Forever Zara: (novella 9.5) by V. Theia (ebook reader txt) 📕

Rider chuckled, knowing how literal Hawk was being.

“Not sure going back to my wedding covered in body part juices would be a good look.”

Hawk grunted.

The compound grounds were deserted. They didn’t attempt to carry Rex to the SUV. Instead, the roller chair he was slumped in came in handy. They wheeled him out, Hawk holding his legs up from the floor. If they weren’t time-sensitive, Rider might have laughed for the sight they made. Once outside, it took all their strength and maneuvering to toss the body into the back of the truck. He landed with a heavy thud of a man who no longer had control of his limbs, then covered him up in a tarp.

It was a chilly February day, but both men were sweating. Rider swiped at his forehead, locked the club up again, and climbed into the driver’s seat. Hawk followed suit. “You should get back to the reception before you’re missed.”

“No one will expect to see Zara and me yet.”

Not while Zara was holed up in a hotel suite, he’d booked weeks ago. They’d made a show of going off for an hour to be alone. As expected of a dirty biker. But he didn’t want to leave her alone for long, so he had to get this last thing seen to.

“I can do the dump.”

“Seeing it through, brother.” Rider answered.

He drove the speed limit. The last thing he needed was to get pulled over for a ticket and have his alibi smashed to pieces.

How could he have killed Rex when he was at his wedding? He was nowhere near the guy. And when they started looking for him, they’d see he had a mistress out in Vegas, and he’d also emptied his bank accounts. Who was to say he hadn’t run off with her for a new life?

Rider had killed tonight, but he wasn’t evil. There was conscience in him, so he’d make sure his aunt was taken care of. He doubted her sons would do a fucking thing for their mother.

“You feel anything?” Hawk asked from the other side of the cab. They’d been driving twenty minutes up the mountain to one of their safe houses.

Rider cut a gaze sideways, “nothing.”

“Good.” Smirked the demon at his side. And then he sobered, his face darkening. “Wish I could have done the same for the bitch.”

His mother.

“Family means nothing when they’re a piece of shit.” Hawk gruffed. Saying more at once than he usually did. It meant he was agitated and probably needed the calm of his old lady. Gia always grounded him.

“The right kind of family gets shit done, no matter who wields the guillotine, brother.” Rider replied, taking the long driveway to Rex’s last resting place.

Anyone of his club brothers would have done Rex.

Lawless, before he went to prison, was jonesing to be tagged in.

Even Hawk offered more than once.

This had to be Rider, if only because he had to face Mad-dog. His father knew this shit was happening. He’d endorsed it. But he must have some feelings about knowing his son killed his only brother.

He didn’t feel guilty. Rex had it coming.

Rider had given Rex’s wife and sons the freedom to live a life from out of his tyranny.

Stripping everything off the body, Hawk burned the clothes in an oil can. Rider didn’t stick around to watch as the feral pigs started in on their meal. Keeping them hungry for a few days was the key to making them dispose of a body. It wasn’t pretty, and because he had to eat wedding cake later, he turned from the sight and tried not to listen as they went to town. When he came back tomorrow, there wouldn’t even be a bone left to identify.

“Let’s go.” He told his VP.

“End of an era,” Hawk remarked, using wipes in the truck to wash off his hands of soot and grime. They both changed their footwear back to that of their wedding attire. Rider tossed his black leather jacket in the back and slipped into his suit jacket. He probably smelled like death, but there wasn’t time for a shower, not until he was back at the hotel.

“Until the next one.” Hawk tacked on with a sinister chuckle.

Rider grinned. That’s how it felt too. Out with the old, in with the new. There was always a new supervillain to go up against the Souls.

Leaving the truck at the club, the prospects knew to scrub it inside and out until it shined like brand new. They would have already taken Rex’s truck over to the junkyard to have it crushed. They hopped into Lawless’ ride they’d borrowed. The enforcer would have a shit fit if he knew.

Making good time, Rider parked around the back of the hotel grounds. He and Hawk split up. Hawk went in the front to meet up with Gia. Rider took the back way through the kitchen and sneaked up to the room via the stairs.

Back to Zara.

Her pale eyes widened when she saw him.

The next thing, she flew across the room and flung herself into his arms.

Peace poured down over Rider.

She was it for him.

Not only did she know what he’d been doing, she still greeted him like she thought he was the greatest man alive. So fucking lucky.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, baby. Sorry, I took longer than I intended to be gone.”

“That doesn’t matter; you’re here now.” She pulled back to look at him, worry etched on her face. But not only that. What was on her lovely face was lust. He didn’t have time to question it. Not when her lips came up and crushed a kiss out of him. Nor when she moaned and grabbed his hair out of the leather tie. “Rider.”