Somehow, even though it seemed impossible at times, we had got through this.
We were going to be okay. We had made it.
It was finally time to start the rest of our lives.
Epilogue
Vienna
Everyone knows me as the joker. The smart mouth. The man who would do anything for his club.
I’ve killed people with my bare hands and then gone to sleep with a smile on my face. I’ve cut out a man’s heart and carved my initials into it before posting it to their wife. I’ve done a lot to keep my club safe. The Devils are my life. They are my home. They are the only people I can truly be myself with. Even Rachel.
I didn’t like her to begin with, and I thought Dante was making a huge mistake, but she soon became one of my favourite people in the entire world. Despite the fact that she was still avoiding me after our… well, she was ignoring me. I would still lay down my life for her if I needed to.
But the one thing I wouldn’t do for my club was give up the very reason I could breathe.
Everyone wondered why I was always at the clubhouse so early. Everyone asked why I was always drinking at silly o’clock in the morning.
And this was why.
Every morning, I was here, waiting for my sign that she was okay.
I took a draw of my cigarette, wincing slightly at the pain in my lip thanks to my fight with Dante. That shouldn’t have happened. I had always pushed my luck with Rachel—sitting on her knee, hugging her, having private jokes. Dante was willing to give me an inch, and I ran a whole fucking mile when I went and kissed her. It was a stupid mistake, and I deserved every one of those punches.
I was glad they were getting their happy ending. Those two would never be a fairy tale, but they were perfect for each other. Even if they couldn’t always see it.
It’s not as if I was any better. I had found the perfect woman years ago, and yet she was always out of reach. Always one step ahead. Always running from the one thing that would make us both happy.
And so here I was, waiting for the flash of the light to tell me that she was okay. If I couldn’t have her in my life, I had to be content with this.
This had been our symbol since we were stupid teenagers, and I had made a vow that I would always be here. Rain or shine, if I didn’t see that light by five thirty, I would tear the house down brick by brick until I saw evidence that she was unharmed.
She must have believed it, because she had never missed a day either. Despite what had happened between us, she knew I was out here, hidden in the woods, watching and waiting.
I snuck a glance at my phone, seeing it was now a quarter past.
Fifteen minutes, Gabriella.
Back when we were just stupid kids, sneaking around behind our parent’s backs, this had been our signal to let me know she had managed to sneak back into the house without being seen.We were out all hours, because it was the only time we were able to be together.
Her dad was the president of the Rough Riders, and Crash, who may as well have been my own father, was the president of the Devils. We could never openly be together, but we always had the night.
As we grew older and bolder, the light became more than something for us to laugh about, praising ourselves for having snuck around successfully. The flickering light became something so much more.
The Devil’s became bigger, the Rider’s became bolder, and the tensions grew dangerous.
Her father had wanted to sell her to a rival gang to form an alliance. On the days we couldn’t see each other, the light became her way of letting me know she was okay. That she was still there.
Eventually Crash found out about us, but he never cared. Gabriella was welcome in our home, and we spent some lovely years together. It got easier with the club supporting us, helping us sneak around. The light just became our symbol. It reassured both of us. Me, because I knew she was safe. Her, because she knew I was always here. I would never leave her.
Until I fucking did.
And now Nico was here, and I could no longer get through to her. She wouldn’t speak to me. She wouldn’t even so much as look at me if we crossed paths. She had her life, and I had mine.
And yet she always flicked the light on and off. Even to this day.
It was the one thing that made me keep my sanity.
