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Chapter 16

LEGACY

Running my hands through my hair, I move on silent feet toward the girl who owns my heart. Crouching down, I scoot as far as I can toward her, reaching out to touch the chilled skin of her leg. She's barely crying anymore, and her eyes are so red and swollen that her face is nearly unrecognizable. Bruises dot her flesh, and I swear Wolf will pay for every single damn one.

"Come to me, baby," I croon softly, not wanting to scare her. Trinity is strong as fuck—but with everything she's gone through today, I want to treat her like porcelain. "Trin, it's over. Let's go get you cleaned up."

Guilt builds inside me as she remains unresponsive on the floor. Is she in shock? Or does she just hate me so much that she can't look at me?

My hand reaches out, sliding up over her ankle, making her jump and flinch. The whimper of a wounded animal comes from her throat, and worry gnaws at me. Concern that she's really broken beyond repair—that we're broken beyond repair—makes my heart stutter in my chest.

"I know shit feels trashed right now," I say, my voice cracking. "But it's gonna get better. Promise, baby—I'm gonna make you my queen."

Her tired eyes finally lift to mine, glazed over in exhaustion and despair. She licks her dried lips and tries to speak, but no words come out; her throat too dry from the trauma. After coughing a few times, she tries again.

"I never wanted to be a queen…All I ever wanted was you." The sound of her voice is barely a whisper, but when I reach out to her this time, she doesn't flinch away, instead she puts her blood-stained hand in mine and lets me pull her from underneath the table. She's still completely nude with fluids marring her skin like a patchwork quilt. Trinity's body quakes, shuddering as I place her gently onto the table—I'm gonna burn this fuckin' thing tonight. Start afresh.

Wrapping my, now patchless, cut around her quaking body, I lift her, pressing her against my chest with a grunt. The gunshot wound burns with the added weight and blood trickles down my arm—but I ignore the pain. Heading out into the nearly silent clubhouse, my precious cargo wrapped in my arms, and I take in my kingdom. Tattered couches, broken chairs, and shattered glass are everywhere. Not a single table seems to stand on its own, needing random shit wedged underneath the legs. A coating of dust and grime touches everything within the hallowed walls. The place is a shithole, but without Pirate, maybe it won't be a hellhole too.

Lists build in my mind as I walk through the space. Things I need to do, things we as a club have to take care of. Hell, there are two dead bodies in Church, that need disposing of. And if I'm totally honest, I'm surprised there aren't more.

The takeover was easy.

Too easy…

This shit isn't over by a long shot.

Trinity stirs in my arms, tucking her head in the crook of my neck, and even though it's faint, her gentle vanilla scent soothes the anxiety rising in me, and I hug her a little tighter—careful not to hold too tightly, lest I hurt her worse.

My legs are heavy as hell as I climb the stairs toward the only place that I've ever really felt was mine. Doors line the hallway, hiding brother after brother's private space, and I wander quietly until I get to mine. Sliding Trinity down my body, I hold her still with one arm, using the wall to keep her standing and slip a hand into my pocket to get the key.

"Where are we?" she asks softly, looking around with her eyebrows furrowed.

"My room, babe. Can finally bring you here," I say, dropping a tender kiss on her forehead. I've always wanted her in my space, but Venom wouldn't ever let her near the clubhouse. Probably a good call, all things considered. And I always agreed with him, wanting her as far away from Pirate as possible. But now that the bastard is dead, I'm going to make this a safe place for her.

The door swings open with a creak, and I wrap an arm around her waist, finally bringing her into my domain. Her head twists, searching the room, but she doesn't say a word. Exhaustion lines every muscle of her body. I've never seen her so defeated before. My girl has a fire like none other—but right now, it's like she's made of spun glass. One wrong move will shatter her.

With a hand on her back, I guide her gently over to the en suite bathroom. It's nothing fancy, just a somewhat clean shower, toilet, and sink. The tiles are an ugly green color that's straight out of the '50s, but she doesn't even comment.

"Come on, Trin," I rasp, trying to make my words as soothing as possible. "Let's wash this shitty day away."

Reaching around her, I twist the knobs, and the water starts with a splutter, splashing out before turning into a steady stream. I grab some fluffy black towels from the closet and give the shower a minute to heat before reaching for Trinity. Although I'm not sure if she wants me here, or wants me to touch her ever again, I can't stay away. Plus, it doesn't seem like she has enough strength to wash herself right now.

Yeah, really chivalrous, aren't you?

"Do you want me to help you take my cut off? Or do you want to do it yourself?" I ask, hoping she'll lean on me. She continues to stare at the wall, shrugging her shoulders and sending the leather slipping to the floor. Okay then…

But hope swells in my chest when she lets me help her into the shower and doesn't object when I drop my jeans onto the tiles and climb in after her. Steam billows around us, and I snag a bar of soap from the lip of the bathtub, rubbing it between my palms until bubbles break out.

She jumps with a gasp when I run it over her shoulders. "Easy babe. I'm going to clean it all away."

The promise settles her, and her breathing slows. Her shoulders lose their tension, and the water turns red as the water and soap do their job. I wash her gently, careful not to fuck up her partial tattoo or linger too long on the purple bruises forming all over her once smooth skin. Fingermarks mar her neck, her thighs, and her arms, and I wonder how many of them are marks I made.

I promised to kill anyone who touched her…

"Wolf's gonna pay for this," I vow, watching the swirling scarlet water go down the drain. She grunts in acknowledgment, and I quickly wash myself before squirting shampoo into my hands. Her long hair is matted as fuck, and I wish I had more shit for her here. "All I've got is shampoo. Not sure it's gonna help."

She shrugs again, still not saying a word as I lather her long, blond tresses, wishing I knew how to care for her better. Wishing I could be the man she needs.

"You ever gonna talk to me again, Trin?" I grunt, frustration making it snappier than I intended. She looks at me with sad eyes but still doesn't reply. Grabbing the handheld shower head, I rinse the bubbles from her hair and check her over to make sure she's clean. Even bruised and damaged, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. My cock twitches as my gaze lingers on her round, high tits, with nipples I so badly want to taste even though I've just fucked her.

Down, boy. Not the time.

Finishing quickly, I turn off the shower and hold out a towel, which she quickly steps into, and I wrap it tightly around her before throwing one around my waist.

"Come on, let's lay down for a little while." I help her out of the room, making sure she doesn't slip, and lead her over to my bed before turning to grab some sweats from the dresser for her. By the time I turn back around, she's curled under the blankets, her eyes drooping with exhaustion.

"Love you forever," I lean down, touching my lips to her forehead. She reaches up and runs her fingers over my head before uttering the sweetest words I've ever heard.

"Love you for always."

My eyes tear up as she presses a chaste kiss to my lips before snuggling under the blankets and closing her eyes. Relief rushes through me, along with the certainty that we can get through this together. She's mine; even if it takes some time, our love will conquer all. I'm sure of it.

Her breathing evens out when there's a soft rap on the door. Sliding into a pair of sweatpants, I pad over to open it quickly before anything can wake Trinity. My fingers close over the knob, twisting it as noiselessly as possible. It opens to reveal Tomb on the other side.

The giant stone statue of a man stands with his arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked at me in question.

"I think she's going to be all right," I breathe out, stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind me.

"Good," he grunts. "We have work to do."

Fuck it all. He's right. So, like a sullen child, I follow him down the hallway. Bruised in body, mind, and spirit—but all the strength that my father beat into me is good for something.

I don't complain—and get to work.

"Ugh, everything hurts," I moan to Prick as we climb up the stairs toward our rooms. The corpses have been taken care of, and the old Church table has flames turning it to ash in the courtyard. All the shit furniture and Demon Breakers cuts were tossed on the pyre, too.

Watching the final remnants of Pirates burn to dust left me with a deep satisfaction and a sense of new beginnings.

After everything was cleaned, we dealt with club business. Choosing some positions, making decisions about our businesses—legal, and not so legal. We have a way to go, but it's a solid start.

"Me too, man. But be sure to have Doc check on that bullet wound tomorrow. And remind me to give you some salve for Trinity's tattoo—I feel like shit about it. Don't want it getting infected, too."

"Not your fault, Prick. It's mine. But I'll definitely have you make sure it's all right. Hopin' one day, she lets you finish it," I reply. He lifts his chin in acknowledgment before disappearing into his darkened room.

My door looms closer, and I can't wait to drop into bed next to my girl's warm body. We've never gotten to sleep the entire night together, so this'll be a first. Excitement slides down my spine. Today has been absolute shit, but tomorrow is so much brighter. The club's at my back, and for once, I'm not worried that someone's going to stick a knife in it. Most of the bad seeds left with Wolf, and the few that I'm unsure of we'll keep a close eye on. Me and my brothers.

The Oathsworn MC.

Twisting the knob, I'm surprised when it isn't locked. Shit, probably should have done that…

The lights are off, and the room is pitch black. Inky darkness surrounds me as I wander forward, a sliver of foreboding filling my gut. It wasn't like this when I left. The desire to let her sleep wars with my concern, and I move forward into my bedroom.

My shin connects with something that shouldn't be there, and pain shoots up my leg. "Ouch. Fuck," I grunt, reaching behind me to slap at the light.

Squinting as my eyes get used to the sudden brightness, I take in the space, dread filling every part of my soul. The drawers on the dresser are open, my bedside lamp lies shattered on the floor, and the table is overturned in the middle of the room.

No. No. No.

My bedroom is trashed beyond all imagination. But my blood runs cold when my eyes fall to the bed.

The spot where I left the love of my life curled up, snoring gently…

It's empty…

So fucking empty…

"PRICK!" I shout for my friend before rushing into the bathroom. The space seems completely untouched, a complete contrast to the devastation in the bedroom. It takes all of a second to look around. Clearly, Trinity isn't in here.

My chest tightens when I re-enter my room. Heart hammering, pulse throbbing behind my eyes…

Prick and Hunter storm through my doorway, guns at the ready. Their jaws drop open when they spot the mess. I open the closet, hoping somehow she'll be in there. But of course, that's stupid as shit.

"She's gone," I bellow.

"Do you think she left on her own?" Hunter asks, circling the room and peering out the window. "It doesn't look like the window's been broken or anything."

"She wouldn't have done that," I insist with a snarl.

"Maybe Trinity wasn't in her right mind. She went through a lot today," Prick rationalizes with doubt written all over his face. But he's wrong. So fucking wrong.

I'll love you for always. Her voice echoes in my ears.

"She was fine before I left the room. She was fuckin' taken. One of the Demon Breakers stole her right out from under us," I yell. Dread fills my gut, and I clench my fists. It had to be that piece of shit Wolf. He watched her all night, wanting what was mine. Touching what's mine.

There's no other option. She wouldn't have left me willingly—and the evidence is written all over the room. Right?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

A red haze descends across my vision. They couldn't just accept defeat, let us rid ourselves of the sins of my father. No. Instead, they had to hit me where they knew it would hurt. Doing the one thing that won't let us start fresh. We wanted to be better, reborn in the flames. But Wolf knows full well that I'll burn the world down until I find her.

The Demon Breakers want a fight. Well, I'll fucking give them one. And I won't rest until I bring her home. Back beside me where she belongs.

My howl of rage is a cry for war. A call to arms.

Because this isn't over. Oathsworn for eternity.

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