Defiance (25 page)

Epilogue

In the days that followed Lance’s death and Silas’s leaving, the Defiance community went from understandably shaken to pulling together to protect their own. They buried Lance, at Trixie’s request. She refused to stay, left in the middle of the night and Tru knew that Caspar put out feelers with the Kill Devils to keep an eye out for her.

Tru hadn’t known if she could deal with Trixie if she’d stayed, and she was glad she didn’t have to make that decision.

Aimee began to heal. Luna remained quiet, on guard, and although she didn’t show any signs of bolting, she kept very much to herself. Bishop especially seemed to check on her more often than Tru asked him to. Along with Mathias, she considered the two of them as close of friends as Aimee and Luna.

She stood with Caspar as he met with all the members, old and new guard. Took the pulse of the community.

“We’re gonna be as legit as we can be. Doesn’t mean there won’t be illegal activities as things are necessitated. We take care of our own, no matter what. So anyone wants out, you’ve got a free pass right now. No recriminations. I don’t want any shit talking, any questioning, any second fucking guessing. You know my background. Know why I didn’t—couldn’t—say something earlier. Some of you might not be happy about that, but I think you all know I never did shit to hurt Defiance. Everything I’ve done, it’s been for Defiance.”

Three members and their families left.

The lengths Lance had gone through left the older generation shaken. Those who remembered Caspar coming into Defiance as a young boy were apologetic.

With Rebel doing the books, Caspar was able to run the business end better. More jobs. He had plans, and he talked about them with the other members. With her.

And still, none of this was going to be easy.

And because he wanted as much normalcy, and as soon as possible, that same week, the fight went on as usual. The mood was subdued at first, but the younger generation that had been choking at the bit for freedom, not unlike the sun trying in a desperate attempt to break through, had found their freedom.

There was a lot of healing to do. But watching the party blossom in front of her, Tru’s pride swelled.

* * *

It had seemed right when, after the fight ended, Caspar asked her to color the rose on his Defiance tattoo.

“Took my world from black and white to full-on color, babe. You were always the goddamned sunshine. Still are,” he’d told her while Tru had looked at her handiwork.

It was the first time any of the members had colored a Defiance skull.

It had seemed right to let Mathias give her the first tattoo, the one that would officially bond her to Caspar in the eyes of the club. Instead of the Defiance skull, she’d decided on a red rose, the same color as Caspar’s, entwined around his name. The words
joy
and
sorrow
were etched along the rose, the perfect compliment.

It was on her hip, an intricate, sprawling script for his eyes only. And Mathias’s and Bishop’s and Luna’s, because they were all there when she got tattooed. Aimee was still in the hospital, but Tru would show it to her later.

“Got one more surprise for you,” he told her now, taking a rolled-up paper from Mathias. “Buildin’ us a house.”

She moved around to see the plans he’d been directing Mathias to draw. “Here’s the underground...directly below, so you can open a hatch and actually see your floors. Thought that might help a little.”

“Unless the house is being destroyed,” Bishop offered and Caspar threw a fork at him, tines first.

Bishop moved slightly to the right and the fork lodged in the wall. “So much for truth around here.”

She smiled at the banter, but couldn’t take her eyes off the house plans. “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Brand new.” Everything was brand new.

Everything was exactly the way she’d wanted it when she’d been six, and eight and ten and fifteen, keeping track of Caspar. Wondering if he’d ever be hers.

“So this is it? I’m your old lady?” she asked when it was all over, when the music blasted out of the shop and people began dancing in the compound.

Any excuse for a party
, she thought at first, but no, that wasn’t right. Not this time. There were too many of them who’d come in to congratulate them. To pledge their loyalty.

Times would still be tough, but they were moving forward.

Caspar pulled her close, but his words were loud enough for everyone to hear. “Yeah, baby. You’re my old lady. Official now, but hell, Tru, you were mine. From the second you asked for my help and I rode you outta here, you were mine. Because even though I risked losing you, knew you were the kind I had to let fly before she came back.”

“I wrote to you.”

His brow furrowed.

“I never sent them. Because you were right. This is your life and I’d have asked you to leave it. And that wouldn’t be fair. I was waiting to come back to you. But I should’ve had more faith that you could’ve stood up to my demons and helped me do the same.”

“Always tryin’ to do things yourself. Take on the world yourself.” He shook his head. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t do shit like that.”

“I’d rather take on the world with you.”

“Finally, she decides that.”

“Never too late,” she murmured, kissing him.

“Never too late, babe,” he murmured back against her mouth.

* * * * *

About the Author

New York Times
bestselling author Stephanie Tyler worked as a teacher while pursuing a PhD in English Literature, all the while trying to convince herself that she would eventually get back to her dream of writing as a career.

When her daughter was born with serious medical problems, Stephanie found inspiration in the fighter her child proved to be—and found her own way back to writing. She has published in a variety of genres, including romantic suspense, new adult and paranormal, and she also cowrites erotic paranormal romance under the name Sydney Croft. She lives in New York with her husband, her kids and her crazy Weimaraner, Gus, and they’re all cool with the fact that she’s permanently on deadline.