Jeremy pressed a kiss into the top of her head when she nuzzled into his chest, but didn’t respond. Before he could protest the notion of going to find Solomon, she was gone. He got himself a beer and nursed it, jotting down some notes to get prepared for the meeting happening in 20 minutes. He was in a trance like state, a new found focus taking over him.

----------------------------------------------------

Solomon nearly broke through the ceiling when Tallis barged in the room. He didn’t make eye contact with her the whole time she spoke, and just nodded when she left the room with his cut. He fucked up and he knew it. He was doing the same thing that he feared Jeremy would do when he got back together with Tallis. “God damn it,” he cursed to himself as he stood up, completely naked, and paced back and forth in the room. “K, she’s right. I’m sorry.” He scratched his head; going to the clubhouse now probably wouldn’t be a good move. He pulled out his phone and began to text Jeremy. “Tillman, be in tomorrow morning. Sorry.” It was short, but Solomon didn’t really feel like begging for forgiveness through his phone. He sat back down on the bed and put his hand in his heads.

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Jeremy was finishing his beer at the table when Tallis came in and threw him Solomon’s cut, sighing in disappointment. He had a million things that he wanted to say, but just stayed silent. Like clockwork, the rest of the members filed in and took their seats at the table.

“Boys, Tallis,” Jeremy called out to the room as he slammed the gavel on the wooden table. He wouldn’t have considered himself a power hungry man, but sitting at the end of the table gave him a rush. “Black’s outta town and asked me to fill his shoes while he’s gone. That means I get to take care of you pretty ladies for the next few days.” This earned a few chuckles and a light hearted “fuck you,” from one of the members. Jeremy smiled, but quickly turned serious. “Obviously, we don’t need to investigate on who did this. I need to know how far we’ve gotten and what information we collected. DT, Chip?”

Chip spoke up for them. “We’ve been following him for the past four days. He’s gone back to the bay a couple times, and we saw him at Winters’ house twice." This frustrated Jeremy. Moira knew way too much about the charter to make it okay for her to get close to Cameron. Also, the thought of the abusive asshole seducing her made him tense up. No matter how much he didn’t love her, he didn’t hate her. He would always look out for her.

“Thanks, Chip. Does anyone have anything on Cherokee?”

Voodoo cleared his throat and spoke up. “None of ‘em have contacted us in over a week. They just got an extra weapons shipment this week, which definitely ain’t normal. They’re preparing for something, Tillman.” Tillman sighed and nodded. “Thanks, Voodoo.”

Tillman looked across the table to his brothers and Tallis. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before continuing. “Let’s hire some extra security for the clubhouse for now. Shamrock, make sure we got funds for it and add it to the books. If the fire was to kill someone, they would have hit the clubhouse. This was to send a message.” At this point, he stood up, leaning his hands down on the table. “I’m gonna call a meeting with Winters. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll have to deal with Moira.” His eyes shot down when he said that. “Chip and DT, continue surveillance. Voodoo, keep your eye on Cherokee. Carlo, check with our guard at the prison and see how our guys inside are holdin’ up. If Cherokee has alliances with any inmates, they could be in some deep shit. Patty, contact our supplier and let them know not to ship to the port for the time being. I don’t want our shit going through Winters.” He took a breath and thought before spoke. “Tallis and I will be coming up with a plan to strike back. She knows him better than any of us do. She’ll know his weaknesses, vices, and where to hit him where it hurts. I’ll bring it to the table when I have a rough draft.” Murmurs of approval drifted around the table. “Clean up in the garage is tomorrow as well. If you’re not on a project or escorting family members, I need you here. I’ll be here as soon as I can tomorrow. Thanks, brothers.” He let the gavel fall on the desk once more, and everyone began to filter out of the room.

Jeremy fell back into his chair and groaned. He wanted this to be over already, but he knew this had only just begun. He pulled a joint out of his breast pocket and lit it carefully. He took a large drag, held it for a moment, and exhaled slowly, the milky white smoke floating out of his nose and mouth. He was stressed, exhausted, angry, horny, and anxious all at one time. He noticed that Tallis had yet to leave the table, so he patted the table in front of him as a signal for her to sit. He passed her the joint after taking one more deep hit, and as he exhaled, he placed his hand on her thigh and rubbed it. “Let’s go.”

Kaci moved towards Solomon, resting her head against his back. "Don't be sorry, but I know that the club needs you. Your brothers need you." She sighed. "And your girlfriend will be waiting for you when you return." She began kissing his back and neck, pulling him into her arms. Her heart was breaking for him, mostly because she knew that this was all her fault. If only we had never gotten involved...

"I'm sorry, Solomon."

_________________________

She moved to where Tillman had patted, crossing her legs as she leaned forward. Anger was evident on her pretty features. Jealousy was beginning to bubble up in her chest at the idea of Jeremy going to meet with Moira, she didn't trust that bitch. Tallis took the joint from Jeremy, inhaling as deeply as she could. The smoke was burning her lungs, but ignored the sensation the best she could. Her head was beginning to swim. "I don't want you meeting with Moira. I lost you to her won't, and I'll be damned if I lose you again." The smoke poured out of her mouth as she spoke. She was refusing to look at him, almost disappointed that she was feeling jealousy. Did she have a right to be jealous? "Let's go, and I'll give you 101 reasons to keep me around."

Her biggest fears were beginning to come to life. Cameron was close to getting her back and she could possibly lose Tillman if Moira came back into the picture.

Jeremy kept a stone cold expression on his face when she spoke about Moira. He placed his hand on her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes, glancing out of the window to make sure he wasn’t in the view of any club members. He looked at her for a moment, holding his hand on her chin while the other hand that was already placed on her thigh slid up. “I’ll do what I have to do for this club. She’s a last resort, Tallis. You know she won’t talk if you’re there with me.” He brought both hands back down to the arms of his chair to lift himself up. “And I’m gonna hold you to that when we get home,” he winked as he walked past her and out of the conference room. “Headin’ out, boys. See you tomorrow.” Him and Tallis got on the bike to go home. He felt her breath on his neck and it sent chills down his spine.
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Solomon sighed, “I’ll make it right.” He kissed her slowly for a moment before standing up. “I’m gonna grab something to drink, be right back.” Solomon headed down to the kitchen to hear Jeremy’s truck pull up in the drive way. He wanted to run, but he stood still waiting for Jeremy to enter.

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Jeremy and Tallis were making out as they stumbled through the door when his eyes met with Solomon’s. “I’ll meet you up in the room, Tallis,” he said firmly without losing his eye contact with Solo. Once she was upstairs, Solomon began to speak but Jeremy interrupted him.

“We need to talk,” Jeremy nearly growled as he glared at Solomon.
Solomon reluctantly agreed, taking a seat at the wooden dining room table. Jeremy couldn’t sit, he was fuming.

“Jeremy, about Kase, I –“
“Look, fuck my sister for all I care. Obviously, those were your plans, whether I cared or not. But you’re dodging calls, missing my meetings, at my house while part of the clubhouse fuckin’ explodes?” Jeremy felt anger rising in his chest like acid reflux. He was shouting now. “Black has me in charge right now. I’ve got the fuckin' President’s chair, Solo, and guess how it makes me look when my right hand man is back at my house playing naked twister with my sister? Huh?” He ran both hands through his hair as continued to pace back in forth. “What the fuck are you thinking, man?”
“I’m not just fucking your sister, Tillman. I love her. I do,” Solomon stopped himself. He knew it was no excuse.
Jeremy scoffed at his words. “Oh yeah? You love her, huh? Well, that’s beautiful.” His tone was sarcastic. “Well, your ‘love’ for Kase isn’t helping me get our shit together before Cherokee comes and puts a god damn bullet into each of our skulls.” Jeremy sighed and composed himself for a moment. “If you want out, tell me now. I don’t want you wearing our patch with one foot out the door.”
Solomon sat their nearly completely still, breathing deeply to keep himself from fighting back. “I fucked up, dude. I’m sorry. Of course I don’t want to leave the fucking club. It’s all I got. Won’t happen again, I promise.”
Jeremy scowled at him. “It better not, Solo. You know what happens when you put your old lady before the club. You’re off the hook this time.” He threw his cut at him and walked away, climbing back up the stairs to his room.

He knew he had a soft spot for Solomon, or else he would’ve broke his nose right then and stripped his patches. Once he reached the room, Jeremy took off his button up shirt and threw it in his hamper. He took the whiskey bottle out of his closet and laid down next to Tallis. He was still upset, a crease settling between his eyebrows. He didn’t even have anything to say. He put one arm behind his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

-Three Months Later-

In four weeks, a great deal could change. More than anyone could possibly imagine. Alexander Black had officially stepped down as President, allowing Tillman to take his place and Patty to become Vice President. Not a single person had voted against it. Things between the two chapters of the Red Devil Motorcycle Club had come to a surprising standstill, but that didn't mean things would stay like that. Things never stayed calm for long. Not when you were an outlaw. Nothing was ever this simple when you were an outlaw.

It was just the calm before the storm.

***

Kaci had moved in with Solomon, their relationship with Jeremy still rocky at best. Nonexistent at worst. It almost, no it did, hurt how little she got to see her older brother. "Solo, get in her!" Her fragile heart was sinking into her stomach as she stared down at the test. Two blue lines. Just like the other three tests. She and Solomon were going to be parents. Everything she never wanted. Ever. This was her worst nightmare. "Oh dear God," she muttered into the toilet.

If there were any hopes of fixing the relationship between Jeremy and Solo, they had all just been pissed away. Literally.

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Like Kaci and Solomon, Tallis and Tillman had moved in together; she was even officially his old lady, something she had always wanted to be. The happy couple had been spending a great deal of time at the clubhouse, making sure that everything was running smoothly. It was. For the most part, at least. Tallis had been looking into expanding their drug trade, turning it into a drug empire. Heroine. Meth. Crack. Cocaine. Weed. The Red Devils were selling it all, and some of them were even getting addicted to it.

Tallis was curled up on Tillman's lap, looking over the club's finances while Jeremy smoked a joint. "We need to continue pushing the heroine and meth, they seem to be doing really well in the neighboring counties. Cocaine is still selling well in our's, but it looks like weed is also doing particularly well with the teenagers. Which makes sense, because the weed is fucking fantastic. I would know." She would know, seeing as how she smoked it so often.

The stress of being President was surprisingly much more to bare than Jeremy had originally thought. Not only was he the owner of the mechanic shop that they laundered their money through, now it was like he owned the club. Although it had only been a few months, it had obviously aged and hardened Tillman mentally. The blood on his hands seemed to grow by the bucket now, as he responsible for not only himself but for the members as well. Whether it was murder or an overdose from the drugs they supplied to sellers, the body count had grown tremendously since they expanded their business.

But he still had Tallis, who relieved him a lot of stress both mentally and physically. She exceeded any expectations that Jeremy may have had for her. She wasn't only his old lady. She was a member of his club. Some of the guys would get pissed over his obvious protection and favoritism, but his reply was always the same. "If you start sucking my dick and making me breakfast, I'll love you too."

But Tallis was more to him than he let on to the club. Yes, the sex was amazing. Yes, she took care of him like no woman he'd ever been with. Yes, she could be on the back of his bike or ride along side him (Jeremy worked every day to fix Banshee until it was ready for her). But he had fallen in love with her in ways unimaginable to him. He had always loved her, but now he shared a bed with her. A house. His thoughts. His fears. She sat with him through the come downs and laughed with him during the highs. She was his world.

But the club always came first, and unlike Solo, Jeremy stayed true to his word.

Jeremy passed his joint to Tallis as she laid in his lap, smiling down at her as she talked. "You got it, Pres," he joked as he plucked the joint back from her fingers and took a hit. "Don't worry about that shit now, love. Just relax."

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Solomon ran into the bathroom at Kaci's requested and put his hand over his mouth when he realized what she was holding. "K..." He gasped, "you're fucking with me." He reached down and grabbed the pregnancy test from her hand. "Jesus, K. With all the drugs I've done, I didn't even think I could get someone pregnant." He realized she had a worried look and kneeled down next to her. "K, it's fine. It really is," he said quietly. He sighed and brushed some of the hair away from her face. "You know I'll take care of you."

Solomon and Tillman never really spoke anymore unless it was club related. Kaci would spend nights crying herself to sleep over it, which made Solo begin to resent him. Jeremy was prideful and wouldn't let go of this for a while, at least.

"Solomon, we're going to be parents. We have to tell Jeremy, but I want to do it in person." There was something sugary sweet about the words dripping from her lips. For the first time in weeks, Kaci smiled. She was over the moon, this is exactly what they needed. A new start.

***

Kaci knocked on the door to Tillman's office, opening the door when Tallis said to open the door. The overly tattoed woman was wrapped around her brother, her fingers tangled in his hair. The whole room smelled like weed. "You're going to be an uncle, Jeremy, I wanted to tell you in person."

Tallis' jaw dropped, a pang of jealousy dropping into her stomach. A baby was something she had always wanted, and almost had once. "I'm so happy for you two. How do you guys feel?"

"I'm literally over the moon!" She was grinning from ear to ear.

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Solomon nodded at her words blankly; he had been part listening, part freaking out. Was he a decent enough human being to raise a child? Was he good enough for Kaci? After she left, he laid down on their bed with an arm thrown over his face.

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Jeremy and Tallis had been sharing a blunt in his office after he got through some paperwork. He was blowing a shot gun slowly into her mouth as someone knocked. He laughed and pulled it out of his mouth when Kaci walked in. He hadn't seen her in a while, and his eyes falling on her made him feel a mix of emotions.

When she announced that she was having a baby, a million thoughts ran through his head. He put out the paraphernalia and turned to Tallis. "Give me a minute?" Once she left, he stood up and walked over to Kaci. His pride was begging him yell and scream that she was young and stupid, but he just reached out him arms and wrapped them around her, without saying a word.

After a minute or so, he looked down at her and brushed the hair out of her face. "You gonna be okay, Kase?" He sighed and guilt crept up him for not being there for her the past few months. "I'm sorry. I'll help you with whatever you need. I love you." His thoughts switched to Solomon, which made the familiar anger he's felt crawl up from his stomach into his chest. "Do you trust him, Kase?"

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His little sister rested her head on her brother's chest, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill. "As long as I have your support, I'm going to be amazing." Kaci looked up at him, her brows knitting together as she frowned. "I trust him as much as you trust Tallis, and from what I've heard...that's a lot. The guys just keep going on and on about how happy you seem. It's weird. Jeremy Tillman has never been happy about anything." She laughed as she sank into a chair, placing a hand on her stomach almost protectively. This was all so unreal for her.

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It was getting late, probably around 11:15, meaning that it was time for changing of the guard. Security was still at an all time high. Despite this, the only ones watching the clubhouse now were Jeremy, Tallis, and Cuddles the prospect that had taken Solo's room at the clubhouse. Everything was quiet as Tallis made her rounds around the perimeter, thick, gray smoke trailing behind her like a ghost. She was vulnerable, high as a kite and thoughts turned to mush due to her baby fear. Tallis didn't even hear the sound of the approaching footsteps. Her first mistake.

"Smoking will kill you, Tallis. Though you always looked so goddamn sexy doing it. Blow some of that smoke my way, baby." His husky voice made her blood run cold. How had she not heard him? Cameron was never a quiet man. Ever.

She cursed herself under her breath, refusing to face him. Her second mistake.
"More guys will be coming any second, Cameron. They'll fucking kill you if they see you."

"Then they won't see me." He laughed, but there was nothing pleasant about the sound. It reminded her of a hyena that had cornered its prey, laughing at the creatures fear. "Can't a guy come visit his old lady?"

"I'll Tillman's old lady now, fucker." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. This was her last and final mistake. Cameron was a violently jealous person, and he had always hated Jeremy. Tallis regretted her words even more as his fingers tangled in her raven colored hair, pulling her back with extreme force. He wrapped an arm around her throat, starving her lungs of the air they so desperately needed.

Cameron wouldn't let her go until she was riding the thin line between conscious and unconscious. She clawed at his arms, but he still refused to let her go until she was limp. Without his help to stand she slumped to the hard ground. "I've always loved it when you didn't put up a fight, it makes things so much easier." His steel-toed boot found her body over and over again. Ribs. Stomach. Thighs. Stomach. Ribs. Repeat. And when she started to crawl away, he stomped on her shoulder until it was dislocated or broken. She couldn't crawl away now. Luckily, the sound of motorcycles stopped his assault. "Pity, I was just going to show you what a man I was." With a single blow to the face, he was off at a leisurely pace.

Tallis cried out, but she could barely do that. It felt like hours passed before someone found her on their rounds. It was Patty and Voodoo. "Oh fuck. Voodoo, go get Tillman...but prepare him, okay? Oh fuck." He fell to his knees, pulling Tallis into his arms. She screamed at his touch, begging him to just put her down. "Shhh. Tillman will be here soon, Tallis. He'll be here soon." He began rocking her like he rocked his daughters when they had hurt themselves. "Fuck."

Voodoo burst into Tillman's office, no apologies. "Tillman, I need you to come with me. It's bad. Real bad."

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"Shut up," Jeremy replied in a gruff voice, obviously joking. He tussled her hair after she sat down and sighed, leaning on the front of his desk to face her. "I'm gonna have to have a talk with Solo. I'm not gonna be dick to him, I promise. But, I wanna set a few things straight with him." Jeremy and Kaci caught up for a little while in his office. It was nice having her around again. They laughed and joked around until someone barged into his office. "Jesus, man!" he yelled as he threw his hands up in surprise. "Tillman, I need you to come with me. It's bad. Real bad." Because he didn't know what was happening, he told Kaci to go home just in case she was in danger.

He followed Voodoo to the spot where Patty was cradling Tallis. "What the fuck happened?" He said, taking over for Patty and holding her gently. He knew what happened. He knew Cameron had been here. His first instinct was to go find the fucker and kill him in cold blood, but his heart told him to stay with her. She was shaking, the blow to her head caused a drip of blood to run down her face. Jeremy used the bottom of his white shirt to clean it off, and he kissed her forehead. He put a hand to the side of her face to comfort her as he quietly spoke. "Voodoo's calling a nurse to come out. We're gonna fix you up, and when we find him, love, you're gonna kill him." Jeremy knew just how much she wanted to kill her, and now he was finally ready to do so.

A connection they had with one of the local hospitals was a nurse named Sue. Her old man was in the club years ago and would offer assistance when any members were injured. They didn't go to the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary. Patty and Jeremy had carried Tallis into a private room in the clubhouse and laid her down on the couch. Sue walked in and greeted everyone before going up to her to assess the damage. "I got it, Patty. Thank you," Jeremy patted his shoulder as he spoke. Patty nodded and left the room quietly, and Jeremy turned his focus over to Tallis. He had been balling his hands in a fist so tightly that his knuckles were white. He was furious.

Sue spoke softly to Tallis, almost like a mother. "Baby, I'm gonna need to take your shirt off, okay? It's just me and Tillman here. You're safe."

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Not even the idea of killing Cameron brought her joy, it was almost as if all the blows to the body had broken her heart. She looked away from Tillman, ashamed. Tallis was ashamed that she hadn't protected herself or even tried do. As he laid on the couch she cried. There was nothing she could do to stop the tears.

The last time he had beat her this badly she had called Taylor to come kill him. Instead, it was Taylor who was killed.

"You're going to have to pop my shoulder back into socket first." She looked at everything but Sue and Jeremy, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Sue helped Tallis into a seated position, frowning at the look of her shoulder. "This is going to hurt, I won't sugar coat that...but you'll feel so much better once it's back in place." While Tallis was distracted by her words, the middle-aged nurse forced Talli's shoulder back into socket. She moved to the side just in time for Tallis dinner to come back up. "Pain tend to do that, honey, don't worry." Sue looked back at Jeremy, "Go get her some weed and alcohol. Those are two things I know you have in abundance here."

Tallis slowly removed her shirt, the budding bruises on full display. Her ribs looked worst, porcelain skin painted black and blue. "I know they're broken, I can feel it when I breathe." The nurse nodded in agreement, waiting for Jeremy to return. She wanted to speak to him alone.

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Jeremy pushed his personal pain he felt for her aside so that he could be her rock. Watching her like this lit a fire in him that wouldn't go out until Cameron was dead. He watched Tallis vomit from the pain but didn't react; he didn't want to make her feel bad. He wanted to the the opposite. He nodded at Sue to her request and left the room, taking the liberty to grab some blow for her too.

When Jeremy returned, his eyes locked onto her torso. "Jesus Christ, Tallis," he said almost in a whisper. He put the party favors on the table and returned to the edge of the room, wanting to give the women the space they needed.

Sue handed Tallis the joint and alcohol, watching as she gulped down the liquid like it were water. There was something pathetic about the sight before her. This girl was clearly broken. "I'll back, I just need to talk to Jeremy for a little while, okay?" She didn't leave until Tallis nodded while lighting the joint. Hopefully, the poor girl would pass out soon. The nurse approached Jeremy slowly, placing her hand on his arm. Anger was radiating off of him. "I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do for her. Do not let her out of your sight, Jeremy Tillman, I've seen this before. The next time I saw a young woman who was beaten this badly, she was dead. He will come back." The club life had hardened Sue, she had seen it all before.

She looked back at Tallis, who was already beginning to fall in and out of consciousness. "Did he do anything else to her? Because I brought a kit with me." Sue hoped that Cameron hadn't done anything else to the poor girl.

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"Do not let her out of your sight, Jeremy Tillman." He nodded in response to her first statement. His eyes flicked over to her momentarily to watch her. He couldn't tell if she was more hurt mentally or physically. "Did he do anything else to her?" Jeremy's eyes went back to Sue's. "I couldn't get much outta her, Sue. Let me talk to her real quick." He walked back into the room and knelt down next to her slowly. "I'm sorry this happened to you, love. You don't deserve this shit," he sighed, letting his fingers lightly sweep the hair out of her face. "You need to tell me if he did anything else to you. Sue can't help you unless we know everything."

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Tallis shrugged at Jeremy's words, seemingly unphased. She was used to getting the shit beat out of her by Cameron. "He hasn't raped me in years if that's what you're asking." With a whimper she rolled onto her side. Everything hurt, but the drugs and alcohol were starting to make things a little better. She just wanted to sleep. Forever. "This isn't your fault, Jeremy. There's nothing you could have done to stop this. I should have been paying more attention. That was my fau--" Her words were interrupted by the door being thrown open.

It was her father, and he was silently seething. She was worse than he had expected.

"Get him out of here Jeremy, I don't want him to see me like this!" Tallis covered herself to the best of her ability, rolling over once more so that her back was turned to her father. No father should have to see his daughter like this. "I'm fine, daddy, it's worse than it looks."

"The hell it is, Tallis." Black's voice was shaking along with the rest of him. He was about to explode like an atomic bomb. "What the fuck are you going to do about this, Tillman?"

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Although Jeremy felt a wave of relief wash over him that Cameron hadn’t done more than he could see, it didn’t change the fact that the woman he loved was crumbling in front of him. Jeremy jumped up to the sudden appearance of Black in the room. Jeremy looked down at Tallis one last time before nodding to Black to meet him in the hallway. Once they were out of the room, Jeremy looked at Black with an expressionless face. “I know that’s your girl in there, Black, but her head isn’t right. Any sign of aggression or anger around her is gonna make her flip the fuck out.”

“I need you to make this right, Tillman. No one should have been able to do this to her,” Black shook his head and looked to the floor.
“I’ll make it right, Black. I swear I will,” Jeremy stated as he placed a hand on Black’s shoulder. “He’ll pay for what he did.”
Black nodded. He walked into the room one more time to say bye to Tallis. He knew she didn’t want to see him while she was in this state, and all he could do was respect that.

After Black left, Jeremy knelt down next to her once more and rubbed her shoulder. “He’s gone, love. I’m gonna take you home now.” Jeremy helped slip her shirt back on and gently picked her up from the couch, holding her like baby. He borrowed one of the vans from the shop and placed her in the passenger seat.

***

Jeremy carried her inside the house up to the room. He helped her undress and put one of his t shirts on her for her to sleep in. He sat on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on top of hers. She was still shaking, which broke his heart. “What can I do for you, love?”

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She watched Tillman silently and intently, flinching when his hand got too close to any part of her body. "I'm sorry, I know you're not going to hit me..." It was difficult to look at him when she was shaking and scared. He shouldn't have to see her this way. This was so out of her character, but it was only to be expected. It was almost amazing that she wasn't in worse shape emotionally. "I want you to hold me until I fall asleep, and I want to talk about anything else. I just," Tallis swallowed down a sob. "I can't talk about what he did to me right now." Once he laid down beside her, she positioned herself on top of him so she could listen to the sound of his beating heart; the sound was comforting.

Her eyelids were starting to feel like bricks.

"I want to get married, Jeremy." She wasn't sure what her think it would be a good idea to bring this up, perhaps it was the blow to the head mixed with the alcohol.

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He got himself comfortable as she climbed on top of him, taking a deep breath and enjoying her warmth on him. He did his best to fight the anger that had been present in him all night at what had happened to Tallis. He was running a hand through her hair as she brought up marriage, and coughed out of surprise. What the fuck was he supposed to say? The woman he loved was beaten to a pulp and laying on top of him, relying on receiving all her comfort from him. "You know, I'm not too knowledgeable on this shit, Tallis," he started, a smile creeping on his face, "But aren't I the one who's supposed to ask you?" He nudged her a little bit to let him know he was fucking around, but he sighed and began to rub her shoulder. "We'll talk about it when you're better, love." He didn't want to brush her off, but knowing that she had been knocked around and had been drinking made him cautious about getting to deep into the conversation. "You know I love you, right?"

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She looked up at him, resting one of her hands at the top of his head. Had she not been so weak, she would have run her fingers through his hair. "You know I think you're just okay, right?" Her smile was crooked and pained, but it was still a smile. "I know you love me, and you know I love you." She seemed to be melting at his touch, becoming limp and relaxed. "Then what would you like to talk about if I can't talk about marrying you? The weather is pretty nice tonight, so we could talk about that." Tallis was teasing him, doing her best to show him that she would be okay. But there was the nagging sensation at the back of her head that she would never be the same. Cameron had broken something in her, something that couldn't be replaced.

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Jeremy hated to be mushy or romantic; it was something foreign to him. But Tallis, especially now, deserved his uninhibited love. She had put up with so much before and after they reunited that it didn’t feel fair for Tillman not to give her all that he could. “Well,” he began in his deep voice, “remember that night on the beach? With Taylor? Well, that was the night I realized I was in love with you. I mean, I’ve always loved you, but...”he trailed off. “I’m no good at this shit,” he said laughing softly. “Of course I want to marry you. You’re the only fine piece of ass I want.” He met her eyes and smiled alluring her before kissing her forehead. “Now get some sleep, Old Lady.”

Time began slowly passing by, and Tallis' physical wounds began to heal. It was the emotional ones that stayed open, festering and becoming infected. The young woman shrank when anyone came too close. She hid behind her hands when Jeremy moved to touch her cheeks. Everything frightened her, and she didn't sleep. She was living on coffee and speed, slowly unraveling like a ball of string.

Nothing would return to normal until Cameron was dead and buried. And she had to be the one to do it.

Tallis was curled up in the President's chair, the video of her attack being played on repeat as she searched through mountains of paperwork. She was becoming obsessed with finding Cameron. It consumed every aspect of her life. "Where the fuck are you?! You can beat the shit out of me and disappear. That's not your style. WHERE ARE YOU?!" As she screamed she pushed the papers off Jeremy's desk. Had it been her computer she would have thrown it across the room. Breaking things was the only thing that brought her comfort in these troubled times. That, and fucking Jeremy so hard he fell right to sleep.

A knock at the door pulled her mind away from her own thoughts. "Come in!" It was Cuddles. He was still in bad shape from being jumped in. Tallis found that she liked him a lot, though. "What is it, Cain?" She was the only one to use his real name.

"Tillman wants you. They found someone who might be able to give us information about Cameron." He flashed her a sheepish smile, playing with his cut. Tallis was always so nice to him, it was hard not to fall for her.

"Thanks, Cain. I'll be right there." She smiled back at him, allowing him to leave before moving from the chair. This was going yo either end well or very poorly, there was no room for something in between.

This day marked three weeks since the attack on Tallis. Jeremy had his good and bad days as he grew into the position of President of the Red Devils MC. Business was booming, both in the shop and on the streets, and more money began trickling to the members. The clubhouse got some of the money too, getting a fresh paint job and pool table. Tallis had been great with helping Jeremy on the financial front, sometimes catching stuff he overlooked and giving him new ideas.

The fact that Tallis flinched anytime Jeremy came near her made him quite upset. She was still having nightmares, which Jeremy tried his best to work her through each night. It broke his heart but kept his determination alive to find Cameron to make him pay for what he did. Some nights, after she woke up crying, they'd lay together awake in silence until the sun started to creep up. They were both tired; devising a plan and searching for Cameron both took it out of them. But Jeremy rose to the occasion of comforting her and making sure she healed properly. He jokingly called himself Tallis' old lady. The sex was still as amazing as ever, which made Jeremy feel guilty, but any time he suggested she just went to bed, she would climb on top of him. He couldn’t help himself; he was a man after all.

Jeremy had noticed Tallis becoming closer and closer to Cuddles, the prospect turned club member. As he wasn’t much of a jealous guy, Jeremy didn’t really think twice about it. Cuddles was, well, like a teddy bear. Maybe Tallis had needed a comforting figure to help her through the difficult time she was having.

The search for Cameron had hit a dead end before it picked back up. It looked as though Cameron has been seeing Moira, which depending on how pissed she still was, could ruin the club. Winters denied a meeting with the club, so they were weighing in heavily on the decision of whether or not to get Moira involved. Although, if she was seeing Cameron, that means she was way too involved already. Jeremy assumed that he was using her, probably acting sweet and innocent, until he got what information he wanted. This would also put him on Winters’ good side. A club meeting tomorrow would decide whether to move forward with this or not.


Tillman had not yet spoken with Solomon about Kaci, and as long as she was fine and healthy he could push it off for now. Things were crazy at the clubhouse and with Tallis that his mind had to remain there. Kaci would come spend the night at his house sometimes; Jeremy left her room the way it was just in case she ever needed to come back. He’d take her out for food and get her ice cream, just like she was his kid sister again. But, he still held a lot of anger towards Solomon. Their relationship was strictly business at this point.


“Hey, love” Jeremy said gruffly as Tallis approached him. “It looks like Cameron is seeing Moira. I’m gonna have to meet with her. I don’t think she knows how deep this shit runs.” He put a hand up to move a few strands of hair away from her face, but as she flinched, he frowned and put his hand back down. “I, um, gotta take care of J now. You don’t have to watch. He's gotta be involved with Cameron, and once he's set free of club duties, we can watch what he does with his freetime." He sighed and turned around to head to the table. All the members filed in to have a meeting. He updated them about Cameron and the usual club activities.

Unfortunately, Jeremy had to do something he had hoped he never had to. One of the members was caught cooking the books for the shop and keeping the money for himself. Jeremy had noticed that something looked off for the total amount at the end of the quarter, and he and Tallis stayed up a whole night going over different receipts, documents, check books and files until they found out what was missing. $56,000. All fingers pointed back to J, a member in his mid thirties who has been acting very odd lately. Jeremy had waited nearly a week before confronting him, trying to avoid it, but he knew he couldn't wait anything longer.

“Now that we’re wrapping up, is there anything you want to tell us, J?” The man looked surprised and said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jeremy sighed and looked at him dead in the eye. “Don’t make me do this, J.” The other members of the club grabbed J and brought him into one of the garages, sitting him down in a wooden chair and using chains to bind his hands. “Tillman, I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing. Black will kill you,” he said and spit on the floor at Jeremy’s feet. “Black’s not here, J, is he?” At the end of his sentence, Jeremy threw a right hook, causing blood to spew from J’s mouth. “What’d you buy with my money, J, huh? Some blow? A new bike?” Jeremy hit him again, this time striking the other side of his face. J sat there in silence, looking at Tillman with narrowed eyes. Still not speaking. Jeremy scoffed, and began pacing in front of him. “Alright, J. Look. I know we’re criminals. I fucking love money as much as you do, but,” Jeremy put a hand on his throat and began to squeeze, making J look at him, “But no one steals from my god damn club.” J’s eyes began to bulge as he breathlessly let out a “Fuck you, boy.” Jeremy let go, and J shortly received another blow to the face. Blood was trickling from J’s mouth and a gash on his cheek. He began stretching and cracking his knuckles as he spoke. “Alright, boys. J doesn’t want to talk.” He reached in the holster attached to his belt and pulled out a knife.

He looked over to Tallis. She had been screaming at him to stop, and up until now, he was able to ignore her. He walked over to her, wiping sweat from his forehead with his arm which smeared some of the blood that was on his face. Jeremy had a one track mind, and he couldn’t be her old man right now; in that moment he was only the President of the RDMC. If it was only about the money, maybe he would've stopped right there. J was the type of guy who was loyal to who treated him better, so if someone offered him something he couldn't refuse, then of course he would jump ship.

Tallis flinched as Jeremy moved his hand to wipe the sweat away, putting her hands up to protect herself. In this moment he was everything she had hated in Cameron. Everything that had kept her up at night due to fear. "I can't stay here and watch this, I need some air. You're not the man I love right now." She didn't wait for him to speak before running out of the room. She needed to see Taylor. His face remained expressionless as she spoke and consequently left the garage. Jeremy had to finish what he started. A lot of the older club members didn’t think he had the balls to lead them down the right path, partly due to his age and partly how nice he treated his old lady. The club came first, and he had to prove himself to them.

Jeremy approached J’s chair slowly and traced the pointed end of the knife down his arm. Abruptly, he plunged the knife in the man’s thigh and left it there, walking away and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his bleeding hand. J screamed out in pain and cursed until he finally said, “Fine. I fucking took the money. Just s-stop.” A smile crept on to Jeremy’s lips and he turned around. “Thank you.” He walked back to J and pulled the knife out of his leg. “Pack your shit and get out. Have your tattoos blacked out by next week or you’ll see me again.” Jeremy nodded at Voodoo and Patty for them to release J from his restraints, and he left the garage, not making eye contact with any of the members and headed straight to his office. This one took a toll on him.

After a moment in silence, he walked out to the lot and hopped on his bike. He had to go see Tallis, and his only guess was that she was at the cemetery. ”How does she expect me to run the club?” he thought to himself as he cruised roads, music blaring. Many MC members felt that they were deliverers of karma. Everyone got what they deserved. Just because Jeremy had never laid a hand on her, that didn’t mean he wasn’t violent by nature. Hell, he’d been involved in taking lives with his club for a long time. Why did this matter now?

As he arrived at the cemetery, he entered slowly to see her sitting down at Taylor’s grave. He lit a cigarette and placed it on top of the maker before lighting one for himself. “Wanna tell me what’s going on?" He exhaled a large cloud of milky smoke as his eyes lingered on her.

Tallis rested her chin on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. Flower petals littered Taylor's grave; she had destroyed a whole bouquet. "I talked to Jeremy about marriage, it scared him shitless." She sighed, leaning her forehead against the cold marble. "I still blame myself for your death, even though my therapist said it's not my fault by any means. The more time passes, the more I miss you." The sound of footsteps ended her conversation with Taylor.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Tillman asked as he offered a cigarette to his best friend.

Truth be told, Tallis didn't want to tell him anything...but she needed to tell someone. Who better to tell than the love of her life? "He broke me, Jeremy. I can't sleep and I don't want to eat. I panic everytime someone gets too close to me. This life I'm living is a nightmare. I've never been so scared." Tallis couldn't look at Jeremy as she poured her heart out. What would he think?

She was making him look weak.

As Tallis spoke, Jeremy slowly sat down next her. He already knew everything she was telling him. Hell, he was living it with her. Once she finished, he reached out a hand and grabbed hers. "We'll end this, darlin', I promise." He rubbed her hand softly. "I'm sorry I can't make you feel better." He flicked his cigarette and adjusted himself to be on one knee. He reached into his breast pocket and took out a black diamond ring. This wasn't what he had planned, but the timing seemed right. Plus, he knew if he had tried to wait for the "perfect" moment, he'd never end up going through with it. Their lives were one big shit show, but she made it all bearable. His heart was racing as he presented it to her and asked in a quiet voice "will you marry me, Tallis?"

No one had ever made him feel close to what Tallis did. He knew from the bottom of his heart that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, no matter how short it might be. He wanted her to know how much he truly and deeply loved her.

The cemetery lights were the only thing illuminating the view as it was later in the evening. There was a cool breeze making its way between the tombstones and trees, creating a slight rustling noise throughout the lot. Jeremy imagined that they may have been the only people fucked up enough to have a proposal in a place like this, but he couldn't imagine it any other way. With his girl and his best friend.

---------------------------------------------

Solomon had picked up extra shifts at the shop in order to bring in more income for his growing family. Things between him and Kaci remained good, as long as his attention was never taken away too long from the club. Often he’d come home late, and Kaci would still be attentive and caring, even though she was the pregnant one. He hated being away from her for so long, but he knew in the long run that having some money to sit on would help them out tremendously.

In order to expand their income, Solomon was also doing more club work. He’d often go on runs, escorting cargo up and down the coast, often going 2-3 days with no sleep. If any business men needed security for some of their meetings or parties, he would be the first to volunteer. Between this and the shop, he could feel himself wearing thin, but it was all worth it to him. His bank account was growing significantly to the point where he found it tempting just to take some time off, but he’d shake away those thoughts the moment they entered his mind.

It was around 10:30pm when Solomon closed up the shop, finishing all the cars that were due for pick up tomorrow. Everything hurt; he had started around 8:00 am that morning. He could only think of getting home to Kaci, which helped power him through the day.

He slowly climbed the stairs to their third story apartment, unlocked the door, and quietly made his entrance into the house. He slid off his cut and hung it on a chair in the dining room, and quietly cracked the door to the bedroom to see Kaci lying in bed. “Hey, baby,” he said softly and smiling, as he began to take off his shirt. “I’m gonna hop in the shower real quick. You relax.”

"Will you marry me, Tallis?" At those words, her heart rose in her throat as her hands rose to cover her mouth that was hanging open. How long had she been waiting for this very moment? Longer than she would like to admit. She was in shock as well as awe, the ring was more perfect than she could have ever imagined. "Of course, I'll marry you, Jeremy. I've wanted to marry you since I was, like, 15." That much was true. She helped him slip the ring onto her slender finger before throwing her arms around him to press her lips to his. It was as if all of their troubles melted away in this very moment. Cameron hand ruined their lives. They were together, and they always would be. That was what mattered in this moment.

Tallis couldn't tear her eyes away from the diamond ring on her ring finger. "You did good, Jeremy, I promise I'll make this night worth your while." She looked up and winked at him, kissing him once more before running her fingertips down his chest.

God, I love him so much. Next, we'll have babies.

__________________________________

Solomon was away more than he was home, but Kaci had learned to come to terms with it. He was trying to make a better life for them, because it wouldn't be long until their lives would change forever. Kaci had spent most of the day cleaning, cooking, and setting up the nursery so by the end of the day she was exhausted. Her ankles were swollen and she was getting bigger by the day. Soon, they would find out if they would be having a boy or a girl. Despite saying that she didn't care what they had, she secretly wanted a little girl. Maley Rain, a name she had always wanted to give her daughter.

She tried to sit up as Solo entered the room, but he told her just to relax. It was hard to relax when so much was going through her mind. "Okay, I'll be here when you get out." Luckily, his shower was short, because she would have fallen asleep if it had been too long. As soon as he fell into bed she was sitting on top of him and rubbing his back. He was incredibly tense. It would take hours to work out all the knots and more than just a massage. "How was work tonight, my love?" She paused to run a hand over her growing baby bump. It was becoming one of her most favorite parts of her body. "You look exhausted."

He did, but he always no matter how much sleep he got the night before. The club and the shop were beginning to take their toll. Maybe once the baby was born they could take some time. "Jeremy bought Tallis an engagement ring, he showed it to me."

Watching how happy she was made everything inside Jeremy feel right for a moment. He hadn't seen her like this in a long time, and he missed seeing her smile the way she was. He listened to her soft voice and felt her fingers gliding along his chest, which made him tilt his head back slightly and sigh with a smile. "Of course you will, babe." He held her for a little while until he checked the time. It was 11:00pm. Friday night. Usually that would mean it was time for the bar then Lipstick's. But he was exhausted. "Let's go home. I'll tell the guys I'm not coming back in."

They stood up and brushed themselves off, both smiling at each other. Jeremy wrapped an arm around her delicate shoulders and used the other hand to call Voodoo. "Hey man, you can lock up when you leave tonight. I gotta go home and take care of something. Alright, thanks." He hung up and winked at Tallis as they approached his bike.

Before they left, Jeremy took out his phone one more time. He had to make things right with Solomon; he couldn't leave this shit lingering in the air or it was going to suffocate him. He began to text him. "Solo. Meet me at the clubhouse at 10 tomorrow. You and me only." Send. They straddled the bike and took off towards the house.

-------------------------------

"Work was...work. And I'm fine, K. Don't worry about me. How're you feeling?" Solomon groaned as Kaci worked on his back. "I'm sorry you've been alone so much, K. It kills me. I just-" he winced in a mixture of pain and pleasure as she kneaded a tender spot in his shoulders. "-I wanna make sure we're set up for when the baby comes."

When Kaci told him about Jeremy buying a ring for Tallis, a combination of surprise and happiness flooded him. Surprise, because Jeremy had convinced almost everyone that he was a cold, soulless asshole. Happiness, because no matter how much time passed, he still loved Jeremy as he would his own brother. "That's awesome, K." His thoughts immediately raced to the notion that Kaci could want the same from him. He patted her leg to signal for her to lay down, and once he did, he rolled on his side to face her. "K, you know, one day we'll get married. But I want that day to be about you. And if you're pregnant, it won't be. Everyone will assume it's 'cause I knocked you up." He ran his hand through her hair and leaned in, kissing her softly before meeting her eyes again. "Love you, K."

His phone vibrated immediately after he spoke, startling him. He grunted, rolling over to reach his phone on the end table. He read Jeremy's text and responded with a simple, "Got it." He rolled back over to Kaci. "Guess I'm meeting with your brother tomorrow."

"K, you know, one day we'll get married. But I want that day to be about you. And if you're pregnant, it won't be. Everyone will assume it's 'cause I knocked you up."

Kaci raised a brow at his words, propping herself up on an elbow. Truthfully, she hadn't given much thought to marriage. While it was expected from everyone else, especially her mother, she didn't expect him to pop the question just because she was carrying his baby. "Baby, I'm in no rush to get married. Whenever you think we should." She smiled at him as she rubbed her ever growing belly. This was her heaven, laying in bed with the man she loved more than anything.

Nothing could ruin this.

She pulled Solomon close after he responded to his buzzing phone, burying her face into his tattooed chest. "Well that's good, right? You're his Taylor now, so maybe he wants to patch things up." Kaci regretted the words as soon as they had escaped from behind her lips. Solo could never replace Taylor, and it was in poor taste to compare the two. "I shouldn't have compared you two, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. No matter how pissed Jeremy gets with you, he needs you." She closed her eyes and breathed him in.

This is heaven.

__________________

Jeremy and Tallis were one, and had been for hours thanks to the massive amounts of drugs and alcohol in their systems. Tallis' and Jeremy's phones had been ringing nonstop and it was beginning to get harder and harder to ignore. "Cuddles, you've called me and Jeremy well over 20 fucking times. We're a little busy celebrating our engagement," she was breathless as she spoke, her hips never losing their rhythm. "What? We'll be right there. Move him into the garage." She hung up the phone and turned her attention back to Jeremy. "They have Cameron, you have three minutes to finish."

Solomon closed his eyes as he listened to Kaci’s voice. “I know what you mean, K. I think Tillman and I will be fine after we talk.” He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair away from her face, enjoying her warmth on top of him. Moments like this made him wish he could walk away from the club; It had a tight grip over him, swaying and influencing him in nearly every decision he made. Part of him dreamed of being just a mechanic, a lover, and a father, which the thought of this three years ago would have made him want to kill himself. But, he was in love.

Solomon had went on a run with the club last week to their chapter in Reno. It was supposed to be a simple visit, providing some extra hardware to Reno while they were dealing with a rival, but the President decided to treat the boys to a little hospitality. There was free flowing liquor, drugs, and women at the clubhouse, and Solomon had partaken in all three. He and the other three members that accompanied him woke up so hungover that they barely made the ride home in one piece.

Now, he was dealing with an internal battle as to whether feel guilty or not. On one hand, this is what the club does. All old ladies knew the protocol for club runs; ”What happens on a run, stays on a run.” But on the other hand, Kaci wasn’t like the other old ladies in the club. She wasn’t privy to all the normalcies that the members and their woman had grown accustomed to, and Solomon didn’t really want her becoming like them either. She was sweet, and kind, and innocent in a way that made his heart melt, and the thought of her becoming anything different than that put him in a dismal mood. She deserved to know the truth, but it wasn’t his place to talk about what happened that night. He made a promise to himself to not sleep with women other than Kaci anymore, no matter what the occasion, because she deserved better. She deserved better than a piece-of-shit, outlaw biker who loved drugs and women too much. She deserved better than to deal with the bullshit obstacles that the club had caused for them.

All these thoughts ran through his head while she was laying on top of him, and they were enough to nearly make him vomit. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and not cause any commotion. He wanted to lay like this for the rest of the night, and he assumed that getting worked up would ruin the mood. His eyes locked with Kaci's, and he smiled faintly. “It’s late, K. You should get some sleep.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeremy heard Tallis on the phone but couldn’t really focus on what she was saying, probably a mix of the narcotics in his system and all of the sensations she was making him feel. If any woman knew how to please a man, it was Tallis Black, and they had been going at it for what felt like hours. And then, words pierced through the air and and slapped him in face. ” "They have Cameron, you have three minutes to finish."

A wave of sobriety washed over Jeremy, and he immediately began to feel anger rise up into his chest. ”It’s not my kill, it’s not my kill,” he repeated to himself internally as his mind slowly began to shift gears back to Tallis. She had remained on top of him despite receiving news that she had been waiting on for months. Everything in Jeremy wanted to get up and rush to the clubhouse to take care of the asshole who had made their lives hell, but he was completely paralyzed in pleasure with Tallis astride him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeremy was breathing heavily as Tallis got off the bed, and his hand rubbed his face as he got control back of his body and thoughts. His eyes snapped over to the alarm clock on his end table. 4:07AM. “Shit,” he muttered to himself as he slowly stood up and stretched, his eyes scanning the room for a shirt and his jeans.

Once he was dressed, he walked in the bathroom to see Tallis standing in front of the mirror. He crept up behind her slowly, sliding his hands around her waist and his face into the crook of her neck. He inhaled slowly, savoring her scent, before beginning to speak with a sleepy voice. “You ready for this, Tallis?” He removed his face from her neck and caught her gaze in the bathroom mirror. He wanted to make sure she was ready not only to finally kill the motherfucker, but for all the feelings that come with it. “The person you kill never truly leaves you. The last expression you see on their face will haunt you,” he mumbled quietly close to her ear. He wanted her to kill him. He didn't want to deal with Cameron anymore. But he wanted to make sure that she would truly be okay with it. His mind flashed back to his own faces that haunted him, and it sent chills down his spine. He pressed a kiss into her neck before releasing her waist. "You got this, babe."

Tallis stared at herself in the mirror, running her hands over the bruises that Jeremy had left her; bruises much different than the ones Cameron had left. Bite marks riddled her breasts and hickeys dotted every inch of exposed skin, even on her ass. These bruises were ones of love and passion, and she would not cover them up out of shame. She wasn't alone in front of the mirror for long, though, Jeremy joined her. “The person you kill never truly leaves you. The last expression you see on their face will haunt you,” he mumbled quietly close to her ear. His words sent shivers down her spine, but she tried to fight them back. "I think I'll use a baseball bat." Tallis was ready. She needed to be ready. They were at the end of the rope.

"Let's go."

***

Bikes were haphazardly parked at the clubhouse, several members smoking outside of the refinished garage. There was tension in the air. Tallis stepped off the back of Banshee, pressing her helmet into Voodoo's chest. "He's in there, Tallis," he said as he flicked his cigarette away. She ignored him, mostly because his words didn't even register. The only thing on her mind was Cameron. Blood dripping down his face. His body broken and bent.

She wanted him dead.

Cameron was tied to one of the garage's steel beams, blood already dripping from his mouth. They boys had roughed him up a bit, but made sure to leave the rest for Tallis and Jeremy. They needed this. He was laughing like a demon. "They're sending you in to kill me? That's cute as shit."

"Shut the fuck up, Cameron. I'm tired of hearing your fucking voice." Tallis picked up the wooden bat that was waiting for her, swinging it around to test its weight. It would be perfect for the task at hand.

"This is going to start a war." He continued laughing, tears now trickling down his cheeks. "You thought I was bad, my boys are worse!" Cameron spit in her direction, barely missing her.

"I've fucked all of your boys, so I'd say they're probably better." She punctuated her sentence with another swing of the bat, but this time it made contact with both of his knees. Crack. Screams filled the garage as Tallis continued swinging. Thighs. Ribs. Arms. Hands. Nothing was safe as her rage began to boil over. "I could have been a mother! This is payback for everything you did to me, you stupid fucker." At that, she began hammering the bat into his skull over and over again. Blood and bits of skull were flying off the bat with every blow.

Tallis was covered in his blood, but she couldn't stop. Tears were dripping down her face.

Jeremy remained silent long after they arrived at the clubhouse. He didn’t see the need to call a vote on how to handle Cameron; all of the members seemed more than on board based on the condition he was already in. When they entered the garage, the familiar rage began to boil up in Jeremy again, but he lit a cigarette instead of acting on it, taking a large puff of the smoke and pacing along the back wall of the garage. He was fully committed to letting Tallis take the reins, and it was almost relieving not being the one to have to handle this himself.

He tried his best to block out the conversation happening between the two of them, knowing that whatever Cameron would say to her would surely piss Jeremy off. The moment that he saw Tallis swinging the bat around, he began to feel instant relief. ”It’s finally over,” he thought to himself as he lit another cigarette. Something was undoubtedly sexy about Tallis taking charge of this situation, but as soon as the thoughts came to him, he shook his head. ”I’m obviously fucked in the head if watching my girl beat someone to death is a turn on.” He nearly laughed out loud at his thoughts, when a ”crack” filled the room. Jeremy winced at the thought of how painful that must have been, but he had no mercy for Cameron. He deserved every bit of the agony he was feeling.

He watched as Tallis finished what she had started, nearly seeing Cameron’s soul leaving his body. Jeremy observed her as she continued at his skull with the bat, and he jumped into action when she showed no signs of stopping. Reaching around from behind her, he placed one hand around her wrist and the other on the bat to keep her from relentlessly striking him. “Tallis, Tallis, Tallis.” He kept repeating her name until he felt her stop struggling. “It’s done.” Cameron laid lifelessly on the floor in front of them, and a red pool was forming around his head.

Tallis was breathing heavily, but she was no longer fighting against Jeremy. "I need some air or something." She moved away from Jeremy and made her way outside, running her blood covered fingers through her jet black hair. The air had gotten cooler and she was starting to shiver almost violently. Oh God, I killed a man. She tried her best to pull her pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, but her hands were shaking too profusely.

"It's over. It's done."

She sank to her knees and wept.

-Two Months Later-

Ring, ring, ring.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kaci called as she pushed herself up from the couch, almost waddling towards the door. A blonde woman with enormous fake tits was standing behind the door, loudly popping her gum. She was wearing more makeup than a clown. "Uhm, can I help you?"

The blonde woman stared at Kaci in disbelief, almost as if she didn't expect to find her there. "I'm sorry, I'm looking for Solo."

"I'm his old lady." Kaci's heart was starting to race, making it harder and harder to breathe. What the hell was this all about?!

"Old Lady. Fuck. I'm so fucking stupid!" The girl ran her hands over her face, smudging her makeup. "And you're pregnant? Holy shit. I'm so sorry. I never would have slept with him had I know his old lady was pregnant. That's such a fucked up thing to do. I'm so sorry." Before Kaci could ask her to explain, the blonde bimbo rushed away.

Kaci could feel her heart breaking in her chest. All she could do was wait for Solo to return from work.

~Two Months Later~

Jeremy felt like a piece of Tallis may have died with Cameron that night, and he wasn’t sure if she would ever be the same. One thing he felt he could never be judge of is how someone changes after they kill a man. God knows Jeremy wasn’t exactly the same after he first experienced taking someone’s life, and he didn’t expect Tallis to bounce back from this unscathed. The changes he saw in her did worry him, though. Exaggerated drug use, depression, or coldness - all things that Jeremy could deal with easily. But, Tallis seemed as though she lost the sparkle in her eyes that Jeremy had taken for granted. Her laugh didn’t seem the same, sounding almost as if there was always a certain sadness in her voice. He wasn’t one to dig into the feelings of others, so he tried his best to comfort her without really talking about it, but he could tell that it wasn’t working.

Should he have taken on the responsibility of killing Cameron himself? Should he be carrying this burden and not Tallis? Questions like this kept him up late at night and filled him with a cocktail of rage and guilt. Logically, he knew that Tallis would have never let him do her work for her, and if anyone deserved to finish the job, it was her. But dread sat at the back of Jeremy’s mind almost constantly now, causing an obvious disturbance in his usual care-free attitude.

After the club’s weekly meeting to discuss activities and finances, Jeremy and Tallis drove home and had been silently sitting on the couch watching TV. She was curled up in his lap, and they had been passing a joint back and forth while his fingers ran through her hair. As he took the last hit of the joint, he moved her off of him and stood up, then kneeled down in front of her as he exhaled the thick white smoke. “Tallis,” he sighed, putting his hands on her knees while maintaining eye contact. “I can’t fuckin’ do this anymore. You’ve gotta talk to me, babe.” He put his thumb and pointer finger on her chin and pulled her towards him to kiss her. He lingered for a moment before backing up and resuming their eye contact. “Tell me what's going on."

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Solomon had another long day at the shop. It seemed like no matter what he fixed, two more things broke right after, and the only thing he wanted to do now was to go home and see Kaci. He had been invited out by some members and other staff from the shop to go out to Lipstick’s, but he declined, which caused an array of jokes to be slewed at him, like “Wow, the pussy wants to go home. What’s new?” and “Did you get knocked up too, or just your old lady?” He jokingly told them all to shut the fuck up as he cleaned his hands off and got ready to close up the shop.

Things had been so good between him and Kaci, almost too good to be true. They were saving up for when the baby came, preparing the nursery, and spending as much time as they could together between work and club duties. Kaci had been so understanding with all the things he had to do and how tired he was when he came home, and he wanted to do everything in his power to repay her for all of it. He never did anything romantic, not that she didn’t deserve it, but he wasn’t exactly privy to all the things a boyfriend was supposed to do for his girlfriend.

As he got on his bike, he decided to pick up a bouquet of roses for her and a box of chocolate at the local store. He was so excited to get home and give them to her that he almost left them sitting on the counter after he paid for them. "Idiot," he whispered to himself as he grabbed the items he purchased and got back on his bike. He was thinking about maybe getting a car, or at least something more family-oriented, but he had to discuss it with Kaci first.

He entered the apartment with a goofy grin on his face, holding the bouquet and the chocolate behind his back as he tried to quietly close the door. As he turned back around to enter into the living room, his eyes met Kaci’s. She had been sitting on the couch waiting for him. “Hey, K,” he grinned as he leaned down to kiss her on the top of the head. “Well, these were gonna be a surprise, but,” he paused as he handed her the roses and chocolate. “Hope you like ‘em.” He plopped down next to her and put a hand on her thigh. "How was your day, K? You feelin' alright?"

Tallis had become a ghost, a shell of her former self. Nothing brought her joy. Nothing brought her happiness. She was just...numb. Floating through the days so high that just looking at the substance would send her into an overdose. Jeremy's movements caught her attention and she watched him move in front of her. “I can’t fuckin’ do this anymore. You’ve gotta talk to me, babe.” He put his thumb and pointer finger on her chin and pulled her towards him to kiss her. He lingered for a moment before backing up and resuming their eye contact. “Tell me what's going on."

It took all she had not to look away.

"I see him every time I close my eyes. I can still feel his blood on me. I can hear his bones breaking and his skull splitting open." A shiver raced down her spine and she violently twitched. "This man abused me for years, took away my ability to have children, and ruined my life...but killing him was too much, Jeremy. I feel like a monster. I murdered someone. I can barely handle killing Cameron...how can I expect to kill the man that hit Taylor." And just like that, the true reason for Tallis coming back was out in the open. There would be more blood on her hands before the year was over. "I thought once he was dead he would go away...but it's like he's haunting me."

The young woman leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Jeremy's as she begged for comfort.

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Despite the rage that was boiling up inside her, Kaci was calm as Solo entered their cozy apartment. She took the gifts gingerly and placed them on the floor at her feet before stomping on the chocolates. "My day has been wonderful, thanks for asking, Solomon! I finally finished the baby's nursery, made myself some lunch, and then met the woman you cheated on me with. She seems like a really nice girl, Solo, I understand why you fucked her. Cute. Perky tits. Not pregnant with your child. I totally understand." A heavy sigh signaled the end of her rant and the start of her sobbing. "How could you do this to me, Solo? Even Jeremy isn't sleeping with other women on runs. Jeremy! I have given you everything, and you go and fuck another girl?"

Kaci couldn't wrap her pretty little head around the situation. Tallis had been right; she wasn't cut out to be an old lady.

Jeremy’s eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes scanned her face as she spoke about the effect Cameron’s death had on her. He felt partially responsible – he should have been the one to handle it. After a while, a person will become numb to the blood on their hands. But, in reality, Tallis would have never let him step in for her. She was determined to be the one to finish what he had started.

The mood shifted, though, when she brought up Taylor. Jeremy had fantasized about the day they he killed the man that was responsible for the accident, but had long ago decided against to acting on it. It had taken such a long time to conjure up the small amount of peace he had now about Taylor’s death, and reopening old wounds to put an end to the guy would only take him back to the dark place he was in. But now, Tallis was talking about doing just that. And he would have to step in. He couldn’t let her feel anymore guilt than she was already experiencing.

But he remained quiet, and when she rested her forehead on his, he ran his rough fingers through her soft hair. “It’s okay, babe. I went through it, too.” Jeremy pressed a kiss into her forehead, then moved to sit next to her on the couch, pulling her towards him so that he could wrap his arms around her, just as they were before.

“You’ll get through it.” His hand was now rubbing her back. Even with that fucker dead, he was still tormenting her. Jeremy felt rage bubbling inside of him, but it was futile – there was nothing he could do to Cameron at this point.

“Let’s get you in the bath,” he spoke quietly, lifting her off of him, standing up, and reaching a hand down to help her off the couch. “I’ll get you a drink, and you can relax for a bit. I’ll get you whatever you need, okay?”



“Oh, shit,” Solomon mumbled as he watched Kaci’s demeanor change, and he backed up slowly as she began to yell. He never expected to have to deal with any blowback from what happened on a run – usually the girls were smarter than that.

Once Kaci began to sob, Solomon inched forward slowly. “K, I’m sorry,” his voice was quiet, but stern. “It was when everything was still a secret.” He began to reach a hand out, but he could tell Kaci didn’t want him to touch her, so he recoiled. “All the guys were getting suspicious, wondering why I wasn’t fuckin’ around.” His fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose forcefully as his mind raced.

“It was only once, K. I had no idea she’d fuckin’ show up here.” Solomon scratched at his head in frustration, not knowing what to do. “I love you, K. More than anything or anyone. You gotta believe me.”

He plopped down on the couch with his head in his hands. He knew he was at her mercy, and he’d have to accept whatever she decided, but the thought of losing her felt like it’d be enough to kill him.