... and Forever (Next Generation: Chaos Bleeds 1)

After pulling his bike to a stop, he turned off the ignition.

“You okay?” Dean asked.

Simon shook his head. “Why did you come for me?”

“I had a hunch.”

“No, there wasn’t a hunch. You came for me and now you’re willing to ride with me. Why?”

“We came from different backgrounds, Simon, but that doesn’t mean you’re not my friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you. It’s why I’m here. It’s why I’m going to stay.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No, but I will. There’s nothing back home. You need me now more than ever.”

“What about Eddie?”

“What about him? He still wants the cushy life. Let him have it. I never wanted it and now, I get to live the life I wanted. Where are we headed?”

Simon looked up the long, dark street. The rain had lessened. The pain in his chest hadn’t. As he thought about Tabby, he saw the smug look Ryan had given him. He’d pointed his gun, but Ryan hadn’t believed he would shoot. Even then. Knowing what he’d done, Ryan had doubted him.

It pissed him off to even think the son of a bitch thought he was going to live. Like Simon was less of a man because he couldn’t shoot someone. Ryan had raped Tabby. He’d taken from her what wasn’t freely given and because of that, Simon had seen nothing but death. In his head, he heard screams, Tabby’s. The ones begging for help, telling Ryan to stop. He had no doubt she’d fought but because of Ryan, she’d been hurt, and he just couldn’t live with that.

The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds had an agreement with the Billionaire Bikers MC, along with an understanding about their past being put to rest. There wasn’t going to be another life lost, but letting Ryan walk just wasn’t the answer.

He knew deep down in his gut if it had been Lexie, his dad would have killed anyone. He would have painted the streets red.

“I don’t know where we’re going, but we’re not coming back, not for some time.” With that, he turned over the ignition of his bike and took off.

****

Daisy glanced over to the window to see Anthony waiting.

She walked to it, sliding it up, and Anthony climbed through the window.

He looked toward the bed and nodded. “How is she?”

“Fine. I think. No, she’s not fine. I had to give her a sedative. The ones you gave me that you got from Sandy. I don’t like having stuff like that in my room.”

“She needed it and if she was going to lose control on anyone, it was going to be you.”

“It’s stolen.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Damn it, Anthony. It’s not about this being my fault or taking the blame or anything. I mean, seriously. I don’t get it. Ugh!” She threw her hands up in the air and left the room. “How can you be so calm?” She didn’t have to look back to know he followed her. He always followed her.

For the longest time, she hadn’t realized he actually had feelings for her, then of course, he had to go and tell her, but she wasn’t going to think about that right now. There would be a time and place for her own feelings and it wasn’t today.

Heading into the kitchen, she paused.

Whizz, her dad, had redecorated again not long ago after Lacey decided she could do what every other woman could do, only she couldn’t. Not even by a long shot. Running fingers through her hair, she glanced left and right, trying to figure out what to do.

This was insane.

Crazy.

“I’m not freaking out about this,” Anthony said. “Simon made his choice.”

She whirled around and laughed. “Are you fucking serious right now? I mean deadly serious? Can you even hear yourself?” She shook her head. “I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. We watched him kill someone. He shot Ryan in the face and he didn’t just do it once, he did it a couple of times. Doesn’t that scare you?”

“No.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because it’s who we are. You know this.” He shouted the words, making her pause. “For fuck’s sake, Daisy. You can’t for a second believe that all of this is— I don’t know what the fuck you want me to say right now. Look at how you beat down Danielle.”

“Don’t you dare bring her into this.”

“No. You liked it. It’s why all these years Tabs has kept you away from fighting. You have a thirst for pain and blood that scares the shit out of you. The only thing you’re scared about right now is the fact that you don’t understand how Simon could have stopped. How he made it so fucking easy for Ryan. That piece of shit raped our best friend. He raped one of our own. I saw it. I saw the fucking damage and all he did was fucking shoot him in the face.”