“Which was whyItook his hands,” Marcos added.
It was then that I noticed both hands were missing. His wrists had been cauterized. That explained the burning smell.
“I cut out his tongue for all the threats he told you over the years,” Jason said, his voice low and in my ear as he stepped in behind me once again.
His voice sent a shiver down my spine and made my core clench. Fuck, their love for me was such a turn on. Their utter devotion made me so happy I could cry. “You guys are so romantic.” I can’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. I might have been in shock.
Jason’s arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me back into his chest, the heat of his body soaking into mine, making me realize how cold it was in the basement and I was only in a thin dress.
Marcos turned to me and pulled a pistol out of the back of his jeans. “I trust you know how to use this?” he asked as he held the Glock 9mm out to me, barrel down.
I nodded, because of course I did. I had guns of my own now. I wrapped my hand around the grip and brought it up to examine it. The safety was on, of course, and I quickly released the magazine to confirm it was loaded before I slid it back home.
“Do you want us to wake him up?” Marcos asked.
I swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes.”
Nico walked over to the stainless-steel table and grabbed a couple smelling salts and held them under Hillcrest’s nose.
While I waited for him to regain consciousness, I took the moment to really look him over. Large swatches of skin were missing, like someone had taken a potato peeler to his body. There were cuts and stab wounds everywhere. Jason had mentioned earlier that they would have removed his finger and toe nails or drove needles under them, but as both hands were missing and all his toes were cut off, I couldn’t see.
It didn’t matter.
In the end, none of it mattered anymore. I wasn’t even sure why I was bothering to have Nico rouse the bastard either. Jason said he cut out his tongue. He wouldn’t be able to threaten me anymore.
Nico slapped Hillcrest’s face roughly. “Wakey-wakey douche bag!”
Hillcrest woke with a whimper, struggling to open his swollen eyes. He turned his head and as his gaze landed on mine, I knew he was too far gone to understand a word I might say. Still, I tried. “We found your shell company. The Senator can’t save you now.”
His eyes narrowed on me, as if he was understanding what I said.
“You can’t threaten me anymore. In the end, I won. You can’t hurt me anymore.” I raised my weapon and lined up the shot as a smirk pulled at his lips. Before he could make another move, I pulled the trigger, the recoil jarring my arm and the loud bang echoing through the quiet basement.
His body jolted with the impact of the bullet and blood oozed slowly from the wound.
With one clean shot through the head, Dax Hillcrest was dead.
One Month Later
Maya
Lifeinthelastmonth had been bliss. Halloween was magical. I fucking loved my old Victorian Farmhouse. The guys had helped me decorate it to the nines. Every day it felt like a new decoration showed up. Luke thought it was hilarious. On Halloween, the five of us went Trick or Treating through the neighborhood, all of us dressing up and having fun with it.
Luke’s tenth birthday party had been a hit. His best friends were able to come down from Chicago and spend the weekend hanging out and partying. Kara had come over with her guys, and so did Slade and Karma. Stephanie had sent her love, but hadn’t been able to make it…that was another story entirely.
Marcos had gone all out for Luke’s birthday—all the guys had. They had gotten him the new gaming system that he wanted. Marcos and I had—after talking about it—gotten Luke his own cellphone. We wanted him to have a way to contact us when he was away, because he had joined the wrestling team through the local park district.
Thanksgiving had come and gone with a big dinner at Kara’s, where she cooked for a small army of people. The mishmash of families that blended together so seamlessly was beautiful, and Luke was so good with his baby cousin Lilah. He’d really taken a shine to looking after her.
Even my mother had gone to Kara’s for the holiday. We probably would never totally see eye to eye on most things, but our relationship was healing and so was my mother. Since my father’s passing, it was like she was lighter. No longer weighed down by the stress of caring for him. She was walking better, going to physical therapy and even joining the local senior center to meet people. And of course, she had her little biker prospects to drive her around, much to her amusement—and mine.
Like I said, life was bliss.
Tonight, Luke was spending the night at Kara’s while my men and I had a much-needed date night. Life might have been bliss, but we were all busy and all doing our own things throughout the days.
I had finally gone back to work at the women’s clinic. My boss had been nothing short of amazing and understanding, but I was ready to get back into normal life again. The best part of it all was…I felt great. I felt normal. I felt happy.
Happy was such an understatement of what I truly felt though. I couldn’t explain the emotions that coursed through me at the thought of my life now. My therapist had even dropped me back to once-a-month sessions, claiming I didn’t need her anymore. I did—at least I felt I did—but I had come a long way in the last month.
