Chapter Twenty-Six - His Truth, Her Strength
585 Words
The compound had gone quiet for the night. Most of the club was winding down, lights dimmed, music low in the background. But Ronan wasn’t resting.
He stood out on the edge of the property, near the old bike shed, away from the warmth of the clubhouse. The air was sharp and still, like the calm before something inevitable.
Evelyn found him there.
She hadn’t said anything when she stepped beside him—just waited, patient, silent. He looked down at her, eyes heavy with something she hadn’t seen before.
Not rage.
Not desire.
But purpose.
“I need to talk to you,” he said.
Her heart thudded, but she nodded. “Okay.”
He took her hand and led her back inside, not to the couch, not to the garage—but to his office. This wasn’t about heat. This was about weight.
When the door shut behind them, he stood in front of her—close, steady.
“I’m not pulling you into this to scare you,” he said. “But I need you to know what’s coming. Because this isn’t just club business for me.”
Evelyn searched his eyes. “This is about Reed.”
“It’s about everything he’s done.” His voice was low but certain. “To you. To kids we buried in the ground before they ever had a chance to live. To families torn apart because of his pride.”
He moved to the edge of the desk, sitting back against it, hands braced on either side.
“I’ve tried to wait it out,” he continued. “Let his club collapse on its own. And it is. The cracks are deep. His men are losing faith. But it’s not enough.”
Ronan looked up at her, and the weight in his eyes nearly broke her.
“I need to end this. Clean. Precise. Final. No more warnings, no more tolerance. This will be the end of the Vultures. Reed will pay for what he’s done.”
Evelyn stepped closer, voice soft but unwavering. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I don’t want to shut you out,” he said. “Because you’ve become the one thing in my life I don’t want to protect by lying.”
She stared at him—this man who had made her feel safe for the first time in her life—and felt something swell in her chest.
“You don’t have to protect me from your truth,” she whispered. “Just let me be beside you when it’s heavy.”
His throat moved with emotion, his jaw tightening.
“I’ve carried this war for years,” he said. “But this… this is personal. Reed didn’t just attack my club. He made it his mission to destroy lives. He raised sons to be weapons and left you to be invisible.”
“He never saw me,” she whispered.
“I do,” Ronan said.
And there was nothing soft about the way he said it.
“I see you. And I swear to you, when this is over—he’ll never be able to touch your shadow again.”
Evelyn stepped between his knees and wrapped her arms around him—slow, certain.
He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in. Letting himself be held. Just for a moment.
And in the quiet, she whispered, “Then finish it. I’ll be here when you do.”
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