The asshole in the suit didn't even let me say goodbye to Cole once I came back from the blackness of fainting and was helped off the ground.

By that time Cole was already in the back of a plain silver, un-marked sedan. When my eyes met his through the glass window of the rear passenger door, they calmed me instantly, I knew what I needed to do.

"I love you" I silently mouthed to him

Turning to the suit to ask some questions, he told me I would be able to see Cole in a few days after his processing, in no time they were pulling away from the chapel.

I felt helpless to do anything for him, but there was one thing I could do that I wasn't helpless against, dealing with Ryan.

I didn't say a word on the ride home once we were able to leave, my mind was spinning with ways to torcher Ryan and take my anger out all at once.

As soon as we pulled onto the gravel driveway and the van came to a stop, I turned to Ghost who was sitting in the back seat with Lana, I started giving orders.

"Go get him, bring him to the shop, strip him down, tie him to a chair, and put his feet in ice" I instructed Ghost coldly, he nodded in acknowledgment, I saw a fleeting questioning look on his face but he said nothing.

In spite of Cole being arrested, dealing with Ryan had to be done, and it had to be me.

"Prospect, tell Duck to call Fletcher immediately, to get on it..." Ghost barked to Drew before turned on his heel to head off to get Ryan.

"Hey Diesel? Go with Ghost, help us please, can you come get me when he's secured in the shop?" I asked the pyro of the group.

"You got it" he answered with a smile and jogged off after Ghost. I could tell he was looking forward to be able to help torture Ryan after everything he'd seen from Ryan. They both got into the van once Diesel caught up to Ghost.

Anger was driving me, anger over Cole's arrest, no doubt from the night he came home soaked in someone's blood. Cole's arrest, but mostly anger from Ryan, was the only thing keeping moving forward right now.

Walking swiftly across the desert dirt yard into the house, I went straight to our room, then flopped on our bed face down on Cole's pillow. Rolling onto my back I pulled his pillow to me, his scent was still lingering on it, even though he hasn't slept on it for a few days.

Breathing him in, almost as if I was gathering my strength, I put his pillow back in his spot, then got out of our bed.

Getting into my dresser, I pulled out one of my workout outfits, a black hoodie, then grabbed a pair of my Nike's and put them on before leaving my room and going into hallway leading to the kitchen. I pulled my hair into a ponytail as I walked down the hallway before putting chunky rings on my fingers.

Lana and Bennie sat at the table with looks of worry on their faces as they watched me enter the kitchen.

"You don't have to do this tonight you know?" Lana said in a soft tone.

"Your head ain't on right Hail, after what just happened with Cole, you should take a minute to catch your breath before you make any quick decisions. We don't want any more heat on us out here" Bennie pointed out her rational thoughts.

I met her eyes that swirled in warning and held them with my own, giving her my own warning.

"I'm good, I got the guys with me, they aren't going to let me endanger the club. Your old man is calling the lawyer, there isn't anything left to do" I shrugged, still looking at Bennie, before I got a glass from the cupboard to get a drink of water.

After I took a cold drink of water, washing down a Tylenol that I had gotten from a small cupboard by the sink, I walked over to Bennie and tossed down some hand wraps on the table.

"Can you wrap me up?" I asked her emotionless. She locked eyes with me as she took the wraps off the wooden table, she sighed in discontent.

"Damnit Phoenix" she said under her breath as she snatched my left hand with hers and started wrapping my hands.

After I was wrapped up, I bounced around on the balls of my feet and rolled my neck, loosening my neck and stretching out.

I shook out my hands and feet, blew out a big breath and sat down across from Lana.

"Thank you for everything Lana, I know you have been talking to Cole about my crazy, there's no way a biker could spout off everything he did at Gloria's like a professional shrink" I smiled softly to her "Thank you for helping him understand me, I love you" I tell her with my hand over hers on the table with a genuine smile to convey how much I love her.

Lana didn't get to answer me because Ghost's large presence entered the kitchen making us both turn to give him all of our attention.

"We're ready but uh...do you want to talk about what you're thinking about doing?" He asked me concerned.

"I got it under control Ghost, have someone dig a hole somewhere, let's go" I pushed myself out of the chair without looking back at Lana or Bennie.

I walked over to a vase that held bamboo stalks in an arrangement and broke off a two foot piece, putting it in my hoodie pouch pocket letting it hang out each open end, before walking past Ghost to the front door.

Ghost and I walked to the shop with few words between us but I said my peace and made my demands known. Cole and I are married now, I need to know everything 100%, it's the only way to save him.

"I want to know everything that happened that night, Ghost, who is Ernesto Bianco? I want to talk tonight when this is over" I spoke low and clear, letting him know I wouldn't settle for less.

I could see the emotional turmoil swirl in his green eyes before he gave me a quick silent nod of his head.

He opened the door to the shop and an immediate adrenaline rush shot through my body. It wasn't fear this time.

The shop was dark and quiet, a single hanging lightbulb was the only source of light in the pitch black workshop.

Diesel stood next to Ryan who was tied to a small wooden chair, uncomfortably from the grimace on his face, his feet in oil pans full of ice water. He had a shop rag gag in his mouth, his left eye was swollen shut, and dried blood ran from his nose; it wasn't enough for me.

I walked up to him and looked down at the pathetic shell of a man that was in front of me.

In a jerk reaction, my wrapped fist cocked back then connected to his face, the chunky rings under my wraps doing damage to his nose, his head flew back before snapping forward.

"Ahhhhh" I screamed at a decimal that could have broke glass as I tipped my head back and looked up at the ceiling before I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward, hanging down, not wanting to look at him just yet.

Breathing shallow breaths I only lift my eyes to take in the damage I had just done.

Blood ran from his nose down into the rag in his mouth, gargled, muffled noises came from his throat.

He wanted to talk but I didn't want to listen, it was his turn to listen to me.

I walked up to him and stopped just short of any kind of reaching distance of him before I crouched down on the balls of my feet to make direct eye contact with him.

He wouldn't make eye contact.

Coward

"Look at me you mother fucker" I seethed through clenched teeth.

When he didn't lift his head, Ghost helped him, by grabbing his black hair and pulling back hard and fast.

Ryan cut his eyes hard to me and glared coldly.

"I lived for a long time in fear of you. I hated myself, for allowing you to do what you did to me, I hated who you had made me become. Fear and hate can really fuck with someone's mind and heart, put a callous over it. It makes a bitch unstable and crazy" I pulled the bamboo out from my hoodie pocket "but when I found Cole, he made me believe in myself and grow strong. I found my family...these guys here, they're my brothers" I gestured to Ghost and Diesel who stared intimidatingly at him.

Ryan kept making noise, his eyes now pleading with me, but I tuned him out completely; I had a lot to say.

"Cole's my husband now, we got married tonight just so you know, that legally, physically, spiritually and in every other way I could give myself to him I have. You have no power over me anymore, now all I want to do to you is cause you pain, and that is where my very big brothers come in" I smiled menacingly at him then stood up.

In a flash I brought down the bamboo across the top of his exposed bare thighs, just below the material of his boxers, making him give another gurgled scream. I wanted him to know the pain that was coming to him.

"Untie his feet and lay his chair back down against the floor, Ghost. Diesel, can you make sure his feet are accessible?" I asked with a lopsided grin knowing my sadistic plan.

Ryan started fighting his binds against the chair and making more noise.

"Oh yeah" The tall demo man moved to help Ghost untie Ryan's legs from the chair, which made Ryan pull his feet out of the freezing ice water, immediately screaming from pain when the warm air hit his feet.

My two big helpers lay the back of his chair on the cement floor, his arms still bound and being pinched under his own weight, his knees bent at the perfect angle for his feet to point out perfectly.

I unleashed everything I had onto the bare soles of his feet. I whipped and lashed over and over until the flesh tore open and blood dropped onto the floor.

As I pulled back for another lash, Ghost caught my arm at the wrist.

"Hailey..." he spoke low and soft "Don't do something you can't come back from" he moved around from my side to stand in front of me, making me focus on him instead of Ryan.

Holding my wrist firmly but gently he took the bamboo out of my hand with his free hand, having to pry it out, I just couldn't let go.

"Breathe...in and out" Ghost encouraged.

Once I finally let my white knuckle grip of the bamboo go, I just kept breathing with Ghost, holding his eyes with my own, he's right.

"You're right; cut him lose" I finally concede.

Diesel and Ghost each cut lose a side and stood Ryan up, he couldn't stand on the stumps of his feet and fell into a heap on the floor.

I reached under my hoodie to my vest strapped against my body and pulled out the gun Cole gave me. I pointed it at Ryan on the cold cement floor looking as helpless and broken as he'd made me feel.

"Run" I told him as I cocked the hammer back.

Whimpers were his response.

Tears?...this fucker was crying.

"Get up and run you chicken shit mother fucker, I wanna see how far you can get while I hunt you, you know, so I can see what you felt like when you hunted me like an animal?"

Nothing to say now, He just lay there, no sounds or tears now.

He refused to run which was making me angrier.

"Fine, have it your way" I glared my eyes at him.

"Watch him Diesel, Ghost can you come here?" I ask then start walking into Cole's office that he uses for his legit garage work.

Ghost closed the door behind him, before I could speak he started talking.

"Go inside to bed, Me and D will take him out and finish it, you don't need to be involved in that. We will be back in no time, please, Cole will never forgive me if this blows back on you. This is something that'll change you forever, can you live with that, is he worth it? This is different than fighting for your life at Lana's" he took me by both of my shoulders, almost to shake some sense into me.

My head dropped and my shoulders slumped forward. The sweet face of the little boy in my dream flashed in my mind pulling at my heart.

"I want Cole home" Tears welled up in my eyes but I quickly wiped them away.

"He will be home soon, Fletcher is good, he's already on it; trust me" he pulled me into a supportive hug.

My mind was spinning. What do I do? That sweet face and innocent eyes flashed again and I heard the words

"Daddy needs you mommy" that he said to me in my dream.

I knew then I couldn't do this anymore.

"Okay, I'll let you deal with him, but I need to know it's done. I need to know that I'm safe and never have to worry about him again Ghost, I can't-

"Hailey, I promise you the same loyalty that I give to Cole, you will never have to look over your shoulder again. He's going into that hole" his eyes told me he meant every word he said.

"Thank you, I'll go inside then, let me know where you're back and it's done please?" I asked calm now.

"You got it, keep Lana busy" he asked.

"Thank you Ghost" I told him and with all my heart I meant it.

I walked out and past Ryan without giving him a second glance and out of the shop into my house, he wasn't worth anymore of my time, or thoughts.

Lana and Bennie were on me immediately wanting to know what happened, what was still happening.

"Just come to my room" I told them walking past them down the hall to my room.

Over the next hour and a half I sat with my two closest friends, who had become family as much as the guys, that's what we all were...family.

Bennie unwrapped my hands and they both sat on my bed talking while I showered to make sure I wasn't alone.

Bennie had made hot toddy's and we were passing a joint between us when Ghost and Diesel made it back home and found their way into my room.

Ghost locked eyes with me and nodded his head, it was done, Ryan was dead.

Holy Shit...

The girls stood to clear the room, Lana gave me a hug and Ghost a kiss on her way out of my bedroom, telling him she would be waiting for him in his room.

When everyone had gone Ghost sat down in a chair up against the wall next to a little side table while I sat crossed legged on my bed.

"It's done, no one will find that hole, you won't ever have to worry about him again"

I sighed and closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart.

It was finally over.

It doesn't feel real though, I don't know how long it'll take me to truly feel safe, but I'm grateful for Ghosts help.

"Thank you Ghost, I couldn't say that enough in this lifetime, it doesn't even begin to express my gratitude for everything you've done for me tonight...shit, since I've been here" I smiled slightly before taking a deep breath ready to ask the hard question.

"Ghost, Tell me about Ernesto Bianco and what happened that night Cole came home covered in blood" I asked looking right in his eyes waiting for the answers he promised me so I could help Cole.

———————————————

Author's Note:

This will continue into a series so I can't do a fully detailed epilogue but a short one will follow soon.

Just an FYI, I am focusing on my other stories before I jump into the second book for this series.

Thank you to everyone who read along, binged it, voted, commented or silently read. I love you all💋

Love,

A💋