ChanceSitting on my bed, I stare at the white blank wall in front of me. It's strange that just hours before I was sitting in this same spot, wondering if I no longer had a home with the Nightmare Warriors MC.After Max and I retuned, Austin chewed me out for leaving the way I did. I thought for sure he was going to kick me out of the MC, but he gave me one last chance to turn myself around. He told me he understood the panic I must have felt, starring at Candice from across the room as he spoke. I didn't deny my feelings for Abby, everyone knew I cared deeply for her, but I didn't want to see the comparison between Austin and Candice's love versus ours. I'm not worth of Abby's affection, no matter how badly I want it.Walking over to the en suite, I rinse my face in the sink and stare at myself in the mirror. How many times have I been here? How many times have I been disgusted by the reflection that stares me down?Needing to get out of this box, I come out of my room in the clu
AbbyI can still see him. Still hear the sound of the gun going off inside my head. I've been home for a little over three hours, and even with all the noise, the people swarming around me, and everyone comforting me, I feel as cold and lonely as I did while sitting in that phone booth waiting on help.My eyes remain focused on the sheets as I lay on my bed and let Slice check me over. Candice sits in a small chair on the side of me holding my hand and letting her tears fall. I haven't said a word since Austin and Chance picked me up. Simply fell into his arms and sobbed. He did exactly what I needed. Held me, stayed silent and took me home."Abby." I cringe when I hear Chance's voice. It's deep, deeper than normal. Full of emotion and worry and I immediately open my eyes and zone in on him.It's always been him.I notice Austin in the corner on the phone, I assume telling everyone that I am alive and well. He told me when I was first picked up that my father was in the hospital.
ChanceIt's been a week since Abby came home from the clutches of that stranger she was forced to kill. Austin and I spoke and agreed that it was best that I stuck around for Abby. Not only for protection but because she desperately needed to be around someone.Bone came home two days after Abby was home and since then, I have been keeping my distance. Abby was tempting while watching over her. Her small smiles and light whispers made me hard around every corner, but I knew I couldn't act on any of the fantasies I jerked off to in the shower each morning. Abby was the kind of beauty that never saw it for herself. Her confidence was there, but not enough to see herself as sexy. I wanted to change all that, and had I been any other man, I would have. But she deserved more, deserved better. As much as it fuckin' pains me to admit that, I know it's the truth.I pull up to the compound and park my bike right next to Shane's. Ripping off my helmet, I place it on my lap and take in my surroun
AbbyI run the water over the last dish and move on to the silverware. My mind has been working overdrive lately and now that Chance is gone and dad is home, it's like everything is back to normal. I'm invisible once again, the last person everyone thinks about and although it has never bothered me in the past, this time I feel truly alone with my deep thoughts.It's been over a week of nightmares and they don't want to get better. Every single detail of the day I was taken haunts me throughout the day. I feel no peace, no calm. Nothing but panic.Chance has tried talking to me, but I give him the same dejected smile I give everyone else. I tell him that I am fine, and that everything is alright, but the truth is, I am dying inside. I feel alone, even when I am surrounded by a stream of people.Scrubbing the sponge across the knife set, I look up at the clock and see that it's already midafternoon. I have been given a few days off work due to a fake car accident Candice made up when she
ChanceI walk into the clubhouse with anger brewing. Once again, we were in danger and I for one, am sick of being sitting fuckin' ducks. Abby walks beside me, nearly having to jog just to keep up with my quick strides. I head straight to my room with her hand clutched to mine and let her inside."Stay here. Sleep get some rest, but do not leave this room. I need to know you're safe." I stare at Abby's eyes, hating that all I see is fear in them. This girl was raised by bikers and yet, is as sweet as they come. I can't stop remembering the feeling of her lips on mine, or how in control she was. Just the thought of her body near mine is doing things to me."Is my dad here?" Fuck she sounds so small. As soon as this shit is over, I'm going to teach her how to gain that confidence back in her voice that used to be there. Abby has always had a shy spot, but she's also lethal and confident. I don't sense that anymore and judging by the way she almost slid off my goddamn bike half an hour ag
Abby"Why would you torture me this way?" Shawna asks from her spot on the floor. I look down and see she has abandoned her sitting still, a normal for Shawna, and has now started snooping under Chance's bed."How am I torturing you?" I smile at as her ass bobs up and down. "You know you can't fit under there right?""Are you calling me fat?" She pops up, blowing the few strands of her dark hair out of her face."Yes.""Well okay then." She smiles then leans down to finish her snooping. "He's got to have something in here that will intrigue me."I tried. I really did, but when she told me she was here to wait for Max, and that she wanted to snoop in Chance's room, I knew there was no stopping her. Shawna isn't necessarily the kind of force to be stopped easily."And how am I torturing you?""You know I hate awkward silences, and ever since you came back in here after checking on your dad, you've been doing the awkward, Shawna doesn't need to know what I'm thinking game." I giggle at he
ChanceNo signal.Of course not.Placing my phone back into my pocket I cross my arms and lean further back into my bike. Closing my eyes, I lean my head up towards the sun, soaking in the small amount of heat we have until the clouds cover it once again. Winter in New York doesn't always get cold but gloomy for sure and I for one, can't wait until we got some heat back in our lives."Alright man, I'm ready." I look towards Dipp as he comes back up from the bush he was pissing in. Austin had woke me up earlier this morning, just before the sun came up, and told me he wanted me on a run. Dipp and Ghost were already on their bikes by the time I walked out of the clubhouse."Got no signal." Ghost chimes in from behind me and I ignore him. I should have left Abby a message letting her know I was on a run since she most likely already woke up but being on the road for almost three hours made it impossible and when we were finally ready to take a break, there's no service."Yeah, saw that. W
Abby"You sure you don't want any wine?" I giggle at Lyla's question to Ghost. He turns for the hundredth time since trying to work on this old home's dishwasher and stares at her."How the hell does Shane put up with you?" A round of chuckles sets all of us off when Lyla's grabs her chest and pushes up her boobs."You sure you don't want any wine? I don't know about you ladies, but I feel mighty unattractive around Ghost right now. I mean, c'mon honey, you've got four beautiful, half wasted women, surrounding you, your shirtless trying to fix something, it all adds up to some pretty baby makin'."Ghost blows out a breath and shakes his head, then goes back to work.Candice, Lyla, Shawna and I are all sitting around waiting on the guys get to get back from their church meeting. Chance left this morning but not without a kiss that I can still feel on my lips. I don't know what to make of what happened last night. Part of me worries he may regret it and tell me we can never go that
GhostThe music pours out through the speakers as I lift the glass up to my mouth downing half the bourbon immediately enjoying the burn that follows up from my stomach to my throat. I signal the bartender for another as he zooms past me to help another patron. Seconds later, I down the second half and give the man a chin lift when he pours my second glass instantly.I've been here no longer than ten minutes, but I knew right away I would be drinking tonight.Christmas.Fuckin' Christmas.And here I was trying to escape it all.Candice and the other old ladies wanted to do something nice for the brothers, something nice for Bone. It's something I respected, but knew it wasn't something I could stand being around for too long. Christmas was about family. And I didn't have one outside the Nightmare Warriors."You look like you could use some alcohol." I look up and find a different bartender starring down a me from her spot behind the bar. Looking down I see my glass is once again
AbbyPlacing the last dish into the dishwasher, I shut it with my foot then run over to the laundry room to deposit the load of laundry I currently have in my hands. Throwing those in the machine and pressing the start button, I run over to the living room and clean up all the baby toys that are scattered around it.Cursing when I check the time noticing that Chance should be here any minute I grumble my father's name when I think of why I am cleaning last minute. I had spent the entire morning over at his house, because he said there were some things he wanted to talk to me about. Turns out, he just wanted to tell me that he wasn't sure about going to the Christmas party that we practically created for him. It took me almost three hours to talk him into going and another forty minutes yelling at him for being so stubborn."Damn stubborn biker." Another grumble comes out of me as I make a bee line towards the kitchen to put away another random dish left out on the sofa. Normally C
Lyla"But they're a bunch of bikers." Rolling my eyes, I pause as my hand grips the handle to the oven."Yes mom, and they've invited you to come to their Christmas party." Pulling open the oven door, I turn and grab the two sheets of cookies with both hands as I maneuver the phone between my shoulder and ear. "Mom, look I know this is a little different, but this was the first year the club had no drama and they wanted to celebrate as a family." I won't tell her some of that drama included myself, mom already has a hard enough time with the fact that Adrianna hangs around the clubhouse after what happened to her."I don't know, maybe just you and your family can go, and I'll stay with Lisa and her wife.""Mom, Lisa is going and she's bringing Lizzy." Shutting the oven door, I lean back against the counter placing one hand on my hip while the other now cradles the phone.I have been trying to get mom to accept the fact that she is apart of our family, but she still gives us the dist
ShawnaMy body moves through the rhythm of the song as Believer by Imagine Dragons booms loudly through the speakers aligning each wall. My head swings around as my body bends down to the level I need it to go, all while keeping my posture tight. I end it hard stomping on the ground, keeping my face down and hat titled to the side when the song ends on a hard beat.Smiling up at my class I relish in their applause as April, my assistant walks over to me with a towel and my water bottle.Taking them both with gratitude, I remove the hat, damping my face with the towel then swing it around my shoulder, just before draining half the bottle of cold water. Handing the hat over to April I look around and watch as everyone begins grouping together and working on the moves I've just shown them."That was great.""Thanks" I smile up at her, pleased with myself that I kept the routine exactly the way I had envisioned it. I had debated whether or not I was even going to make a routine to t
VOLUME FOUR: A WARRIOR'S CHRISTMASCandiceStepping onto my tip toes, I reach up higher, cursing when I feel my shirt pull free from my black slacks. Looking down I count the steps of the ladder, only to realize I'm on the last one.Damn my short legs.Eyeing the top cap, I wonder for a brief moment if I could balance on it, just long enough to hang up this last bundle of lights that I have bunched tightly in my hands."Come on Candy, it's just like another step." I whisper, attempting to motivate myself. Shutting my eyes and counting to three, I jump up placing one foot on the top then startle when I feel two hands wrap around my ass, pulling me down the ladder and onto the ground."Babe, what the hell are you doing?" Austin grunts and I smile up at him while balancing my hands on his chest. My heart is still pounding from my near death sudden decision so I catch my breath, counting once again before I could speak."Trying to hang up this last strand. I was able to do all the o
AbbyI clutch onto Chance's waistline as he speeds up, passing all the familiar surroundings. It's been over a year since we have been home, and it's been the most amazing year of my life.Chance and I have been traveling all over the country and have recently decided to make a permanent home back here in New York, surrounded by everyone we love. My web design business grew even larger when I was able to travel and meet new clients. I don't regret my decision to leave nursing and the money is just as great.I lay my head on his back once again, smiling with excitement as I see the same long street that leads up to the compound. Going nomad has been the best thing to ever happen to Chance. He is not only happier, but lighter. Darkness and guilt no longer lead him, he takes everyday as its own and always appreciates each day as it is. We've seen much, lived a lot and met a lot of new friends. Chance was even able to track down his parents after they moved to Florida to retire. The r
Chance"Know you're all pissed. Put the club in danger, but I had to keep the intel to myself." I stare down at the small seashell, twiddling it back and forth as I listen to Austin speak.It's been two days since everything went down at the clubhouse and everything feels completely different.Bone is no longer in the ICU. He's still bound to the hospital, but Abby and Julia have gone to see him each day to keep him calm and in the loop. Abby is going strong, I think being close to death has given her voice a push. She and Bone have a much better relationship now and he respects us being together.The FBI told us that we were in the clear, they found all the information to prove our innocence, including six cops coming forward with facts about what Alberts had either promised them, or threatened them with. We were simply in the way of the drug trade. We no longer deal, that much everyone knew, but he knew enough about the clubs that if he was able to get rid of Snake and the King
AbbyMy knees bounce, sobs wrecking my body. I rock back and forth, worry borrowing its way deep down inside my mind. The doctors words as they rushed my father into surgery repeat in my head over and over again."We think one of the bullets is lodged in his lungs."I woke on the way to the hospital, my head on Chance's lap as Shane drove us behind the ambulance. I was worried for my father, but my following questions were about everyone else. Chance explained that the FBI of all people helped us, and that the Alberts brothers were the only causalities. I was so worried about everyone, but it looks like Austin saw them coming from the back of the clubhouse on one of the monitors Torque had set up.They were desperate. That's the only way this all made sense. We were close to getting to them, and with Domingo after them as well, they took their last opportunity.I spot Chance walking towards me; his long strides quicken when he sees my state. I have not stopped to calm down since t
ChanceNine Years Ago"Need another?" I look up from my empty glass and nod at the bartender. The liquid pours into the tumbler and I quickly down it, signaling him for another. I could have made a dangerous mistake tonight. That's all I can think of as the next shot of bourbon fills the glass. I recall the night of mistakes I had as I down this one.The gun in my handWatching the minivan appear, lurking in the shadows directly across the streetWatching as Detective Alberts family got out of their car, happy and care free without worryI was going to do it. I was going to end the lives of every single one of them. Alberts was not there, but I didn't need him to be, I was going to seek the revenge I was due. An eye for an eye, family for family.But as I neared the house, gun ready in my hand while my face was covered by a scarf, I stopped.AvaShe was what crossed my mind the moment I crossed the threshold. She wouldn't want me to do this. I couldn't do this in honor of