Epilogue

Zoey

1 Week Later

"You look amazing," Lacey exclaims, overwhelmingly proud of the outfit she picked for me to wear tonight. I twirl in front of the mirror. A sigh drifts over my lips although there's been a permanent smile plastered on them this past week. The glittering black tank top clings to my pale skin, its thin straps delicately resting on my shoulders. The tight black pants mold to my curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. It's a bold and daring style, drastically different from the conservative and sweet sundresses I'm used to wearing. My new life as Backdraft's Ol' Lady requires a new wardrobe and she's not wrong. I look amazing and I feel sexy as hell.

"Here, wear these with it." Mariana holds out a pair of strappy high heels with open toes.

I take a seat on the edge of the bed I share with Backdraft, remove my socks, and slip into Mariana's shoes. Admiring their elegance as I stretch my leg out straight to get a better look. They're as classy and gorgeous as she is. All of the women here are beautiful.

"You have red polish on your toes." Emery grabs my foot playfully. "You know what they say about women who paint their toes red, don't you?"

I narrow my eyes at her, "No. What?"

"They give mean blow jobs." My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline and my cheeks flush red. They all laugh. A second later laughter bubbles up from my chest and breaks past my lips. The four of us giggle uncontrollably.

I've always wanted sisters and I've always wanted friends. I've found both here. Emery, Lacey, Mariana, even Midge, and Alleycat have all been great. I've never felt more a part of something than I do here.

"Are you ready, Birthday Girl?"

A wide smile stretches across my face. I stand, smoothing the creases from my pants and straightening my shoulders. "I'm ready."

As soon as we step into the common area, Emery and Lacey lock arms with me. We stroll past Rancor, Pike, Crank, and Padre shooting pool. They lower the pool sticks in their hands and smile proudly. Tango does a double take from his stance in front of the dartboard. Even Hashtag looks up from his laptop. I feel their eyes on me but not in a sleazy way. The men here have been as wonderful as the women. They're bikers, brash and rough. Each one wearing the same leather cut and proudly displayed patches that symbolize their bond and brotherhood. The tattoos that cover their skin and the scars that mark them, tell stories of who they are. I haven't been here long enough to learn them all, but in time, I will. Despite their roughness, they've shown me nothing but respect.

Aero, the club's President, despite being the youngest of them all, sits at the center of the bar with Grizzly, his Vice President, who has a long red beard and colorful tattoos that span every bulging inch of his muscles. On one side of them is Surge, Emery's Ol' Man, and the club's Sergeant at Arms, with thick dark hair, tanned skin, and piercing blue eyes. To the far side of them is Backdraft, my Ol' Man and the club's Enforcer. The sight of him brings a smile to my face, even though he hasn't noticed me yet. Granted, I spent most of my life in isolation, but Backdraft is the sexiest man I've ever seen, in my dreams and real life. Everything about him is dark, from his bronze skin to his thick black hair and haunting gray eyes.

The four are drinking as they chat in low, gravelly voices. The scent of cigarettes and whiskey hangs in the air around them. Midge looks up at us from her place behind the bar. She flashes me a huge smile and adds, "Happy Birthday, Zoey. Someone sent you something."

She reaches under the bar and retrieves a small package, handing it to me.

"Thank you." I take the box from her, surprised that something was delivered for me.

The four men spin on the bar stools and lock eyes on the three of us.

"Happy Birthday, Zoey. I like the new look." Aero compliments me as he reaches out, snaking his arms around Lacey's waist and draws her onto his lap. He whispers something in her ear that lights her eyes. The way they link together is perfection. There's something genuine brewing between them, even though I'm told Lacey isn't his Ol' Lady.

Emery elbows Surge in the ribs and he lets out a low grunt. "Um, yeah. Looking good, kid."

Grizzly simply nods his head. His attention is lost on Mariana, who's now slipped behind the bar next to Midge. She leans forward in the skin-tight red dress she's wearing and retrieves a bottle of Chardonnay and five long-stem glasses. She fills the glasses, casting glances back at Grizzly from under her long lashes. If I didn't know better, I'd think something was brewing there too.

Backdraft's deep growl sends a heated shiver down my arms as he shifts to where I'm standing. He pulls me into him, his hardness pressing into the curve of my ass. He leans in, whispering in my ear, "I can't wait to tear these off of you later, Little Lamb."

"Party first," I swat at his hands clenching tightly to my waist, "playtime later."

"Are you sure I can't tempt you to make this a private party?"

"You do nothing but tempt me," I purr, pressing my ass against him. The past week we've hardly come up for air and I'm loving every minute of it. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined ever finding someone as amazing as Backdraft.

Backdraft grunts a frustrated breath and I love I can stir that need in him as easily as he can me. "What's in the box?"

"I don't know." I turn the small cardboard box over in my hands and open it. Inside is another smaller box covered in shiny silver wrapping and a folded piece of paper. I unfold the note and read it. "It's from Cal and Brie. They're sorry they couldn't be here to celebrate with us. It says this is for protection and luck."

The rumble that rips from Backdraft's chest vibrates through me. He still hasn't forgiven them for letting their guard down and allowing Justin to torment me. More so, he blames Kayden, who promised he would protect me, and maybe even himself for not being there. I don't blame any of them though. We were all blindsided by Justin's attack. It's hard to fight an enemy you can't see coming. I had no idea he was Gino Moretti, living a double life to get closer to me because of my real heritage. Granted, there might be plenty of blame to go around, but what good does it do any of us? The more I learn about what Backdraft is capable of and his role in the club, the less room there is in my heart for blame because it's full of worry that someday the same thing could happen to him.

I shake off the intrusive thoughts and open the gift, lifting a delicate gold chain out of the jewelry box. Dangling from the end is a small gold twisted horn. "It's beautiful. Put it on for me, please."

Backdraft slides the chain around my neck and fumbles with the clip in the back until it's secure. I draw it through my fingertips, admiring the meaning behind it. Although, I don't need a charm for protection when I have a man like Backdraft.

"Turn that up." Aero's booming voice grabs our attention. We turn our heads toward the television hanging on the wall. I shiver at the images flashing on the screen of the fire engulfing the collapsing hotel. The same one that almost claimed our lives.

The newscaster's voice details the extensive damage and the condemning of the hotel. They continue to talk about the hotel's owner declaring bankruptcy and the new owner's plans to rebuild and rebrand into another casino along the strip under new management. Despite Aero's attempt to hide it, his face blanches and the muscles on his arms coil when the name Ritorno Holdings is mentioned. Aero's tight fist slams against the bar top, rattling the glasses of drinks lining it.

"That name means something to you, Pres?" Grizzly asks, breaking the uneasy silence fallen over us.

"It's nothing." Aero's grip tightens on Lacey's waist as he thrusts her off his lap. He drags his hand through his unruly, dark hair and inhales a deep, heavy breath. We all exchange questioning glances as Aero reaches over the bar and pulls himself back up with a bottle of Jack in his hand. "Don't we have a birthday to celebrate?"

Mariana hands out the glasses of wine to Emery, Lacey, Midge and I and everyone else retrieves their drinks, raising them in a toast. "To Zoey's twenty-first birthday."

Aero pops the bottle of Jack open and chugs back a large swallow, forcing a smile on his face as he strides across the room. Moments later, music is blaring through the clubhouse.

Backdraft leans closer to Surge standing next to us by the bar. "Do you know what Ritorno Holdings is?"

Surge turns to him, keeping his voice low. "Never heard of them. Maybe we should have Hashtag look into it."

"Leave it alone," Grizzly orders them, "We all know that Aero is tightlipped about his business. He'll share when he's ready."

Backdraft and Surge acknowledge his order with a nod. Despite the weight Aero's reaction left on all of us, we shrug it off and celebrate.

As the hours pass, our group grows in size as more people join the club to celebrate. The clubhouse pulses with music, laughter, and noise. I'm having the best time, drinking and dancing the night away with Backdraft and my new family at my side. The air is thick with beer and cigarette smoke, but I inhale a deep breath, letting it wash over me. I may still be figuring out who I am, but I know this is where I belong.