Epilogue

River

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK," I chant, as I frantically search the house. I have to get out of here, he's vowed to kill me. I already hit up the ATM on my way back from court and got what I could, as well as what was in my personal savings account, but I don't dare use my debit or credit cards once I pull out of the driveway for the last time. "Where is it, you motherfucker?" I know for a fact he's got cash stashed in this house. It's up to me to find what I can so I can disappear. I already have my suitcases packed, as well as my personal papers, plus a burner phone I stopped and picked up before I got home. There's no way I'll be taking my own phone since it can be tracked. I'm worried about the car too, but right now, that's the least of my problems. "Aha! You may think you were crafty, but I know you too well, you piece of shit."

My husband, or rather, my soon-to-be- ex -husband, is currently in jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The mere thought of that has me gagging as I pull out the stacks of money he had hidden in a secret hidey hole. I still need to check his dresser drawers, as well as the desk in his office, but so far, I'm feeling pretty good with what I've found. Once I have the duffel bag full, I head into his office and start systematically searching each and every nook and cranny, laughing out loud when I find more money in a vase of all places. I push away the thoughts that this might be dirty money, because it makes me sick. I'm kind of surprised the people who searched the house didn't find any of it, but I know they grabbed all of his personal papers as well as his laptop, and several flash drives. He may have threatened me, but I suspect by the time they're done listing all of his charges, he'll probably spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.

Still, I can't take that chance, especially since I'm heavily pregnant with that monster's child. Of course, I will never push the sins of the father onto the innocent little one, but I know I'm not safe staying here any longer. Daniel Thompson, the bastard, is apparently the head of this nasty snake and I know he's got underlings the cops probably haven't arrested yet. The last thing I need is for one of them to show up and grab me under his orders. The few men who have come to our house over the years frighten me, and now that it's more than me to worry about, I won't take that chance.

I grew up in a small town in Montana with my parents. Harold and Melissa Dalton are my parents and they honestly don't have any reason to be parents much like my cousin Brooklyn's parents shouldn't have had her. I'm an only child and for a while I was close to Brooklyn when we were growing up. It wasn't until her parents started getting heavier into drugs that my parents cut ties with them. I was still in contact with Brooklyn until Bennett cut off our communication. He took her phone and every call and message had to go through him. Despite my numerous attempts to contact her, he never forwarded my messages or voicemails. I'm really worried about her and I'm not sure what to do because I no longer have a way to contact her. The only thing I know is her parents moved them to a small town called Odin's Gap. That's where I'm planning to go now.

After I gather everything, I go through my old phone, upload my pictures to the cloud and then input the phone numbers I might need to have. Getting it all to the car takes a few precious minutes, but I still feel like I have a little bit of time. I reset my phone to factory settings and leave it, my rings, and the house key on the kitchen counter. It's time to get out of here and get on the road.

I switched my car out in the next town; it doesn't look pretty, but as long as it gets me to Odin's Gap and Brooklyn, I'll be okay. Another twinge hits me and I cry out; they've been hitting me on and off all day long but it's too soon for the baby to get here. Still I keep trudging along, stopping frequently to find a bathroom since the baby is using my kidneys as a trampoline.

"Just a few more miles," I pant out through another pain that rips through my abdomen. Any doubts that I'm in labor have faded as the contractions have gotten closer and closer together. About that time, the car shudders and I barely manage to pull over to the shoulder before it goes completely dead on me. "Son of a bitch. Now what do I do?" I cry out. "I wish Brooklyn was here!"

Getting out of the driver's seat, I know I have to get to the backseat of the car. With the front door open, I lay back against the car as another painful contraction hits me. Opening the back door of the car, I try to maneuver myself inside, but I can't. I remember my burner phone but it's in the front seat and I can't reach it, nor can I move back to the front seat to grab it and call for help. Hopefully someone comes along to help because otherwise, I think I'm well and truly fucked.

Nova

Watching all of my brothers find their women and have kids of their own has been killing me. Once upon a time I thought I found the love of my life. A woman I could settle down with and have a family of my own. Growing up in my family, I knew from the time I was a little boy that I wanted a wife and kids by my side. When I went into the military, I still thought I had that with Dhalia. It turns out, she's nothing more than a slut who only wanted me for what I could give her. She never once understood my need to remain with the men who had my back during my darkest days.

Dhalia and I broke up right after the mission that almost killed my entire team. We were so damn lost and hurt by the betrayal of one person. A person who is no longer with us. When she came to see me in the hospital, it was like rubbing salt in an open wound. She was disgusted by the wounds that now cover my body to the point I refuse to take off my shirt in front of any woman around the clubhouse. It's one of the reasons I'm barely with the Shattered Angels—they'll never understand the way I feel about my body now that it's permanently marred by the scars from war.

Lately, as everyone finds their happiness and settles down, I find myself alone and lost in my head. I've been drinking every damn day from the time I get out of work until I eventually pass out. This happens daily lately and everyone is starting to notice. I've never been the guy to drink in excess like this. Yeah, I like to have a good time and I was always able to charm any woman who passed me by. It's one of the reasons the guys started calling me Cassanova. Or Nova for short. Now, I couldn't get a woman if my life depended on it because once they see the scars they run from me because I'm not the perfect male specimen I once was.

Today, instead of drinking myself stupid, I decide it's better to go out for a ride to clear my head from the melancholy thoughts that have been plaguing me. A large part of that is because I don't want to turn into an alcoholic. I've seen it happen way too often by men and women feeling how I've been feeling. I've lost all trust in women and what they want or expect of me at the end of the day. Maybe more importantly is the fact that I no longer feel as if I'm good enough to be a man for any woman. I don't have anything to offer them anymore. I've always thought my looks were the most important part of me and they're long gone now. Dhalia sure as hell made sure I believed I'd never be good enough for anyone. It's why I haven't been able to let myself get close to a woman since Dhalia. She absolutely shattered me.

As I ride through town, I force all thoughts from my mind and focus on the ride, feeling the wind whipping around me and the freedom I don't often find anywhere else. My hair is in a long braid down my back so it doesn't go in front of my face and block my vision of the road before me. I need to see all oncoming vehicles and potential obstacles in my way to avoid a crash. The last thing I want to do is make my family, both blood and chosen, worry about me ending up in the hospital once again after a crash.

As I ride back through town, I notice a lone car on the side of the road. Pulling over, I don't hurry my movements until I hear a woman scream out in extreme pain. It's not often a woman screams out like I just heard. Running toward the car, I watch as a young woman manages to get in the backseat of her car. When I end up at the door and look in, I find her frantically trying to rip off her leggings and know she's in labor when I spot the sizeable bump she's got. I pull out my phone to call emergency services as she screams in pain once again.

"Nine-One-One, what is your emergency?" a woman asks from the other end of the phone.

"I'm on the outskirts of Odin's Gap and just came upon a woman in labor. She's on the side of the road and in the backseat of her vehicle. I don't have a lot of medical experience, but I'm ex-military and know a little about what to do," I tell the operator as I try to remain calm while facing the woman in front of me.

"Something's wrong. It's too early for me to have her. Help me," she says, tears rolling down her red face as her entire body shakes and another scream erupts from her.

"I'll help you, Sweetheart. Can you tell me your name?" I ask her, needing to get her to focus on something else as I realize her leggings are still up too high for me to do anything.

"R-R-River. Can you help me?" she asks, putting her trusting eyes on me as I look at her leggings once again.

"I'll help you, River. Can I take these leggings off you?" I ask her, needing her permission before I do anything since I'll be looking at the most intimate part of her body.

"Yes!" she screams out as I pull them down and notice her panties are with them.

"My name is Nova. Well, that's my road name. You can call me Matteo if you want. That's the name my Mama gave me when I was born. I'm gonna have to look at your, um, personal area to see what's goin' on. Are you okay with that?" I question, putting my phone on speaker and placing it in the back window of the car.

"I'm okay with it," she says, sweat covering her body and making her long, dark hair stick to her face.

"Okay. I've never delivered a baby before, but my grandma, Glory, used to tell us all the time how she had my Pa in the backseat of a car. She couldn't make it to the hospital. Were you on your way to the hospital, River?"

"No. My cousin, Brooklyn Dalton, is from Odin's Gap. I was coming to find her. Do you know her?" she asks, perking up slightly as I wonder if we know the same woman named Brooklyn.

"I'm not sure, River. I possibly know your cousin. I'd have to make a call and talk to her. Anyway, about my Grandma," I say, needing her distracted as I look between her legs to find the baby's head right there.

Sirens fill the distance and I know emergency services are on their way, but I'm not sure where they are. They sure as hell won't be here by the time this baby is born, since I can see a full head of hair that extends further out every time River has a contraction. The entire time I try to remember what to do from the one class I took, I'm talking about my Grandma Glory and everything she used to do and say when I was growing up. River listens to my voice and it seems to calm her slightly.

"River, on your next contraction, I need you to push. The baby is right there," I tell her as she starts to pant again.

"I can't, Matteo," she says, a weird feeling going through me with my name on her lips.

"You can, River. I'm gonna count to ten and that's how long I need you to push. Between contractions, you can rest. Durin' them, you need to show me how strong you are and push with everythin' you got in you," I tell her, my voice strong and sure as she looks up at me and nods her head. "Here we go."

I count to ten like I told her as River pushes with everything she has. Her entire face turns even redder and the sweat is dripping off of her. I'm honestly worried for her right now and hope she doesn't pass out or something while delivering her baby. She slumps back against the seat once the contraction ends before jolting right back up as I start counting again. Four more pushes is all it takes before a little girl covered in goo is in my hands. She's so small and I feel as if I'm going to hurt her from simply holding her.

"She's out, River. You have a daughter," I tell her proudly, looking from the baby to River with a smile on my face.

After getting the baby to cry, I hand her over to her mama and try to find something to cover the little one in. When I don't find anything in the car, I slide my cut off my shoulders and hold it before taking off my shirt. I assure her it's clean and I only put it on an hour ago before we work together to wrap her daughter up while leaving the umbilical cord connected. Somewhere I remember that you're not supposed to cut it if you deliver a baby outside of the hospital. The last thing I do is grab my phone and hang up the call. It's rude as hell, but I don't care right now.

An ambulance pulls up and before I know it, I'm being pushed out of the way as they deliver the placenta and help River out of her car. She doesn't look away from me at all. River is put on a stretcher as she keeps her baby in her arms.

"Her name is Tayla," River says, still looking at me as her eyes flutter closed before opening again.

"That's a beautiful name, River. I think I know your cousin. I'm gonna ride to the hospital with you and give her a call. Are you okay with that?" I ask as the paramedics step back for a second to let me close.

"I don't want to go alone," she says, with tears in her eyes.

"You won't, Mi Sol," I promise her, grabbing her hand as the paramedics start to roll her to the ambulance.

We ride to the hospital with my attention on River and the baby as she tries to answer the questions she's asked. Can't these people see she's fucking exhausted? This isn't the damn time to be pestering her with questions when she just pushed a baby out of her body. I want to speak up so bad and get them to leave her alone, but I'm not sure how River will feel about that. So, I remain quiet and pull out my phone. I quickly snap a picture of her and send it to Wheels.

Me: This woman says she has a cousin in Odin's Gap named Brooklyn Dalton. Isn't that your woman's maiden name?

I send the message and picture as we pull into the hospital and we're on the move once again. Still, I don't let go of River's hand as she's wheeled upstairs to labor and delivery. She's given a room and is swarmed by staff while my phone vibrates in my hand.

Wheels: That's her cousin. We'll be right there. Is she okay?

Me: As far as I know she's okay. We just got to the hospital and staff is surrounding her and the baby now. I'll hopefully know more by the time you get here.

Wheels: On our way. Nanny's with the kids.

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I make my way back over to River's side as the staff take the baby from her after cutting the cord. River's eyes don't leave her baby as I look down at her.

"Brooklyn is on her way here. She's married to two friends of mine. It shouldn't take them long at all to get here. Do you need anything from me?" I ask her as she keeps her eyes on her daughter.

"Can you stay with Tayla? I know we just met and know nothing about one another, but I don't feel comfortable with her so far away. If you know my cousin and got her here, then I know you're a good man," River asks me, her voice showing how exhausted she is as a nurse walks back in and cleans her up before getting her into a hospital gown.

"Of course, River." I make my way over to the baby where the nurses are cleaning her up and doing everything else they do when a baby is born.

It doesn't take long for Brooklyn and the guys to show up. I'm only wearing my cut and it's a little unnerving to realize River and Brooklyn can see my scars if I move certain ways. Right now, that's not the important part though. Tayla and River are what's important as I go to leave the room but River asks me to stay with the baby. So, I remain where I am and keep watch over her until the nurse puts her back in River's arms. When she's occupied by Brooklyn and the baby, I slip out of her room and head for the waiting room. I need a few minutes to myself after the last hour or however long it was. Holy fuck! I was not expecting to deliver a baby today because I went out for a ride to clear my head.