25. Arianne

The wail of a Guns N' Roses song blasts through speakers as I step out into the rear yard of the clubhouse. Briar has offered to take Lola for a little while, giving this the vibe of a date between Halo and me.

There are three grills in action, all being patrolled by Niro and a little girl of about six who are in matching aprons.

The scent of sizzling meats fills the air, and I'm immediately hungry.

"Go get us hot dogs, kitten. Let Niro know it's for me. He knows how I like them," Halo says. "I'll grab drinks. You want beer, wine?"

I glance around and see some of the girls drinking a fruity punch. "Could I get a glass of that, please?"

Halo shakes his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because Briar always puts pineapple juice in it, and you're allergic."

"How do you know that?"

He runs a knuckle down my cheek. "The first day, when I made you a smoothie. You asked if it had pineapple in it because of your allergies."

My heart expands. He remembered. And cares. It's a powerful combination. "In that case, beer and a hot dog sound perfect."

He leans his lips close to my ear. "Kinda like your tits in that swimsuit, sweetheart." He nibbles on my earlobe as I giggle. "Go," he says finally.

The outfit was picked to drive him wild. A swimsuit with a faded American flag, the Stars and Stripes, something Halo stood for. It looks like a tank top but has built in support that works in spite of the low-cut back. And, yes, as Gwen pointed out when we went shopping yesterday, it's the perfect cut to highlight my assets.

As I make my way to Niro, my cellphone rings in my pocket. Patrick.

He hasn't called in days.

I thought he'd given up.

I refuse the call before slipping my phone back in my pocket.

"I don't know you," the little girl in the apron says.

"I'm Arianne. I'm…friends with Halo," I say, offering her my hand.

She shakes it. "I'm Avery. And this is my best friend, Uncle Colton."

Niro places his hand on Avery's head. "She's Bates's daughter."

"And?" Avery says, looking up at Niro, who under any circumstance would be considered menacing.

"Oh, right. And Avery is my best friend."

Avery fists her hand in the air, then lowers it with a drawn out, "Yessss."

"What can we get you?" Niro asks.

"Two dogs, please. One's for Halo. He said you'd know how he likes it."

Niro smirks and looks me up and down. "Oh, I know. Wouldn't have said you were it." Then he shakes his head. "Sorry. Rewind."

"What?"

"Uncle Colton says ‘rewind' when he said something he didn't mean to say," Avery says. "He has a con…dition." The last few words are whispered.

"I'm confused."

"I can be a dick." He pulls a roll of fives out of his pocket, unravels one, and gives it to Avery.

"You said the f-word a minute ago when the sausage sizzle juice hit your hand," Avery says.

"Fine." He unrolls another and hands it to Avery.

Avery looks up at me with a grin. "He has to pay me every time he says a bad word because I'm saving for a puppy because my mommy won't buy me one because she's allergic and I want a Cockapoo I'm gonna name Peanut." The whole sentence comes out without punctuation on one long breath.

I can't help but smile.

"I thought we agreed on Chewbarka," Niro says.

"Daddy said it was a silly name. He suggested Harley and Mommy said not everything had to be about bikes."

"Daddy's right," Niro says. "Harley would be an awesome name."

Avery purses her lips and looks up to the sky for a moment. Then she turns to me. "I'm gonna call my puppy Harley."

"Go get two plates and two buns," Niro says, ruffling her hair.

My phone rings again, and I check it. Patrick. Again. I slide it back into my pocket as Niro watches Avery trot down to the table.

"You got kids of your own, Niro?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Nah. Not yet. My old lady needs to run free a little while longer. You?"

"Just Lola." I leave it there. Not everyone needs to know that I can't have kids.

My phone rings again, and I pull it out of my pocket. My ex's name glares at me accusingly.

"That the cunt who smacked up your face?"

I glance up at Niro. "That's blunt."

"Not sure there's a way of fancying it up," Niro says with a shrug.

A message appears on my screen. I'm outside the Iron Outlaws clubhouse and if you are inside, you need to come out quickly and quietly. It's time to come home.

Niro reads over my shoulder before I can tug the phone to my chest. "You need to tell Halo," he cautions.

I glance over to where Halo is laughing with King and Saint. He looks happy for the first time in a while.

"Trust me," Niro says. "If Catalina's ex was hanging around outside, I'd want to know. She doesn't need my help to take care of him, but I'd want to be her backup regardless. You don't want Halo to go with you, I can instead."

"You're right," I say with a sigh. "He needs to know."

My feet feel like they're stuck in concrete as I walk over to him. His smile is going to disappear over a man I don't care about. I go and stand by Jax, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"You need something, kitten?" he asks finally.

I dig my nails into my palms. "Can I talk with you a minute?"

His smile is so reassuring. While it's been ingrained in me to not trust men, I'm starting to trust this one. "Sure. What's up?"

"I need you to promise you won't get mad."

Halo tugs on one of my pigtails. "A girl says that to you, she's usually about to say something you're gonna get mad at. Why don't you just tell me?"

"My ex is outside."

The smile drops. "Outside where?"

I point beyond the building to the gate. "I think he's on the street. I don't know how he knows I'm in here. He wants me to leave and go home with him. What if they already served him the divorce papers?"

I show Halo the messages. I have nothing to hide.

"You did good coming to me with this. And we're going to take care of him. First, you're not going out there unless you really want to. Do you?"

I think about it for a second, work through the fear in the pit of my belly. "I want to tell him we're done so he understands. But…I'm scared he'll…that he'll…Shit. I've seen how movies like this end. That even with all the planning, the heroine ends up taken by the bad guy."

"Do you think he'll be able to beat me if it comes down to it?"

I shake my head. "Absolutely not. Not if it was one on one. But I don't know who he might have with him. And what if he's got a knife or something, Halo?"

He cups my cheeks before kissing me soundly. His tongue searches my mouth while his hand reaches behind me and grips my ass hard. The twinge of pain burns through me, erasing the panic and the thoughts and the fear. It submerges me into the world of me and Halo. Where only the two of us exist. When he's done, he bites my lower lip possessively.

"We'll go out there, and we'll tell your ex you're done. I'll have your back. My club will have mine. But before we go, you need to look at me and listen. Can you do that?"

I nod. His voice has shifted to the lower tone he uses when we're in bed together.

"You are someone, Arianne. You're funny, great with Lola, and sexy as fuck. Your thoughts have value, your touch has warmth, and your kindness and caring soothe. You're capable, hot, and fucking amazing in bed."

Tears sting my eyes as every word settles in my bones. I go to say something, but Halo presses a finger over my lips.

"I'm not done yet. I want your shoulders back, because if I see you let him knock your crown off your head after we just straightened it, I'm gonna be pissed, and I'll take it all out on him. You are someone. Do not let him make you feel like you are not. Are we clear?"

I nod, just as I notice other outlaws are now standing around watching us.

"Good," he says.

"Man, words like that, even I'd fuck you," Niro says.

Halo grins while he flips the bird at Niro. "Let's go meet the ex."

It's weird how we move as a unit. Halo checks Briar is okay looking out for Lola, then leads me down the side of the clubhouse. But Bates and Spark move ahead of us. Before we reach the dual gates at the front of the clubhouse, Vex has already read out a car description and license plate.

"What about all the meat grilling?" I ask as I see Niro flanking our right side.

"I left Avery in charge," he says.

I glance his way, my eyes wide.

"Kidding," he says. "Prospects took over."

But the joke is enough to chip the edge off my fear. What we are about to do is nothing to the men I'm walking with. About eleven men and Catalina step out onto the street with us.

Patrick leans against the car door, chewing on a toothpick. Looking at him objectively from a distance, I wonder what I ever saw in him. Sure, he can fill out a pair of jeans nicely, but then, so can most of the men who are walking behind me. I thought his frame muscular, but now that I've seen Halo's and have something to compare it to, I realize it's not really.

He looks up from his phone, then does a double take. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Jax cups the back of my neck and squeezes it. "Watch that crown, Ari," he warns quietly.

The difference between the two men has never been clearer. Patrick is looking at me like I'm embarrassing him. His tone tells me he doesn't approve of my outfit. Jax's eyes told me he couldn't get enough of me in this. He was proud to walk into the clubhouse with me on his arm while wearing it.

"It's time to come home, Arianne," Patrick says, stepping around the car to open the passenger door. I see what he's done though. He's put the car door between him and the Outlaws.

I stand about ten meters away from the car. "I'm not going back with you."

"You're my wife," he says.

I've never felt a wave of revulsion pass through me so strongly before at a singular word.

Wife.

It rocks me from my feet to my ears.

"I love you and want you with me," he says. "I'm not signing those divorce papers."

I point to my face, even though much healing has happened since I arrived three weeks ago. "You don't beat someone you love half to death, Patrick."

"Watch your mouth, Arianne. My patience only stretches so far."

In the past, if he'd spoken to me like that, with the low rumble of anger in his words, I would have capitulated, hurried to his side to cool his temper.

But for the first time in my life, I feel like I can tell him exactly how I feel.

"I'm done being your punching bag. I'm done trying my best and it not being good enough. I'm done with you. You will grant me a divorce."

Patrick huffs and then shakes his head. "Come home. We'll talk this through in private."

I place my hands on my hips. "I know what your idea of talking this through in private looks like. You'd beat me black and blue, then call the diner, telling them I'm sick again until the bruises go away or I'm fit to stand and work. You're an abuser. And I'm done taking your shit."

Patrick looks at Halo, who has walked behind me to place a hand on my back. "What? You think because you got some big thug standing behind you that you can say whatever you want to me without consequences?"

I look up to Halo, who smirks and tips his chin. "I got you."

Then I turn back to Patrick. There is sweat gathering on his brow and above his lip. "Yeah. I do."

Patrick pulls a gun from the waistband of his pants, but before he even has it pointed in my direction, I hear the rustle of leather and the sound of weapons being primed all around me, and Jax tugs me behind him. When I look back, I see every single club member, with the exception of Halo, has their gun pointed at Patrick.

"You just made a pretty huge misstep," Halo says, walking towards him.

It distracts Patrick as Niro, Catalina, and Bates circle the car to stand behind my ex.

"Be careful," I whisper.

"Yeah, and what's that?" Patrick shouts.

"You pointed a gun at a brother. Right up until the point you pulled that gun, I was just going to let Arianne send you on your way."

Patrick looks over his shoulder, as if planning his escape, only to see the fearsome trio standing between him and the car.

I look at Catalina, so utterly competent and capable. What I wouldn't give to have a bit more of her about me.

"Arianne," Patrick says, and I don't think I've ever heard the waver of fear in his voice before. The gun shakes in his hand.

Because he was too busy using his power over me to make me feel fear. I want him to feel it. I want him to know what it feels like to be vulnerable. I want him to know what it felt like when I tried to escape to my parents, only to be returned to him because there was no escape.

The road up to the clubhouse is empty. No one is around. I don't know what's about to happen, but I know immediately in my chest that something is about to happen to Patrick.

And I'm okay with whatever it is.

Even if it's the end.