How stupid was I to think our souls needed the other’s to live?
I was devastatingly wrong on all counts.
With tears streaming down my face, I put my Subaru into drive and slammed on the gas, heading right for his bike.
I saw red.
Heard her moans.
Pictured his contorted face when he called out, “fuck, yeah,” as he came like he’d do when we had sex.
The crunch of metal hitting metal hurt my heart. Lightning should’ve struck me down for damaging such a beautiful bike. I half expected his brothers to charge out of the building, guns blazing.
A bullet to the head would put me out of my misery and stop the immediate transformation of my character from a kind, loving woman to a hateful, destructive bitch.
All I wanted was to hurt Abe the way he hurt me, to take away his most prized possession after he shit on my hopes and dreams.
How could he do this to me?
“It’s just you and me, kid.” I put my hand on my stomach.
I backed up, then drove over his back tire, and fled the property. In the rearview mirror, I stared at his beloved Harley. After all, it was his first love and probably his only. I hoped seeing it mangled broke his heart the way he destroyed mine.
From this moment on, Abe Knight was dead to me.
1
Cobra
The last words Karma had said haunted my days and nights, running on a constant loop. I couldn’t understand why they’d tormented me so much. Six words had caused me to rage, and I could never forget her.
After she had seemingly dropped off the planet, I would take off on all-day flights or road trips on my Harley. I had intentionally stopped in new towns to search for her and asked the locals if they’d seen her as if she had been a missing person, taken against her will. I had even carried a picture of her in my wallet. I still had it in my bill slot.
Every time I came up empty.
Now I knew exactly where she was, yet I felt farther away from her than when she was gone.
I stared at the back door of the Human Canvas Tattoo Parlor, waiting for her. She’d hung up on me when I’d called—a dozen or more times. If she thought I’d take her rejection and move on, she didn’t know me as well as I thought she did.
“Okay, you bastard! I’ll show you!”
It wasn’t until I saw the little girl a few months ago that I understood the context behind the deep-rooted anguish in my soul. “I’ll show you,” had nothing to do with damaging True Blue, my electric blue Harley, which had enraged me at the time. Even thinking about it, I was still prickly over her plowing my girl down.
I’d love to spank her ass for it, give her hell like she’d never gotten before.
But I couldn’t risk her running away again.
Honestly, I was surprised she hadn’t disappeared after I discovered her—discoveredthem. It was like Karma wanted me but hated me more than giving in to her desires. I was confident she’d eventually surrender to me.
I checked the time on my phone. She usually left at six o’clock sharp. I wondered what was keeping her. It was almost ten after.
At least Nova had a babysitter caring for her. She wasn’t alone while Karma ran late at work. I’d made it my business to keep tabs on both of my girls. Storm even gave me weekly updates. Of course, he didn’t agree with monitoring her, but he helped me anyway, as any family member would do. I’d do the same for him if he asked for my help.
I had to keep track of Karma. Her fuckin’ threat all those years ago had been more personal and a million times worse than damaging my hog.
She’d taken my baby, the baby we’d been trying to make, the baby I had dreamed of having with her. When I thought about the years I’d missed in Nova’s life, I could strangle Karma. Just wrap my hand around her thin neck and squeeze.
But I’d never hurt Karma because I knew my actions had been the cause of losing her—losingthem. It was why I had been patient, so I could win back my woman.