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  I felt rain fall onto my face. It was a hard rain, but it felt...

  His grip loosened.

  Something smelled funny.

  It wasn’t rain.

  It was... blood?

  My senses came back slowly. The Fallen Saint had something jutting into his throat. His eyes were wide, and he was choking, trying to breathe. Kaitlyn stood over him, shoving him to the ground. She...

  She had killed the Fallen Saint. She’d driven what looked like scissors through him.

  I quickly stood up, intent on ending this once and for all. But Kaitlyn put her hand against me and had me stand down. I understood when I saw the look in her eyes.

  This Fallen Saint was the one that had killed her sister. Jason. She wanted the satisfaction of the revenge. Not me.

  Her.

  I watched as Jason drew his last breaths before dying. As soon as he drew his last breath, Kaitlyn turned to me and collapsed into me, bawling her eyes out. I held her as tight as I could.

  She had to know now what I had learned earlier that morning. We couldn’t change the past. She couldn’t bring her sister back, even though she had killed her killer. I couldn’t bring my friends back, even though the CO that had betrayed us had been put to death.

  We could only move forward.

  But it wasn’t like justice didn’t help in other ways.

  Thanks to her efforts, we’d just gotten rid of one of the most dangerous Fallen Saints in the area. Springsville could breathe a little bit easier.

  “You okay?” I finally said.

  It was a stupid question. Of course, she wasn’t okay, but she was alive.

  “Enough so,” she sobbed out.

  That was all I could ask for right now.

  We were all alive. We were all going to live. We were going to be all right.

  We got Devon and Kaitlyn to the hospital right after. Devon had suffered a deep puncture wound, but she would live. Kaitlyn had only suffered some bruising. Fortunately, she had avoided the worst of the damage.

  But once she and I were alone and away from the other nurses and doctors, she had to make one thing very clear.

  “When I get out of here,” she said. “I’m going to the medical chief here. And I’m going to request that anyone caught working directly with one of the MCs, outside of the hospital, should be fired.”

  I couldn’t argue the point.

  “It’s too risky. Both of us could have died today if things hadn’t worked out, and it was a miracle that they did. I know now that you guys are good. I know that you guys are much better than the Fallen Saints. But as long as they exist, you will always bring us into trouble. I’m sorry, Michael. But I can’t put myself or anyone else on the staff here at risk.”

  I understood. And in a weird way, it might have been the best choice. The Fallen Saints wouldn’t want to come here, but if we had good relations with Kaitlyn, we would have no problem getting admitted to the hospital. The biggest concerns were delays, cost, and red tape, but we feared that far less than the Reapers. Those could be negotiated.

  “I don’t think Lane is going to like that very much,” I said. “But I don’t care. All I care about is that you’re safe.”

  Left unsaid at that moment, though, was that I didn’t know if her words carried over to me as well. Obviously, she could not have a relationship with the Black Reapers. But could she have one with me, Michael Giordano?

  The thought that I loved her had popped up in the middle of the battle, and I was absolutely convinced of its authenticity. Maybe I didn’t have the experience or the rationale to explain it, but to me, it was easily explained by one simple fact. Kaitlyn was the only person to know the full story of what happened in Ramadi.

  If that didn’t say I loved her then nothing did. I hadn’t told Axle, I hadn’t told Lane, I hadn’t told my ex-wife, and I probably wasn’t going to tell anyone else.

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling. “You’re a great guy, Michael. You really surprised me.”

  As sweet as that is, that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that someone would say to someone they want to be with.

  “I tried my best,” I said with a laugh, hoping that it didn’t show my sadness or disappointment. “You were easy to be a great guy for.”

  She took my hand and squeezed it. Again, maybe under different circumstances, I would have felt encouraged, but this only served to make me feel a little... well, a little put to the side.

  “I need some rest,” she said. “But let me come and see you when all is well, okay? Text me your address.”

  Maybe all isn’t lost yet.

  “It shouldn’t be long. I’m a nurse, I know how to treat myself.”

  “I have no doubt about that,” I said with a laugh.

  I leaned forward to kiss her—on the forehead. It felt like the right gesture to say I cared about her, but one that wouldn’t cross any boundaries she wasn’t comfortable crossing herself. She squeezed my hand again and closed her eyes.

  With that, I stood up, looking at her vitals just to make one hundred percent certain nothing horrible would happen. She was healthy and fine—she really did just need a nap.

  I walked out of the room, shut it behind me, and suddenly also very much felt in need of a nap. It was too bad I couldn’t just rent out one of the hospital rooms—it would have made it a lot easier to sleep and see Kaitlyn later.

  “Hey, bud.”

  I looked up to see Axle standing before me, his hands in his pockets. He looked equally tired, but he also looked quite pleased to see me.

  “Thanks for stopping Butch and me back there,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’d be dead without you.”

  “Of course,” I said. “You... you want to know the truth? It was déjà vu for me. It was like I could see you going in there, just as I had in Iraq. It was a pure gut instinct that made me stop you guys. Not... not anything rational.”

  Axle smiled. He really, genuinely smiled.

  “You’re carrying their legacy forward,” he said. “You took their lessons and saved two lives. That can’t be understated, Patriot. Don’t ever forget that.”

  I thanked him, hugged him, and walked past him. My actions were simple, but Axle’s words were something I would never forget. It really did feel like I had carried the legacy of my comrades forward. It really felt like I had kept their spirits, if not their bodies, alive.

  Suddenly, it felt as if the world felt ten times lighter. It felt like the air was much less dense to move through. It felt like life would be much easier to get through.

  The only question left, I supposed, was if I was going to do it with the woman I loved or if I was going to do it alone.

  Kaitlyn

  Two Days Later

  Sunday evening came, and I finally—finally—got dismissed from the hospital.

  It was sort of funny how, for most of my life, I had rolled my eyes at patients when they asked to be let out early. I had more patience than the average human, but relative to other nurses, I could get a little exasperated with patients. Did they not understand that we were keeping them in for their own safety?

  And then I wound up in a hospital bed with what I saw as nothing more than some ugly bruising, and I quickly empathized a hell of a lot more with patients than before. I was getting impatient with seeing Michael again, especially since I think he got the wrong idea about how I had left him. I was just trying to express my gratitude Friday night, but I began to fear he probably thought I was saying that he and I personally could never work out.

  And nothing could be further from the truth.

  But, being the good staff that they were, none of the doctors or nurses would release me until Sunday morning. It probably actually hurt that they all knew me personally. As soon as I had the okay, I made a beeline for the exit before I forgot that I didn’t even have my car with me.

  Fortunately, the separation I had from the car gave me the chance to realize that there was something else I wanted
to get—something that Michael had made mention of that I was happy to fulfill. I went back to my locker room, grabbed it, and then went outside. I took a cab home—all the while ruing the fact that it was nowhere near as exhilarating as a motorcycle ride—and hurried up the stairs.

  Only to see that someone had kicked down my door.

  Damnit, Michael.

  But, just as the car not being at the hospital had given me an excuse to go back and get the thing I wanted to make Michael happy with, the door being kicked down gave me a convenient excuse to call Michael.

  “Hey,” he said, the pleasant surprise in his voice evident.

  “Question for you,” I said, a smirk on my face. “My door is kicked down, and last I recall, I don’t think any of the Fallen Saints made their way over to me. Would you happen to know anything about it?”

  Michael went silent for a couple of seconds before he started laughing.

  “Yeah, so, I thought when you called me that you were being held against your will at your place, and so when I saw it was locked, I just kicked the door in to try and rescue you. I guess in the aftermath of everything, I got so caught up that I just never considered telling you.”

  “You didn’t think it was important?”

  “Well, I mean, there were slightly more important things to take care of!”

  It was kind of fun having Michael be uncomfortable.

  “Well, you did a good job of taking care of the Saints, but now I’m left without a place,” I said. “So tell you what. You want to make it up to me?”

  “How much do you want?”

  Damn, does he really think that I wanted to break up with him? Is he that... set on thinking it’s done?

  “No, silly, I don’t want money. Although I won’t refuse it. I just want a place to stay tonight. And seeing as how I haven’t seen your place, I think it would be nice to have a place to sleep, wouldn’t it?”

  Michael made a “hmm” sound as if he felt silly for not realizing why I had actually made my request.

  “That would be ideal, wouldn’t it?” he said. “Yeah, I’ll text you my address.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll... ”

  And then I realized I still didn’t have my car with me.

  “I’ll be asking you for one more favor,” I said with a guilty smirk. “Do you think you can give me a ride to your place? On your bike, if possible?”

  Ten minutes later, the sound of the motorcycle engine reached my ears. I had never stepped inside my place, because what was the point? It wasn’t like I could cool down by stepping inside, and I didn’t need to grab anything in my place. Instead, I stood by the edge of the curb. I probably looked very rundown, given that I was wearing a plain white shirt and jeans, but fortunately, a quick look at Michael’s face told me that it didn’t matter at all.

  “Hop on board,” he said, tilting his head backward. “You’re probably killing to be inside.”

  “I mean, I did just spend almost forty-eight hours in the hospital, it’s not as much a desire as you might think,” I said, patting his chest when I’d sat down. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

  I felt Michael visibly relax when I touched him, which was telling since men usually tensed with excitement from a woman’s touch.

  In any case, Michael revved the engine to life, and we roared out of the parking lot. The feeling of being on the bike was the exact same as before physically, but there was just something so emotionally sweet about it that was difficult to put into words. It was like now, I didn’t have to worry about the consequences of being on the bike with him. Sure, there were other Fallen Saints out there, but the one that had caused my family the most suffering was gone.

  But, alas, the bike ride didn’t last nearly as long as the first one. Instead, this one was a quick jaunt through Springsville, planting me on the south side in short order. Michael lived in what looked like a townhome in a quiet enough place, a two-story building.

  He killed the bike, took off his helmet, took off mine, and guided me up the steps. I stepped inside to a place cleaner than I ever would have imagined a biker having—it was, no joke, cleaner than mine, and I wasn’t just saying that because my door had been knocked off its hinges. It genuinely was a cleaner place.

  “Wow...”

  “Pristine, huh?” Michael said. “I got it from my time in the military. When you’re in there, if your bed has so much as a single crease, you’re running until sunset. I learned very quickly to value order and cleanliness.”

  “I’ll be,” I said. “You’re just full of surprises.”

  He led me upstairs to his bedroom and invited me to throw my bag by the base of the bed. He did have one guest bedroom, but I appreciated that he was honest enough to put me in his room. It was clear enough where this was headed.

  And maybe it was time for me to make note of it and clear the air.

  “Taking me to here, huh?” I said, my smile revealing I was more than okay with it.

  “Would you prefer—”

  “No, no, no,” I said.

  And then, to really make my point true, I went up to him and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was a very gentle, sensuous kiss, the kind of thing that went slowly and without rush. We had all night to kiss if we wanted to.

  “Here’s the truth, Michael,” I said. “I will never work for your club as a nurse. But I don’t see why that would restrict us from being together. Maybe it’s different for you, but for me, I know I like you.”

  Michael started to blush, and he bowed his head.

  “What?” I said.

  “You wouldn’t want to know.”

  “No, I would,” I said.

  The fact that he was blushing and smiling and not blushing and turning away told me that he had something good to say—he was just afraid I might judge him for it. And while it might have meant that he was going faster than I was, that wasn’t something that worried me right now. Once I found someone that I liked, I committed to it all in. I didn’t worry about pacing.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes!” I said, laughing. I threw my hands around his neck. “Tell me, Michael.”

  He nodded, bit his lip, and exhaled.

  “Okay,” he said. “Truth is, when I was rushing up to the front of the building when I was thinking about you, a thought came to mind. It wasn’t a thought that I could say was really consciously brought up— it just sort of came. And when that thought came, I knew it was true. And that thought...”

  He’s going to say it.

  “That thought was that I love you, Kaitlyn. I know we’ve only known each other for a little bit, and I know we’ve not even had sex yet. I know, I know, but—”

  I shut him up with a kiss on the lips.

  Because a funny thing was happening.

  When Michael said it, it put the thought in my mind.

  And damn if the thought wasn’t also ringing true in my head.

  But this time, the kiss did not stop at just a kiss. I pushed into him, and he twirled me in place. We collapsed into the bed, our actions saying far more than the most majestic words ever could.

  We kissed like this for minutes, so engaged in feeling each other and running hands on each other that I could barely focus on...

  On...

  “Wait,” I said.

  “What’s wrong?” he said, his face seeming to seize up in a panic.

  “Nothing, in fact, I think you’ll like it,” I said. “Wait here and don’t put any more clothes back on.”

  His shirt already off and his belt already pulled off, Michael certainly wasn’t about to argue. I dismounted him, grabbed my bag, and headed for the bathroom.

  I really hoped that what I was about to do wasn’t stupid. It was coming off in a matter of moments anyways, so it wasn’t like I was wearing lingerie that Michael would get to admire for the duration of sex. It was just...

  Stop overthinking it and just do it.

  I threw everything on and entered into the room. Michael’s
wide eyes told me I’d succeeded.

  “I remember at one time you said you had a thing for nurses,” I said, wearing a sexy nurse outfit I’d once bought as a joke—not thinking I’d ever use it romantically. “So here I am, soldier. Tell me what you’d like to have happen.”

  “Ah, aha,” Michael said, apparently unable to communicate in English anymore.

  He just waved me over. When he kissed me this time, it was with far more vigor and lust. He had me on my back in a matter of seconds, and he lifted up my nurse’s gown to pull my panties down.

  He dived right into my sex, his tongue seemingly drawn like magic to me. When he pressed, I uttered his name incoherently, as unable to speak as he’d been seconds ago. I clenched my legs tightly and arched my hips, unable to stay still with the ridiculous amount of pleasure running through me. I was sure some of it had to do with how Michael and I were connected, but heavens was this unbelievable.

  “Mi-Michael... ” I gasped.

  I reached for his hair and gently ran my hands through it, digging my nails in.

  “Fuck, I want you,” I growled.

  It was like giving catnip to a kitten. He looked up, still working on me with that gift of a tongue, and smiled.

  “You know I’m ready to go in at a moment’s notice,” he said. “Just say—”

  “Don’t fucking wait,” I growled.

  Michael planted one more kiss on me, climbed up, and put himself right outside of me.

  “You’re sure,” he said. “No turning—”

  I grabbed his hips and tried to pull him into me. Obviously, he needed to do the work, but the point was made.

  He entered into me, and all I could do was gently nibble down on his neck at how good he felt.

  Oh, fucking heavens, he felt amazing. He filled me like I’d never been filled before, and it felt like he could get deeper than I’d ever had before. He moved like a gymnast on top of me, and whether because of his physical prowess or the emotional connection we shared, I could feel the tension developing inside of me extraordinarily quickly.