday. Legally, they had to accept me back. After finding out about the corrupt guards, they were more than happy to open their arms to me. It was a good day, and overall it seemed successful. Plus, Claire is home, lapping up the attention Leo is giving her. Seriously, those two need to get in on.

“Hit me with a tequila,” I say, stopping at the bar and smiling over at CJ, the bar attendant for the night.

“Lemon?”

“You know it.”

He pours me a shot, slides the salt, and then passes me a lemon. I’m about to take it, when Maddox appears beside me. He grins at me, and I can’t help but smile back. We’ve grown a certain respect between us since everything went down, I guess he figured out I wasn’t going to hurt Krypt.

He takes the saltshaker and pours the salt on the little gap between his thumb and pointer finger, then he flashes me a grin. “You have to do it. It’s my birthday.”

I laugh and lean down, closing my mouth over his hand. He shudders as I lick the salt off his skin. Then I take the shot, throwing it back before sucking the lemon into my mouth.